US Senator introduces bill to ban loot boxes and pay to win microtransaction in video games

It's even easier than that, user. Get a child to whine enough to access, or steal their parents credit card, how do you think chuck e cheese, fortnight or the fucking Wiggles got so big in their times? Get the kids to spend their parents money. Bonus points if it's "educational" or gets them out of mommy's hair

Maybe they’ll pay developers a decent wage, stop basing their business model on “license 43 different expensive engines and smash together a game with as little effort as possible,” focus on long term franchises instead of skins and dances, stop copying each other, shit like that.

It can’t be good for gamers that the main income source is cosmetic junk.

All of this support for another authoritarian law when you could simply starve them out of the practice by not giving them money.
You will get your law eventually since you pleaded so hard for it. I hope it is everything you wanted just like the broken ass over reaching laws congress always proposes. When you go to make your game and find out you have to pay the FTC to license your game for release to ensure it protects minors rather than letting parents take care of their own spawn it will be an up hill battle to repeal the parts of the law you suddenly find out were included requiring you to pay several thousand dollars to certain newly founded privately owned video game inspection companies. Then the part of the law they tack on just before a vote supported by "industry leaders" like sony requiring humble burka clothing and tumblr faces for all of the wyman in the game. Cap this post you fucking faggots because you will regret not letting capitalism work.

Why do we bother going to websites if all the news on every fucking website is exactly the same?

All the content on every website is the same. There's no more communities like there used to be before everyone was turned into an AI controlled fucktard whose supposed to think it's a mentally illness.

The system is designed to produce cattle like people and saying people just need to starve the companies of money is optimistic to the extreme.
I do agree it would work in a perfect world and I do agree that more laws and more authoritarianism is a net negative but what I fail to see is what we can really do?
We arent normal people ( I assume) and we are not the majority, the closest Iv seen of actually shit getting done was and is gamergate.

Yes, I know what a minor is. Now define "designed for a minor" as I asked.

Do what we have been doing. Shame the people that buy shovel ware. Make them feel embarrassed for buying it and even more so for being whales. When you see that youtuber with all of the merch and dlc call them a loser. When you see the producer talking about their game with micro transactions call them a greedy asshole tell them you wont buy their shit and then don't. Do not buy then refuse to buy their dlc do not buy at all. Petitioning the government over this nonsense is just going to fuck over the consumer and start ups. If this did not work the companies would not be going to such lengths to hide the fact their games have micro transactions. they are feeling the heat but if the government gets involved it will not be the worst offenders that get fucked over. Regulation will be for the small guy that can not fight back not AAA companies. The big companies always have an out. The government knows who the offenders are but will always let them off the hook for a few thousand while their legislation is blanketed to seem to cover everyone. Look at the retarded privacy las the EU put through recently. They blanket all businesses with threats of million dollar fines but it is not the etsy or ebay seller collecting your data and reselling it. It is Amazon and google. What is a million dollar fine to them? nothing when they resell your data over and over for millions

Games have ratings. So any game designated a minor can play

People are fucking stupid and don't know what to do with their money. Good luck with that.

We could stop buying meth and prescription drugs and college degrees and electric cars and iPhones and plane tickets and mortgages and health insurance and all the other excessively overpriced shit out there too.

Adult games include online poker and fantasy sports leagues and shit like that. All other game genres are for all ages.

Yeah I gotta be honest, I think the law is a shit idea. Expecting consumers to grow a brain is idealistic, but expecting the government to altruistically protect are interests is the same sheep-like behavior that has created this mess. The loot box trend, though insidious, is not going to last forever. A law like this could be the precedent for the rest of our lives.

All gubbamint regulations hurt, they dont help.

This will become bad… Just wait.

But what if it does last forever? It seems new games are banking on dlc whales to make profit. Already pretend gambling with in game currency is banned, so why is this still allowed?

Boycotts do not work when a small group of 500 people each spend 10k+ on a game via lootboxes, something we saw with Battlefront. Developers are making games targeting these types of people. No boycott can stop it. This is needed

You’re right on one front: I don’t think a boycott will work. But I really don’t think this will last forever. People change with the generation and, consequently, novelties wear off over time. Loot boxes, virtual skins, all these things will lose their appeal. However, the power of corporate greed will be innovating too. For this reason, a law targeting loot box practices, even if applied 100% honestly, would only fix the problem for a time. A new invasive and viral technique to milk consumer cattle will arise. I’m not really sure what the solution is. Not to sound nihilistic, but I’ve pretty much conceded AAA gaming to the powers that be. Every once in a while something worthwhile comes out, but almost always it’s the result of an insular, passionate team making their dream game actively refusing to appeal to the mass market.

I don't know how many times I'll have to keep conceding. I've watched almost everything i loved turn to shit over greed, every single hobby. Even if it's short term, I can't see any other reasonable solution to change course.

