Could the reign of random-rewards
terror finally be coming to an end?
AH, THE LOOT BOX. Truly, the antithesis of genuine fun or any sense of
real progression in games. Call them what you like—loot crates, booster
packs, lock boxes, whatever—the principle is the same: Crack it open and
receive in-game loot of varying rarity, typically falling at the common end
of the scale. Most games let you steadily earn loot boxes through normal
gameplay, but there’s always that option—come to the market, buy a
whole bunch, and open them all at once! You know you want to.
Loot boxes tap into what psychologists call a “compulsion loop,” a
repeated activity that triggers the release of dopamine in the brain,
granting mental satisfaction upon acquiring virtual rewards. Many
games, by their very nature, utilize compulsion loops. If you’ve played
any MMORPG, you’ll be familiar with the system: Killing monsters and
completing quests grants you superior gear, which enables you to kill
stronger monsters and complete harder quests. Loot boxes cut out all
that annoying “gameplay” nonsense, letting you buy rewards. You still
earned them, the publishers cry out. You worked hard for that money in
the real world. We hope you feel a sense of pride and accomplishment.
But are these pricey digital grab bags on the way out? Loot boxes do
represent a huge revenue stream in the games industry, but all is not
well. With arguments being made about the ties between loot boxes and
gambling, some countries taking steps to ban or limit them, and goodwill
from gamers rapidly in decline, it’s not looking good for the loot box....BY CHRISTIAN GUYTONthe death of the loot box
34 MAXIMUMPC OCT 2019 maximumpc.com
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