Lurker > DarkBuster22904

gmanthebest posted...

So they should add to the definition of gambling to say, "A game of chance where you always win something and can't lose anything."

You absolutely can lose something.

If a slot machine would spit out one square of toilet paper on every spin, it wouldnt somehow stop being gambling because you're "always getting something, not losing anything."

And that one square of toilet paper would be more useful than most of the things loot boxes spit out.
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Dash_Harber posted...

DarkBuster22904 posted...

They are not gambling by legal definition. Hence, it's time for the definition to adapt.

I guess that's a reasonable solution. I don't personally agree, but I can understand why you would feel that way.

Personally, I think keeping it as it's own thing is a better solution.

That being said, my original problems with it are still that;
- It comes off as gamers trying to spite EA after Battlefront II given how it only surfaced around then.
- How these 'whales' choose to spend their money is up to them, and if it is indeed kids, then their parents should be responsible for their own children instead of a nanny state.
- We have come a long way from the days when governments constantly scrutinized games for their content and I worry about letting the genie out of the bottle again, especially if we are doing so out of spite. It took a lot of effort to establish that games were not only for children, and that the industry could self regulate when it came to design and content, and to invite the government back in to correct one problem is going to create a whole lot of other problems.
- Saying, 'It's gambling' is basically just trying to get worried parents on the bandwagon, whereas the real argument should be, 'it's exploitative'. I think it's scummy too, but the solution is clearly not to try and stretch the definition of gambling to fit the argument.

And my problems with it remain:
DarkBuster22904 posted...

data may be young, but so far every scientific look at these boxes has them ticking each and every box a typical slot machine would. The psychological impact is literally the same. The flashing lights, the dopamine rush, the brain reaction is identical. Hell, the grind and scarcity these games create outside the microtransactions are basically microcosms of the real life psychological battering that drives poor people to play the lottery.

And it's those psychological effects that are why gambling is illegal to minors in the first place. It's not because the government doesnt want kids to win or have fun. Their brains literally arent equipped to deal with it, making them prone to big losses and easy manipulation, with the potential of long term side effects.

As far as I see, the fact that you cant make money off of these doesnt make any of the better. It makes it worse. And the simple fact is "exploitative" is too lukewarm a descriptor. If something is going to encapsulate all the negatives of gambling, from loss of money to the psychiatric effects, with none of the benefits, I see no reason why it should be treated less harshly. Especially if the market shows no signs of correcting itself.
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You make fair points that I can concede.

But in that concession, i change my stance thusly.

They are not gambling by legal definition. Hence, it's time for the definition to adapt.
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Dash_Harber posted...

DarkBuster22904 posted...

I suppose that depends on how you define value.

The problem is that there is no room for arbitrary definitions in a legal matter. If you say that anything that can have value, does have a specific value, that means that all situations where there is an element of randomness is legally gambling. The resale market is often explicitly against terms of use, and most loot is explicitly tied to the user's account, meaning that people actually have to break either the law or the service agreement in order to create a market.

Then remove the black market from the equation.

EA takes in millions from these boxes. I guarantee all of their peak sale points occur when xyz popular thing is added to the box.

If EA's financial predictions include predicting massive profits from people chasing xyz, if EA is literally expecting a shit ton of money from xyz, then it stands to reason xyz has monetary value, to both ea and the consumer. And if the odds of investing money in getting xyz is then randomized, it is indeed a gamble. They can say its worthless, but the sales figures will say otherwise.
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Dash_Harber posted...

Since the loot only has value to the person buying it, there is no way to 'lose' money.

I suppose that depends on how you define value.

Just because these things arent sellable on an official EA sanctioned market doesnt mean they arent sellable. Moreover, if one could prove that EA is betting on consumers en masse spending hundreds of dollars or more to acquire a single one of these prizes, any lawyer worth his salt could posit that they do have monetary value, even if not open for peer-to-peer trade.
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Its is literally a wager of money against a desired outcome. I fail to see in any way how that is not the very picture of gambling.

Moreover, data may be young, but so far every scientific look at these boxes has them ticking each and every box a typical slot machine would. The psychological impact is literally the same. The flashing lights, the dopamine rush, the brain reaction is identical. Hell, the grind and scarcity these games create outside the microtransactions are basically microcosms of the real life psychological battering that drives poor people to play the lottery.

And it's those psychological effects that are why gambling is illegal to minors in the first place. It's not because the government doesnt want kids to win or have fun. Their brains literally arent equipped to deal with it, making them prone to big losses and easy manipulation, with the potential of long term side effects.

If its ticking the same boxes, in the same way, for the same profit, then they deserve the same regulations.
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ultimate reaver posted...

Did you even read this? How can you call yourself fit to post news if you don't even read the stuff you post? You should be ashamed. It's clearly not just because he lives with his parents

Is... is this seriously your first time encountering duckbear?
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Captain Planet! He's a hero!

Gonna taaaake pollution down to zero!
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Dileman?
Ndilema?
Dilnema?
Dinlema?
Dnilema?
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WalkingLobsters posted...

