Why Loot Box Black Lion Chest Is Good For The Game

[knomslayer.9457]

First of all yes it is gambling and it is bad for kids. But here, in Guild Wars 2 we dont have 12-16 years kids play the game. They play World of Warcraft or Fortnite. So i hope they dont ban Black Lion Chest for Guild Wars 2. Okay Now loot box blc is good for the game because it is fun to do and it brings surprise elements everytime you open a box. For some people like myself we make blc as our endgame content. We farm gold and then buy keys and open box. The surprise element is fun and fullfilling sometimes you dont get what you want sometimes you get what you want or sometimes you get better rewards than what you want. It is a grind for farming gold for keys and open box but let us not forget that it is just the same thing as doing fractal and wvw and pvp you grind everyday. So i hope they dont ban blc because we have fun doing this content same as other game modes in the game.

 

Reason why Good for the game :

- You feel rewarded with Guaranteed 4 useful items with a chance of one better item

- Surprise factor/element when opening a box

- Updated every month

- I dont spend money to buy keys but if you use real money to buy keys then you are supporting the game for more updates which is good

- Brings togetherness/Group content with other players as you farm gold together to buy keys

- Motivates you to open another box

- Its fun

[Randulf.7614]

Each to their own and no offence meant as it is your game to play your way, but if opening blc is being considered endgame content Id be worried about the state of the game and whether the aforementioned funds are being well spent.

 

My view has always been that these aren’t needed. Games fund just fine without them, they always funded well without them and I’ve never felt they give games a good rep or add anything that couldn’t be done a diff way. I get the thrill of chance, but rng dominates the game enough imo.

 

Ultimately it doesn’t matter what I or anyone else thinks since they are here and if they are somehow removed, it’ll be because of powers above me and no amount of internal discussions or pleading will change whatever decision is made.

 

Also, this didn’t need yet another separate thread. There are tons to post in on the subject already

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

I feel like I just read something written up by an EA representative.

 

Also, Guild Wars 2 is rated T for Teen. In addition to that, there are cases of people mentioning their 8-year old kids playing the game from time to time. So yes, we do have 12-16 year olds here.

[DonArkanio.6419]

Why loot box is good for the game?

 

It’s not. It’s a predatory technique against the consumers that are already willing to buy the loot boxes.

 

It is not about the audience that doesn’t care they exist. It’s about the audience that is very likely to buy them whenever they come out.

 

**Things you listed are the exact way lootboxes should make you feel**. It’s the system, it’s shallow and obvious. But it’s still bad.

[googel.3278]

This guy just wants to encourage players to spend every little penny off of pixels. Siding with that EA person who doesnt have logic, said lootboxes are surprise mechanics, Im pretty sure there are similarities to the OP aswell, kek.

 

“Its so fun dressing my character with pixels and im still wondering why Im starving!! :( cause im more worried about how other people think of my fashion taste!”

[Potatoface.1287]

> @"googel.3278" said:

> This guy just wants to encourage players to spend every little penny off of pixels. Siding with that EA person who doesnt have logic, said lootboxes are surprise mechanics, Im pretty sure there are similarities to the OP aswell, kek.

>

> “Its so fun dressing my character with pixels and im still wonderig why Im starving!! :(((( cause im more worried about how other people think of my fashion taste!”

 

Spending momma’s money, lol.

[Offair.2563]

How can you tell 12-16 yo aren't playing this? I know many people with their kids playing mmo's, like gw2..

[Taygus.4571]

> @"knomslayer.9457" said:

>

> - I dont spend money to buy keys but if you use real money to buy keys then you are supporting the game for more updates which is good

 

 

So.. they're good for the game, but you don't actually support it?

 

The problem with lootboxes is that their target audience are people who can't control their spending, and spend too much cash on chance because gambling is addictive.

 

 

[Westenev.5289]

Doth the OP practice what they preach, I wonder...

[castlemanic.3198]

> @"Konig Des Todes.2086" said:

> I feel like I just read something written up by an EA representative.

>

> Also, Guild Wars 2 is rated T for Teen. In addition to that, there are cases of people mentioning their 8-year old kids playing the game from time to time. So yes, we do have 12-16 year olds here.

 

just going to quote this because the huge reach that's being made in the OP is too much for me to put into words.

[Ben K.6238]

I skipped the first paragraph, saw "Guaranteed 4 useful items", and realised that this line of reasoning and mine just weren't destined to work together.

