Loot boxes and microtransactions in video games has got me fed up with the video game industry.
For those unaware, loot boxes have been compared to gambling because they allow players to pay money in return for an unknown set of in-game rewards. Meanwhile, microtransactions, which can include loot boxes, are a broader term which includes any in-game purchases that allow players to advance faster in the game.
I fell in love with video games because, in exchange for one purchase, you could immerse yourself for hours in a captivating story, either in a single-player campaign or a competitive multiplayer offering. Progressing in most games was based on merit and persistence.
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Nowadays, getting to a good level in my opinion is far more dependent on your - or your parents' - bank accounts. I have not played Destiny 2, but the new sequel has been labelled a “microtransaction hell” due to charges for new events, season passes and in-game items.
Meanwhile, research in 2021 showed that loot boxes were used by nearly 40% of children and are “structurally and psychologically akin” to gambling. While then Culture Minister Nadine Dorries decided not to ban them a year later, she accepted the need for tougher “industry-led” protections.
Comparisons can be made to the ongoing concern about gambling advertising in football. But loot boxes and extra charges go far deeper than shirt sponsors - it's become fundamental to how the industry operates. Take a cursory glance at your phone’s apps - you may well have a few mobile games which are free to download but make their money through in-app purchases.
A spokesperson for Ukie, the video games trade body, has previously said that action has already been taken to address these issues, including a descriptor to the PEGI age rating system of any game containing loot boxes and tools to limit spending. Loot boxes and microtransactions also, undoubtedly, raise revenue which goes back into games of every size, from mobile apps to triple A blockbusters.
But even putting aside moral questions, I think video games have been made less fun because of it. I was never the biggest fan of multiplayer games, but in my experience some of them now require thousands of hours of boring gameplay unless you’re willing to hand out more money on top of what you have already paid for the game.
Refusing to pay for points in FIFA Ultimate Team results in you drowning in hours of playing games with poor quality footballers. Good luck trying to survive in GTA Online on a budget too when others have spent their spare cash on powerful weapons and fighter jets.
Furthermore, in both these cases, the pay-to-win model and relentless focus on income from multiplayer modes has arguably come at the detriment of the single player experience. I’m not the only one who feels that FIFA Career Mode, which is not dependent on microtransactions, was left on the back burner by EA for years in favour of Ultimate Team. Meanwhile, Imran Sarwar, design director at GTA developer Rockstar, admitted that the online mode “sucked up a lot of resources”, which was a factor in the lack of a single-player DLC.
Perhaps it was unrealistic to assume the video game industry could survive with people purchasing a game once, and often sharing the disc for free between friends. But for those unwilling to spend more on top of a £60 purchase, it’s easy to feel left out.
I fell in love with video games because they are the most immersive art form. But these days I feel I have to pause and get out my card to meaningfully progress, and that has taken away the magic for me.
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