U.S. Senator Introduces Bill To Ban Loot Boxes And Pay-To-Win Microtransactions

[Suppa Hobbit Mage]

I'm sure this bill'll be killed same as the last few both in Europe and the US, but I think it brings up another important topic. There needs to be a harsh punishment for false lobbying in the name of income over common sense.

Nobody utilizing common sense can say that game companies aren't gearing their marketing specifically towards addiction. That will be one of this generation's biggest "Wow I can't believe how stupid we were" moments on looking back. Just like the generation before ours had 50 years of "There is no proven link between cigarettes and cancer!".

It really ought to be where if you willfully ignore clear evidence in favor of pushing another narrative in the name of profits, as cigarette manufacturers did before, and as gaming companies do now, you forfeit the rest of your life to a prison sentence. Of course, that'd sort of end a gigantic lobbying industry that affects, lobbies on behalf of or against, and permeates all aspects of life...so I'm betting they'd lobby pretty hard against that.

I think, but cannot tell, you are for punishing companies for features in their games that are for profit? Am I interpreting your words correctly?

[Stumplicker]

I think, but cannot tell, you are for punishing companies for features in their games that are for profit? Am I interpreting your words correctly?

No. You are not.

[Astray]

You could always make the argument that a game has a certain rating and if that rating is played by anyone it's unintended for, it's not the developer or publishers fault. It's ultimately the person who bought the game that is responsible.

[Suppa Hobbit Mage]

No. You are not.

Explain the cigarette to gaming analogy then please? That's the part that throws me; the part where you imply gaming companies now are doing things as bad as cigarette manufacturers pushing another narrative in the name of profits.

[Stumplicker]

Explain the cigarette to gaming analogy then please? That's the part that throws me; the part where you imply gaming companies now are doing things as bad as cigarette manufacturers pushing another narrative in the name of profits.

Gambling is a heavily regulated system because of its propensity to be addictive and financially ruinous.

Drugs are heavily regulated because of their propensity to be addictive and financially ruinous.

What the game companies have done with marketing is pick out the addictive parts of other, heavily regulated systems that they can use to their advantage, squinted at them in a way that they can be called "technically not illegal yet" and then employed the exact same tactics that are heavily regulated in other industries, often targeting children specifically. Now they're heavily lobbying against illegalizing what they're doing despite knowing full well that it's the same thing that other industries have been regulated for. If you're aware a thing is wrong, and you spend billions of dollars fighting for it anyway just so you can extract a few more dollars out of some addicts, you should pay for that with your freedom when you finally lose that fight.

[Methais]

Gambling is a heavily regulated system because of its propensity to be addictive and financially ruinous.

Drugs are heavily regulated because of their propensity to be addictive and financially ruinous.

What the game companies have done with marketing is pick out the addictive parts of other, heavily regulated systems that they can use to their advantage, squinted at them in a way that they can be called "technically not illegal yet" and then employed the exact same tactics that are heavily regulated in other industries, often targeting children specifically. Now they're heavily lobbying against illegalizing what they're doing despite knowing full well that it's the same thing that other industries have been regulated for. If you're aware a thing is wrong, and you spend billions of dollars fighting for it anyway just so you can extract a few more dollars out of some addicts, you should pay for that with your freedom when you finally lose that fight.

The problem with this is 99.99999% of the time the stuff you're buying, even non-cosmetic stuff, is optional and not a requirement in order to play the game.