You morons celebrating the very idea of regulation, it's absolutely sickening. Any American who wants more regulations is unamerican and utterly moronic to boot. The same goes for people who enjoy video games; If you support regulating video games then you support worse, slower and more expensive to develop, significantly more expensive to buy games. People are always going to make inferior examples of any medium, there are bad statues and bad paintings and bad books. Regulation doesn't change that it just makes everyone have to waste more time and resources trying not to get fucked by the government. There will still be shit games, you'll just have to pay even more for them and the ones you want - if they even get made in the first place!

Move to Somali if you hate the rule of law so goddamn much you fucking anarkiddie.

when you have online games where people compete against each other i find loot boxes are kind of the equivalency of steroid use in pro sports. it gives you a huge advantage over most players.

It's unlikely. Games are costing more to develop, inflation happened and games are still at the $60 limit. All this stuff is so they can make up the costs of development.

We'll likely see the rise in cosmetic DLC priced at $5 and possibly the end of season passes thus making you need to buy each expansion pack at full price.

Why am I not surprised that this bill has this name?

To appeal to voters.

...

wow yes thank GOD

Apex legends has a 20$ skin for the worst gun in the game.

Granted it's a free game and not at all pay2win but am I missing something??

Wouldn't they make more money if they priced their DLC reasonably? Or are there really enough dumbass whales to justify the price?

Freemium is a cancer but also I'm enjoying playing free games because one fat fuck paid for it 10 times over.

fixd

You might have a point if freemium games weren't absolute shit to begin with. They are designed from the ground up to push microtransactions. Everything else is just a thin layer of polish over a stinking layer of shit that is the core of the game itself.

You say this but the proof is out there that it works. look at bitchfords recent rant over being called out on his micro transactions for cosmetic items. "why are you trying to ruin me" They know it is only a matter of time unless a law is made and fucks over everyone but them and shuts up every one complaining. It is not the first time. star wars battlefront was blown the fuck out hard too. Let it happen naturally or regret it 5-10 years down the road when you are wondering how things went so wrong relying on the federal government.

the best part is if people had half a brain they would know children do not have credit cards and the whole thing is to get vidya in their pockets through regulation while freezing out any newcomers like the federal government always does as an industry grows large and fat with cash. Do not be surprised when sony, EA, and other industry leaders show up in congress as expert witnesses while not a single consumer advocate is invited or present to represent gamers.

Sheesh, you libetarians talk about the government like it is a boogey man or something.
Try toning it down with the crazy.

P2W games need to be culled.

Remember when Anonymous was a libertarian organization? By Obama's midterms and obvious selling out, it was converted into a Marxist organization during the OWS days. That was when they spammed Bernie Sanders into political relevancy.

It was never an organization.

Fuck off.

13 year old girls wear yoga pants in 2019, go outside and soak in the degeneracy some and you'll understand

Why are you playing (((video games))) with that crap in them to begin with? Play some DOOM 2 or better yet read books and become an esoteric Evolian monarchist.

Out of curiosity, if loot boxes are considered gambling aimed at minors, what are the chances of arcade games that reward players with virtual tickets getting categorized as gambling and then getting limited to players 18 and older?

Of course there is usually more skill involved in most arcade games but it can still qualify as gambling especially games that involve pulling a lever and activating a wheel of prizes.

i fucking warned the retards about that when (((Zenimax))) through Bethesda implement the first DLC.
Wait until retards catch up what the Steam Client is really all about.

The US itself isn't that retarded on these kind of things recently. This sort of thing existed in Germany (Western Germany) for a long time, as the state considered arcade game machines as gambling devices.

Hey j nigturd im inside your house.

Attached: 53c9d12ab0db464b67cd572b836db7a49c21b4c4398056317d9cc4a6560807a7.jpg (640x640, 98.25K)

Hey johnny im in the silverware drawer and i dont see any kebabs. Do you have any? I love removing them when they nod out in alleys. Mmm mabey wendy grabbed them… ;)

Mabey.

It will improve the quality of games and kids need to be protected from gambling. I don't normally support censorship but in this case I don't there are any downsides to the customer or video game hobbyist - actually it benefits them.

I think you need to look at the history of the pinball machine

tl;dr they proved it was a game of skill rather than gamble to keep them from getting banned

Most states heavily regulate all coin op now (food arcade gambling etc) though which is why arcades are dead.

I see the concerns of regulation and big government. But none of you fearmongers are offering any solution. It's just a form of fatalism to deny those who are.

In Belgium for example, lootboxes are illegal so for example, if you want to buy the Apex legends battle pass you can switch your consoles location to Belgium and you'll receive crafting material instead of lootboxes. This basically means you will get to pick a guaranteed legendary but lose the very slim possibility of maybe getting multiple legendarys.

But that seems fair. Doesn't seem to be a draconian use of the government or law. Seems reasonable. We don't sell alcohol or cigarettes to kids. It's fair they started to crack down on Juul. Regulation is like CGI, you only ever notice the bad kind.

