Ashen.2907 Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 > @"Scratchpaw.1069" said: > This has less to do with the politicians than it does to the way of Anet offering these statuettes in game. No, it has everything to do with the politicians. Note that everywhere that politicians have not deprived citizens of the self determination to spend their money as they see fit and where politicians have not chosen to deprive property owners of the right to do with their property as they see fit players can get statuettes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treacy.4067 Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 > @"kharmin.7683" said: > > @"Treacy.4067" said: > > > @"kharmin.7683" said: > > > @"gnotshr.9136" There are potential solutions, as you call them, to a problem that doesn't exist for Anet. The entire thread premise is flawed. > > > > What's flawed is thinking that it's not an issue for Anet. > Clearly, it is not an issue for Anet or else they would have made some change back when these laws started. Mount-gate was a fiasco and was a huge issue for Anet, so much so that they almost immediately changed the way in which mount skins were sold. I don't see them scrambling to make changes to the way in which statuettes are obtained because some countries block the purchase of keys. > > > @"Treacy.4067" said: > > So what the OP is suggesting is giving an alternative way to earn those statuettes. It's a valid premise. > I disagree because it is a solution that is looking for a problem. A problem that appears that Anet doesn't see as one. > > > @"Scratchpaw.1069" said: > > > @"kharmin.7683" said: > > > What's in it for Anet to make this change? Sure, we all want easier access to things in GW2, but the current model earns the company profit. How would this change benefit Anet? > > > > Even more money for Anet because people in anti-lootbox regions can now spend money on statuettes in the gemstore while still selling the same amount of black lion keys. > If this were indeed the case, then I would think that Anet would have changed something by now. They have their own statistics and internal financial figures. It would seem that they are content with the status quo. To me, that says that the reason that you suggest is not a strong enough benefit. Perhaps if you had something stronger, it would be considered? > > Everyone, please don't get me wrong. I hate spending money/gems for keys and would also like to have statuettes available by other means. I just don't see why Anet would want to do so. Unless you work for Anet you can't say that it's not a problem for them. It's disingenuous at best because I'm assuming you know the situation isn't resolved. The fact that countries have not only enacted laws but are actively considering legislation and investigating this issue is proof that it's a concern and you can bet it's being addressed internally at gaming companies. The FTC also gave a press release only two months ago regarding loot boxes: "Since the workshop, the video game industry has taken steps to enhance self-regulation, including through odds and point-of-purchase disclosures. In recent months, there also has been a rise in video gameplay due to the COVID19 global pandemic that has kept a significant percentage of the population indoors, potentially amplifying the loot box concerns raised at the workshop. Staff encourages industry to continue efforts to provide clear and meaningful information to consumers about in-game loot box and related microtransactions. The FTC will continue to monitor developments surrounding loot boxes and take appropriate steps to prevent unfair or deceptive practices. Regarding the FTC in the US, it's still early but it's very likely that gaming companies have a contingency plan if something similar happens. Some won't make changes until forced to do so as is what happened in Belgium whilst others will proactively make some alterations to their policies slowly over time. Bottom line is, it's a problem not just for ArenaNet but for all gaming companies and it will be interesting to see how it plays out since it's still an ongoing debate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kharmin.7683 Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 > @"Treacy.4067" said: > Unless you work for Anet you can't say that it's not a problem for them. I don't work for Anet, but can pretty much guess that it is not a problem. If it were, they would have done something about it. Again, take mount-gate as an example. They stood to really kitten-off the player base and lose money, so they almost immediately made changes. If Belgium players being unable to get statuettes was enough of a problem, then I think that Anet would have done something about it way before this thread opened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manasa Devi.7958 Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 Does anyone know, is it possible to gift Belgian players keys through the store from a non-Belgian account? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratchpaw.1069 Posted October 23, 2020 Author Share Posted October 23, 2020 > @"Ashen.2907" said: > > @"Scratchpaw.1069" said: > > > This has less to do with the politicians than it does to the way of Anet offering these statuettes in game. > > No, it has everything to do with the politicians. Note that everywhere that politicians have not deprived citizens of the self determination to spend their money as they see fit and where politicians have not chosen to deprive property owners of the right to do with their property as they see fit players can get statuettes. I don't agree with this. Per definition, the statuettes aren't rng drop items, as they are a guaranteed drop. They just so happen to be bundled with an rng item, making them unavailable for us. It has more to do with the way that statuettes are offered in this game. I liked other suggestions where maybe Anet could bundle a statuette with a 'booster pack' for example in the gemstore, thus making them available for our region. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ayrilana.1396 Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 > @"Treacy.4067" said: > Unless you work for Anet you can't say that it's not a problem for them. It's disingenuous at best Unless you work for Anet you can't say that it's a problem for them. It's disingenuous at best. Your statement goes both ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashen.2907 Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 > @"Treacy.4067" said: > Unless you work for Anet you can't say that it's not a problem for them. It's disingenuous at best What is YOUR position with ANet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashen.2907 Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 > @"Scratchpaw.1069" said: > > @"Ashen.2907" said: > > > @"Scratchpaw.1069" said: > > > > > This has less to do with the politicians than it does to the way of Anet offering these statuettes in game. > > > > No, it has everything to do with the politicians. Note that everywhere that politicians have not deprived citizens of the self determination to spend their money as they see fit and where politicians have not chosen to deprive property owners of the right to do with their property as they see fit players can get statuettes. > > I don't agree with this. Per definition, the statuettes aren't rng drop items, as they are a guaranteed drop. They just so happen to be bundled with an rng item, making them unavailable for us. It has more to do with the way that statuettes are offered in this game. I liked other suggestions where maybe Anet could bundle a statuette with a 'booster pack' for example in the gemstore, thus making them available for our region. It doesn't matter if you do not agree with facts. Fact: They were available in your region in the same manner as for everyone else. Fact: It was action by your government that made them unavailable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratchpaw.1069 Posted October 24, 2020 Author Share Posted October 24, 2020 > @"Ashen.2907" said: > > @"Scratchpaw.1069" said: > > > @"Ashen.2907" said: > > > > @"Scratchpaw.1069" said: > > > > > > > This has less to do with the politicians than it does to the way of Anet offering these statuettes in game. > > > > > > No, it has everything to do with the politicians. Note that everywhere that politicians have not deprived citizens of the self determination to spend their money as they see fit and where politicians have not chosen to deprive property owners of the right to do with their property as they see fit players can get statuettes. > > > > I don't agree with this. Per definition, the statuettes aren't rng drop items, as they are a guaranteed drop. They just so happen to be bundled with an rng item, making them unavailable for us. It has more to do with the way that statuettes are offered in this game. I liked other suggestions where maybe Anet could bundle a statuette with a 'booster pack' for example in the gemstore, thus making them available for our region. > > It doesn't matter if you do not agree with facts. > > Fact: They were available in your region in the same manner as for everyone else. > Fact: It was action by your government that made them unavailable. > I wouldn't go as far as saying that the politicians 'deprive' citizens of spending their money as they see fit. It's there to protects citizens from shady business practices. It might not be an issue for you as an individual, but there are people out there who just can't stop themselves and spend their entire wages on lootbox items ingame. Kids that spend hundreds of dollars/euros on these items using their parents cc behind their back, etc... It's highly likely that this law will be made EU-wide in the near future. This will probably force Anet to reconsider they way they are currently offering statuettes ingame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treacy.4067 Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 > @"Ayrilana.1396" said: > > @"Treacy.4067" said: > > Unless you work for Anet you can't say that it's not a problem for them. It's disingenuous at best > > Unless you work for Anet you can't say that it's a problem for them. It's disingenuous at best. > > Your statement goes both ways. > @"Ashen.2907" said: > > @"Treacy.4067" said: > > > Unless you work for Anet you can't say that it's not a problem for them. It's disingenuous at best > > What is YOUR position with ANet? N> @"kharmin.7683" said: > > @"Treacy.4067" said: > > Unless you work for Anet you can't say that it's not a problem for them. > I don't work for Anet, but can pretty much guess that it is not a problem. If it were, they would have done something about it. Again, take mount-gate as an example. They stood to really kitten-off the player base and lose money, so they almost immediately made changes. If Belgium players being unable to get statuettes was enough of a problem, then I think that Anet would have done something about it way before this thread opened. It's common sense for anyone to see that it's a considerable issue for gaming companies especially with the studies/legislation and lawsuits going on as we speak, some of which I mentioned above. Again, this is a newer controversy that has gotten more attention over the last 3 years or so, which means it's early in terms of legislation for many countries. It was two years ago that legislators began to urge the FTC to look into the practice which finally resulted in their initial findings released just two months ago. You don't need to work for a company to get this information. There's been numerous articles and news reports about it over the last couple of years. I just googled and some of these came up: https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/19/18226852/loot-boxes-gaming-regulation-gambling-free-to-play https://www.tomsguide.com/us/what-are-loot-boxes-microtransactions,news-26161.html https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-10-22-ea-faces-class-action-lawsuit-over-loot-boxes-in-canada https://www.classaction.org/blog/class-actions-claim-apple-google-facilitate-illegal-gambling-through-in-game-loot-box-purchases https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-53253195 Loot boxes: Lords call for 'immediate' gambling regulation https://www.theguardian.com/games/2020/jun/07/uk-could-class-loot-boxes-as-gambling-to-protect-children in addition, S.1629 — 116th Congress (2019-2020) A bill to regulate certain pay-to-win micro-transactions and sales of loot boxes in interactive digital entertainment products, and for other purposes was introduced as well. From what I can tell it was only read twice at this point. From a technological and legislative standpoint, I find the whole issue very fascinating and it will be interesting to see how it plays out in the future. However, it's naive to think that gaming companies (including ArenaNet/NCSoft) don't think this to be a concern, especially in the midst of all this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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