Lootbox

Before lootboxes appeared in computer games, similar systems were used to sell baseball cards and cards for collectible card games - the buyer purchased a “booster”, or a set of several cards, not knowing exactly which cards are in the package, but hoping that among them rare ^[1] .

In computer games, lootboxes appeared due to the combination of systems for getting things in MMORPG and the monetization of shareware games . The first game to use lootboxes was the Chinese multiplayer online game Zhengtu Online (2006) ^[1] . Zhengtu Online , developed under the leadership of Chinese entrepreneur Shi Yuzhu, stood out against other modern Chinese games for free, aggressive monetization and targeting an adult solvent audience. One of the many means of this monetization was “treasure chests” reminiscent of slot machines — both chests and keys could be purchased in the in-game store at a low price of 1 yuan apiece, and when the chest was opened, the game showed many valuable items, but gave the player only one random ^{[2] [3]} . In the early 2010s, similar monetization models were popular in Japanese digital gas- games, offering the player to collect virtual figures - games gave out random virtual objects in exchange for money, or offered to exchange already accumulated "simple" figures for a random rarer one ( jap. コ ン プ ガ チ ャ computer gatya ) ^[1] .

One of the first major Western games to use the lootbox model was Team Fortress 2 , a multiplayer shooter released by Valve . Lootboxes appeared in this game with the next update in 2010: during the game, players received “boxes”, keys to which they could buy in the in-game store. Players could get items from the boxes in the game itself, but with very low chances ^[4] . Valve used a similar model in her other game, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive , where virtual items from lootboxes could no longer be obtained in another way. This approach was justified as “ethical,” since the items thus obtained were purely cosmetic in nature and did not affect the gameplay ^[1] . A similar approach was used by another multi-player shooter Overwatch (2016), which achieved unprecedented commercial success. Middle-earth: Shadow of War (2017) was a remarkable case of including lootboxes in a single-player game that does not have a multi-user component ^[1] . In the second half of 2017, a scandal broke out about the similarity of lootboxes to gambling , one of the reasons for which was the release of Star Wars: Battlefront II - before the release, the publishing company Electronic Arts planned to sell not only items, but even increased characteristics and abilities for virtual characters through lootboxes ^[1] . The scandal, which grew far beyond the boundaries of the gaming industry, forced the publisher to release the game without any microtransactions ^[5] .

Lootbox can be named differently depending on the game. The names “box”, “container” or “case” are often used in shooters, as players can get new looks or equipment for their characters. Digital card games (such as Hearthstone ) use the names “booster” or “card set”, similar to collectible card games . ^[6]

Often, lootboxes are issued by the game, for example, as a reward for moving to a new level or successfully completing a network game. ^{[7] [8]} Also, players can receive them as part of promotions or any other events. ^{[9] [10]} Almost always, it is possible to buy loot boxes for real money or in-game currency . ^[11] In some games, the loot box can be used immediately, in others an additional item is required for use, such as a “key”. ^[12]

Lootboxes are used through the game interface, which decorates the opening process with visual and audio effects. ^{[7] [13]} The appearance of such interfaces may resemble roulette and slot machines . ^[13] When a player runs out of loot boxes or keys, he is offered to buy them. ^[fourteen]

Although the practice of using lootboxes in games appeared a long time ago, systematic criticism of lootboxes by the gaming community appeared only by the end of 2017 in connection with the release of a number of high-budget games, the publishers of which applied this approach. ^{[15] [16]}

Lootboxes have come to be seen as one of the mechanisms that encourage players to invest real money in a game, thereby causing gambling addiction , which is often compared to gambling addiction ^{[17] [18]} . Such addictive systems can attract especially gamblers who are willing to pay large sums to get new items again and again ^{[19] [20]} . The problem of mass introduction of the system of lootboxes into games has become especially acute for games intended for a children's audience ^[21] .

Traditionally, computer games were seen as entertainment, the success of which largely depends on the player’s skills, and not his luck, so computer games are usually not governed by the laws on gambling, thereby the system of lootboxes as a new phenomenon caused a conflict in the legal systems of many countries ^[22] .