[Gop.8713]

I love the bl chests and I'd be sad to see them go, but I've never spent rl money on one so that may be why . . .

[Silmar Alech.4305]

It's not my habit to make a quote-reply chain, but in this case, a direct answer to each of your assumptions is meaningful:

 

> @"knomslayer.9457" said:

> First of all yes it is gambling and it is bad for kids.

That's about the only assumption from your message I fully support.

> But here, in Guild Wars 2 we dont have 12-16 years kids play the game.

This is wrong. The game is rated teen, which is age 13 and above. This is the benchmark for all contents. I personally witnessed quite a few teens, most of them being the sons and the daughters of some guild friends.

> Okay Now loot box blc is good for the game because it is fun to do and it brings surprise elements everytime you open a box.

No, it isn't fun but frustration to get junk most of the time for a very high gem cost. The surprise to get a good item is very rare and extremely expensive, if you count all junk boxes you open before that one box with better loot.

> We farm gold and then buy keys and open box.

You waste your time.

> The surprise element is fun and fullfilling sometimes you dont get what you want sometimes you get what you want or sometimes you get better rewards than what you want.

It's more emptiness to feel for the junk items you get almost all of the time, and the surprise of one good item makes place for the usual emptiness very soon if you continue to open boxes.

> It is a grind for farming gold for keys and open box

As I said: you waste your time.

> but let us not forget that it is just the same thing as doing fractal and wvw and pvp you grind everyday.

Grinding gold to change for gems to open chests is not the way it is meant to play Guild Wars 2.

> Reason why Good for the game :

> - You feel rewarded with Guaranteed 4 useful items with a chance of one better item

That's still junk if you think about the high cost of the key.

> - Surprise factor/element when opening a box

Usually frustration.

> - Updated every month

And what? Still contains usually junk the next month.

> - I dont spend money to buy keys but if you use real money to buy keys then you are supporting the game for more updates which is good

> - Brings togetherness/Group content with other players as you farm gold together to buy keys

You waste your time by farming gold just to burn it to open chests.

> - Motivates you to open another box

This is called addictive. The mechanics of the loot boxes is to make you addicted. Addicted persons are forced to continue and buy keys. The whole thing is to exploit a fundamental flaw in the human brain. Make him addicted, so the customer give huge amounts of money for literally nothing in return. With "nothing" I mean the development costs, or real value, of stuff sold.

> - Its fun

Nope.

[NanoEliteSixSixSix.8935]

> @"Ben K.6238" said:

> I skipped the first paragraph, saw "Guaranteed 4 useful items", and realised that this line of reasoning and mine just weren't destined to work together.

 

Oh but the first paragraph is just as good for a laugh, what with such nonsensical things such as claiming that nobody age 12-16 plays this game.

[Ol Nik.2518]

This sounds very much like a drug dealer pitch...

[hugo.4705]

Is it a preach from a sbubbles dark apostle?

I get your speech but it cannot be defended.

 

1~I never feel rewarded, I feel scammed seeing those two forced useless guaranted items reducing my chances to have something good.

2~No "surprise" 'cause I always have the garbages blue/green items or items I have 1 million time: access to bank, access tp.... and the horrible tp to friend at least hairkit was cool but got removed.

3~Never saw peoples grouping together to buy a key. Better to map completion or keyfarm character.

4~It's not fun, it foesn't push me to open another or buy key because I know I will have nothing.

5~Frequent update, sure but that's heresy. They are way far more other elements of the game that require update instead of that: wvw, pvp, balances, and maybe finish the unfinished map huh? Add rata novus cube as playable area, add cerebro jumping puzzle in caledon forest, add sulphur wastelands.

6~Predatory, especially 18-, under around 20 years old, the brain isn't fully formed and several hormones play hazardous roles like wanting to flee from your home, defy authority or be addicted to alcohol, smoking, drugs or gambling. You can't take over yourself, those mechanics twist your mind and exploit all your hidden weaknesses. Reasons exist, genetics, psychology or taking over yourself. But it's a doomed spiral that pull you like seaweed around your feet toward the seafloor. That's how many peoples have debt or lose everything. The more country banning the lootboxes, the better it will be. Believe me, If I have clear key box saying pick what you want, I would buy way far more of them.