That's the role of the government under capitalism though, to protect consumers from certain pitfalls of capitalism. It seems that companies can make lots of money by marketing their games pay to win, adding lootboxes, and marketing them to children. We can't expect kids to boycott games with predatory lootboxes and pay to win elements. And a plus is it helps everyone else who is playing these games from the aids lootboxes and p2w elements.

There is nothing in the constitution or bill of rights to back up your statement. If you beg the government to be your parent they will treat you like a child.
What is your point? Children can not act on this without parent's credit card. It is almost as if your first point where parents turn over their own personal responsibility to the government is the problem.
Again this is where a responsible parent should step in to tell their child no. The government does not need to be involved in any way shape or form.
Does it offend you that companies want to make money to the point you wont buy or play their game? If not you are partially to blame for that practice. If it does and you refuse to buy their product congratulations you just participated in capitalism.

...

The government made meth illegal and will send armed police to your door and arrest you for merely possessing it.
People still do it…

Yeah!!!!!!!!

If it were a good world, it would not be illegal to make and smoke meth, nor any other practice which requires a free choice. The difference comes when niggerkikes come in, hook tons of people on meth before they know better, and rake in shekels.
Choices should never be made for you unless there is absolutely no benefit whatsoever to the wrong choice, and even then it's probably not going to be certain that there isn't a hidden benefit. However, when retarded niggercattle come in to shit up the market and pay for filth and disease like microtransactions and lootboxes, then there needs to be a law to protect consumers who didn't make the wrong choices from the consequences of those that did.

Ya, they aught to for make it illegal to smoke meth too. That will fix it up for everyone.

You were almost there then you let your feelings jump in the way of logic.

See and make sure you cap that post.

well everything else is bad, why not try and keep the kids off of psychological crack and deal with the problems of that later.

Addiction's a bitch. Honk.

Why not just not Create a new law that is unnecessary so there is nothing to fix later and let parents take personal responsibility in the form of regret for allowing their children run up massive bills for using video games full of transactions as babysitter? You seem to believe the government is going to teach those children to not waste their parents money or their own money in the future.

internet Addiction's a bitch
pastry Addiction's a bitch
candy Addiction's a bitch
soda Addiction's a bitch
fast food Addiction's a bitch
fapping Addiction's a bitch
coffee Addiction's a bitch
better make more laws, Honk.

Yes exactly, ban fucking everything.

Attached: 808215e5b2b616cc24aafb7b30590286e28fa267867b155172a266fd811e5dc0.png (500x412, 282.4K)

So… Games will be pay to win for grown ups and play to lose for kids?

Please user. these "games" are clearly gambling and can not be allowed to exist anywhere but where gambling is allowed.

Is my shit purple and taste like rainbow sherbert too user?

Fact: Micro transactions are being used to fuel click farms that are making millions of fake profiles.

Who the fuck do you imagine is paying for it right now? Not me, nor anyone I know. It's retarded niggercattle that fund microtransactions and lootboxes. It's retarded niggercattle that allow cancer like this to exist. I'm supporting this law on the principle of removing this shit and protecting non-casuals from casual lack of taste, no matter what the result will be.

Some other people are having fun and i do not like their fun so i am going to support a law to remove their fun because i can not fun while they are having fun. You are a child. But do not worry The Government Protects.

...

yes, to them maybe it is.
So are these games full of microtransactions fun or not? It sounds like you are confused. I certainly do not buy them and feel no regret about it.
of course and regulation never kills an industry while at the same time making it impossible to resurrect because retards demanded the government get involved? You are just another SJW demanding regulation where it is not needed. If the industry did not feel pain over the micro transactions they would not be losing their shit over being accused of including them like they do today.

You admit yourself that you don't buy games with microtransactions, because they are shit. Imagine if we were in a world without casual faggots who'd buy the games anyway, and people were forced to develop games instead of muh cinematic experiences, muh battle royale, lootboxes, and dog knows what else. I support the law on that ground alone, that maybe by decreasing the amount of profits it's possible to make from a game we'll get less jewish developers who just want to milk shekels out of the industry. I don't give a shit what you want to talk about regulation killing industries because the industry is already fucked sideways and there's not going to be any more good games made any time soon. It's not like soft regulations aren't already in place making sure no game gets out the door without diversity, identity politics and smelly jewish lesbians.

Imagine world where people stopped begging the government to protect them from other people's fun. If you are an adult, act like it. as i already said the industry is finally feeling the backlash over loot boxes and here comes mr congressman to swoop in and save the day at the last second after gamers have refused to buy the games, shamed those who do and those that make them.
then you are an authoritarian sjw begging the government to get involved where they do not belong.
You make this claim but somehow forget who these regulations apply to friend. laws are for the goyim starting a new business in the industry run by those jews. When the laws get made they do not have the goys best interest in mind. I thought maybe you were misguided but now you just seem retarded.
and you believe somehow this regulation of banning lootboxes in adult games that children who do not own credit cards is going to fix it?