News OpenCritic now Flags Loot Box Mechanics

[lashman]

OpenCritic now Flags Loot Box Mechanics

Over a year ago, fresh off releases such as Star Wars Battlefront II and Middle-earth: Shadow of War, we promised on Twitter that we would take a stand against loot boxes. While it's taken us a little while to actually implement these changes, we're proud to announce that we've finally introduced this new label.

Games that use "loot box" mechanics now have a prominent notification.

Why are we doing this?

The OpenCritic team believes that loot boxes are a net-negative for the video game industry. Loot boxes prey on human's generally poor ability to accurately understand and internalize probabilities, especially at the extremes. Rather than offer in-game items directly, loot boxes are used to mask the underlying cost of extremely attractive items.

Industry leaders have tried to spin loot boxes as "fun" game mechanics, similar to opening presents on Christmas morning and discovering what's inside. These institutions downplay the significance of loot boxes, claiming that they are cosmetic only, or completely optional, or can be earned through the course of normal gameplay. These arguments ignore the perceived value of cosmetics, the progression systems built on them, and the sluggish pacing that effectively locks content.

We want to be clear that this isn't a claim that all randomization mechanics are negative. The Gwent system inThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was a valuable addition to the game. Watch_Dogs and Red Dead Redemption (2010) both had gambling mini-games that were fun and immersive. Roguelikes thrive on randomization.

However, over the last year, much of the industry has failed to address the uncomfortable reality of loot box mechanics: they're gambling. Pay a few dollars for a chance at something with perceived value.

Government bodies, legislators, and researchers have begun researching and understanding the impact of this form of gambling on all types of consumers. While officials conduct their analysis, we encourage developers and publishers who are considering loot box mechanics to consider the impact of these mechanics on players.

It's our mission to help gamers make informed decisions when considering a purchase or download. We feel that informing consumers about the presence of loot boxes is a key part of our mission.

How does OpenCritic decide what is and isn't a loot box?

OpenCritic looks at the following for determining whether a game uses loot boxes:

• Unknown, Random Rewards. Users do not know what item they'll receive prior to purchase. Instead, users are purchasing a chance to receive one item from a set of items.
• Monetized. Users are able to purchase the roll with real money, either directly or through an intermediary currency.
• Encouraged Use. Users are encouraged to acquire and consume the loot box during the course of normal gameplay or game systems.

A game is mislabeled! Who do I talk to?

 

[TheVectronic]

I'm glad they're opening up the distinction between in-game RNG that you can do within the game itself vs the Monetizable RNG via Loot Boxes. It'd be easy just to remove the RNG aspect to the game, but then you run into the trouble of regulating genres that aren't a problem to begin with like RPGs, or MMO's or even hybrid games like Borderlands that thrive within that space.

I think this is very important in the long run when brining the case of Loot Boxes in the court of law.

Now my question is, will that flag be removed if the game decides to patch that out in the long run like in Shadow of War's case? What about games that have those mechanics patched in later like in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4? Do we flag those too despite not being present on release?

I would like to know how this will affect game economies & the regulation for it.

 

[lashman]

Now my question is, will that flag be removed if the game decides to patch that out in the long run like in Shadow of War's case? What about games that have those mechanics patched in later like in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4? Do we flag those too despite not being present on release?

I would like to know how this will affect game economies & the regulation for it.

you'd have to ask MattEnth ... but i can only assume they'll be updating those labels accordingly to what the publishers/developers decide to do

 

[MattEnth]

you'd have to ask MattEnth ... but i can only assume they'll be updating those labels accordingly to what the publishers/developers decide to do

I thought the current state of the Black Ops 4 page and Middle-earth: Shadow of War page answered it

But yes, OpenCritic updates games and reviews as they change.

 

[lashman]

I thought the current state of the Black Ops 4 page and Middle-earth: Shadow of War page answered it

But yes, OpenCritic updates games and reviews as they change.

awesomeness as always!

there you go TheVectronic, you have your answer

 

[TheVectronic]

I thought the current state of the Black Ops 4 page and Middle-earth: Shadow of War page answered it

But yes, OpenCritic updates games and reviews as they change.

Mighty thanks!

Sorry I asked, I just read the quote that lashman posted, not seen the entire page yet

Great work on that front!

 

[MegaApple]

A great thing in this post is that they aren't trying a put a broad brush on the issue.
Every randomized thin isn't lootbox, and such "prizes" are given different distinctions.

That, plus a very good stand on LootBoxes.
Those already addicted to such things, it wouldn't matter to them, but for the rational and sensible people this is step towards resolving this issue.

Post automatically merged: Feb 5, 2019

IMO, they should put up an icon or an indication or sorts for this. The notification is doesn't grab as much attention.

 

[crimsonheadGCN]

That's good news.