It's not like they will be ruined if removed:

They can add new guild decos packages, housing additions in home instance, additional instances and maps made for rp or full of lore of a specific race.... note will pay for "asuran lost cities tour" unlocking several rata novus like maps or grawl maps, or largos maps.... ton of possibilities.

[Shadowmoon.7986]

> @"knomslayer.9457" said:

> First of all yes it is gambling and it is bad for kids.

 

And under this logic the game needs to be rerated as adults only, and the publisher need to pay for a gambling license in countries it wants to operate their virtual casino in. Belgium didn't ban lootboxes, they just placed these restrictions, and it appears the UK may be going down the same path, and the publisher self censored to avoid these restrictions.

 

 

[Fenom.9457]

I can agree that it shouldn’t be banned. For one thing, even if it does qualify as gambling, it’s better than real life casino gambling or even the likes of blind bag toys or other games, because you’re guaranteed to get something that is somehow useful. And one of the things you can save up and use to choose a specific item. And beyond that, yes, I get that gambling is bad, but are governments really going to ban all this stuff in games because of that?? Is no one capable of choosing for themselves whether or not to gamble? And if not, why not a system where addicts can request to be cut off rather than also cutting off casuals who enjoy it from time to time? It’s also weird of some countries to ban stuff like this when there are so many other forms of gambling out there that are worse and more obvious, too.

[FrigginPaco.4178]

So I noticed that you titled this in such a fashion that makes it and by extension other purchases on the black lion chest a "plus" for the game's survivability in the short-term and long-term. I can't argue with that they are necessary because there's no other monetization in the game besides was items on the Gem Store... and buying gold.

 

However... let's flip this on its head shall we?

 

"Why Loot Box Black Lion Chest Are Bad for Consumers"

 

I think that there are many problems with this particular model. The chiefest among them is the fact that people who are susceptible to making binge purchases on this have the most to lose. I have seen this personally from a member of one of my old Guilds. this person bought an inordinate amount of the 25 stack Keys when they were on sale. I believe at one point numbering above 250 total keys. While this does not represent everyone's experience, there are people who really suffer from this and I heard them regret it later.

 

Of course I want arenanet to make money, I want to be able to enjoy this game well into the future as it improves and changes in a way that I can only imagine is better. But there are some practices that I don't appreciate because they ride the line between ethical and unethical and prey on the weak minded or those who are simply susceptible to a "good deal".

 

The same goes for the Gem Store As a whole. The fact that not every item is available for purchase at any given time is a bit reprehensible. removing those items from the store until they rotate back in is simply artificial scarcity. These aren't physical products that have to be restocked, they're digital and can always be made available. I have nothing against rotating sales on the entire stock, but removing items until a certain time of year or anything else with a digital product is completely anti consumer.

 

One last thing, the fact that I can more easily predict when the Gem Store will be updated compared to when the game content will be updated is more than a little bit disheartening.

[Ryukai.6524]

> @"knomslayer.9457" said:

> - Motivates you to open another box

 

Yeah.... That's called preying on addictive tendencies....

 

 

 

[DeadlySynz.3471]

Here's my stance on it:

 

I've played since the beginning and never bought a BL key. I have however obtained many keys in game and used to farm for them. I've used anywhere between 150-200 BL keys since I started playing. Not once have I ever got anything remotely useful, which when you think about it after using 150-200 keys, is pretty pathetic. I know I'm not alone on this. I know there are people who do not buy keys but use them as they are dropped in game or have farmed for them. Why on earth would I ever buy any BL keys when 0% of the time I've got nothing remotely useful since I started playing from the beginning? I can't call this fun, and I really have to question people who would think it's fun.

 

If I'm ever to drop money on BL keys, I need at minimum a 90% great item return rate with in-game keys consistently over a period of time. So if I play for say 6 months, and I get 10 keys during that time, 9 of those keys better return something phenomenal, otherwise the wallet is staying closed. I don't believe i'm alone on this either.

 

It's the same thing for mount skins, except these are even obtainable in game. The only way the wallet opens for those random drops is all those skins in there have to be phenomenal (which they are not). Now if they open up each skin to be purchased separately, certainly, I'd be buying skins, but not under loot-box random drop scenario.

[Smoosh.2718]

'Surprise factor/element when opening a box'

 

Did you just copy the Surprise mechanics debate the EA gal had in the UK court summons?

 

love them, hate them, over all they are predatory no matter how you defend it.