A large share of criticism refers to those games in which items from lootboxes can give a serious advantage in the game process, for example, additional sets of cards in collectible card games (the so-called “pay-to-win”, “pay-to-win” approach) . The value of such items usually directly depends on the probability of their falling out, the more useful such an item, the less often it can be found, and thus statistically such things become more expensive. The card game Hearthstone (2014) suffers from a similar problem, which is often criticized for the fact that for a successful rating game the player needs to invest serious funds in booster packs ^[23] .

Many critics are concerned that the introduction of such patterns of using lootboxes becomes financially attractive for publishers, shifting the focus of the game developer from developing content to developing mechanisms that encourage players to buy lootboxes and additional content, which has a serious impact on the very principles of creating games and game mechanics ^{[24 ]} . Lootboxes can replace conventional and acceptable mechanisms of reward in games, such as receiving rare trophies for defeating a strong enemy, thereby depriving a player of the pleasure of the game ^[25] . For example, the final part of the game Middle-earth: Shadow of War offered the player who wanted to see the “real ending” to collect long and tedious strong allies, or spend money on lootboxes and quickly get such allies ^{[26] [27]} . In an interview with Eurogamer, the art-director of the game, Bob Roberts, defended such a decision, comparing it to the “easy” mode of difficulty - people who do not want to spend a lot of time and effort on the game can resort to loot boxes ^[28] . However, six months after the release of Shadow of War , the Monolith Productions development studio yielded to pressure from buyers and opinion leaders and excluded lootboxes from the game ^[29] .

Some AAA games that implemented lootboxes met with a pronounced negative reaction among players who were perplexed by the fact that having already paid for a full AAA game, they still had to pay extra for add-ons and missing content. Similar discontent was met by such games of 2017 as Middle-earth: Shadow of War , Star Wars: Battlefront II , Forza Motorsport 7 and NBA 2K18 . ^{[20] [30] [31]} The lootboxes available in single-player games caused particular discontent, since if in multi-player games lootboxes can be considered as a kind of fee for maintaining game servers, then in case of single-player games, the revenue from lootboxes is perceived as the publisher’s net profit ^[24] . On the other hand, developers and publishers are considering lootboxes as a necessary tool for additional monetization of AAA games. As of 2017, the cost of a high-budget game was usually around $ 60, and publishers did not dare to exceed this bar so as not to collapse the initial sales. ^[32] Instead, they tried to find after-sales sources of funding to offset the growing costs and pace of game development. ^{[24] [33] [34] [35]}

In addition to these problems, lootboxes, coupled with the ability to trade and exchange received items, caused a phenomenon such as skin gambling : especially rare cosmetic items (“skins”) became the currency of black markets for their sale and purchase for real money. Starting in 2016, similar actions by a number of countries were perceived as a gambling business, which required amendments to the legislation restricting such activities. One of the most striking examples of skin gambling was the game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive , which implemented in 2013 a system of lootboxes with the ability to exchange items between players. ^[36] Other games that implemented a similar mechanism, but did not allow the exchange of items (for example, Rocket League and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds ), were able to avoid the effect of skin gambling. ^{[37] [38]}

Comparison of technology of lootboxes with gambling has led to the fact that in a number of countries lootboxes are equated with gambling. So, in China, game publishers are obligated to publish "the probability of the loss of all virtual items and services." ^{[39] [40]} The same law prohibits publishers from directly selling “lottery tickets,” which include loot boxes. In June 2017, Blizzard Entertainment announced that, due to the new laws, the sale of loot boxes will no longer be available in China. ^[41] .

In 2012, the Japanese Consumer Rights Agency banned the practice of “computer gatya” as contrary to the law on gambling ^[42] . This did not mean a complete ban on lootboxes in Japan - although the developers were forced to remove the “computer gatya” mechanics from their games, certain forms of games with virtual gashapons and lootboxes remain allowed and popular in Japan ^[43] .

In 2015, the South Korean parliament attempted to pass a similar law requiring publishers to publish “information about the type, likelihood of an outcome, and the possibility of acquiring” items found in loot boxes. ^[44] Although the bill was not passed, it encouraged the country's gaming industry to attempt self-regulation. ^[45]

In November 2017, Belgium recognized lootboxes as a kind of gambling and plans to ban them in all European countries. ^{[46] [47]}

• Gambling