DarkBuster22904 posted...

One is summoning a hologram to win a card game, where most 5th graders could play the game better than both characters in the duel

And the other is realizing a millenia old legend to beat the shit out of a genocidal real estate agent

Decisions, decisions

i would beat the shit out of goku

Pfft. Goku eats lobsters like you for breakfast.

And lunch.

And dinner.
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One is summoning a hologram to win a card game, where most 5th graders could play the game better than both characters in the duel

And the other is realizing a millenia old legend to beat the shit out of a genocidal real estate agent

Decisions, decisions
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Trigger_Volnutt posted...

SomeGuyUO posted...

she has distanced herself from the family

You ruined it. I wanted to marry into the business. Sigh.

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Pay off my credit cards

Save the rest
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_BlueMonk posted...

the worst part is, is that shes asking for interest, a number she just made up. huh? you can't just do that.

Without written documentation she cant do anything.

Tell her to fuck off.
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Meanwhile, Chris Brown beat Rihanna's face into something resembling lasagna, and has been allowed to continue pretty much unhindered
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Too bad JL confirmed that Momoa's aquaman is a totally unlikable little shit
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glitteringfairy posted...

Not really. I'll cuddle her for a few minutes when I get into bed but after that I'm done, it just gets way to hot even with the AC and a fan going. We sleep much better with having minimal body contact

This. Issue is, shes always cold and tries to cuddle me when shes asleep. I then wake up a couple hours later burning to a crisp
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The real question is, could beerus hakai saitama? Could zeno erase him?
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Living at the bottom of the ocean like that, she should be transparent
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Pretty sure he'd be a pretty damn good candidate for yellow lantern, too
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"Instantly" nothing. Context matters. What if the cheater is an otherwise good parent, while the "faithful" one is an abusive piece of shit that beats the wife and kids?

southcoast09 posted...

Its usually the woman who cheats

Oh jesus christ. No its not
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GeneralKenobi85 posted...

CyricZ posted...

I'm not saying it couldn't be done, but I think it'd be a greater undertaking than just "a badass Vader game".

Yeah that's true.

Plus Vader could be a badass video game character in other genres too. Doesn't necessarily have to be an action game. I think RTS is one of the better genres for portraying Vader actually.

Is it, though? Somehow. I doubt a game where your goal is to constantly execute your top officers would make for a very compelling RTS
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How about a combination?

The unqualified boss who OVERloads you with super easy tasks in addition to your far more difficult standard duties. They get mad when you get overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of doing 3-4 people's worth of work, even if the difficulty of half the work is minimal. They blame you for not carrying the entire department on your back, even as they "delegate" to the point of doing nothing, themselves.

Of course, theres no chance of promotion there, either.

Sigh... back to work, I guess
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Distant_Rainbow posted...

He's owned by Disney.

Do you really think Disney would say OK to a game with a villain protagonist?

Well, they're ok with a villain publisher.
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Ok.

It's a western in space.
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I have a coworker who keeps the ass-end of a 2 man Pinkie Pie costume in his cube.

The coolest.
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I think I might be able to get a better story one day and then you're going to be the only person who can help with the game and play it.
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ModLogic posted...

so you think there are dumb enough people to willingly sign up for a job with no set pay?

Considering the huge number of poor saps who fail working commission?

Yes I do.
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ModLogic posted...

DarkBuster22904 posted...

Dont blame the server, blame the system.

you mean the system the server doesn't want abolished otherwise their unskilled ass is on min wage and no longer able to exploit customers?

*citation needed*
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Dont blame the server, blame the system.

And by the same token, dont punish the server like your tip-protest is doing anything other than fucking them over.
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Nasty, bitter, and wont let you sleep?
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Honestly I'd be fine with it.

The biggest problem with TLJ was that it was shitting all over established characters, themes, lore, plotlines, etc. Deconstructions are fine, but theres a reason you usually dont take established characters into one.

Given free reign to do his own thing to stuff he invents? That'll probably work out better.
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I could be many different things, depending on your interpretation...
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...stupidly skimpy with everything.

Swear to god my burrito is half the size of the one being made behind me. Dont want to be that guy who complains, but seriously.
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*guy strolls in less than two minutes before close*

"Haha, I bet you guys thought you were gonna get out early tonight!"

*proceeds to browse up and down the aisles for 45 minutes knocking shit over and making a mess before grabbing a bottle of water from the cooler by the register*

Jesus christ, people.
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UnfairRepresent posted...

DarkBuster22904 posted...

Get it on with Voluptuous Vickie Vixen

She literally tried to murder you

And looked damn fine doing it
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I'd rather deal with 1000 meters than 5280 feet or 1760 yards.

Seriously. What the shit.
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"Fuck you guys."

Join the force. Be Wesley's partner. Get it on with Voluptuous Vickie Vixen when she breaks out of jail and you and Wesley are sent to bring her in.
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A downer in The Witcher.

I mean... they arent super tough I guess. I also dont have any silver, though, so that's annoying.
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Good. Let them take part in the system. I do believe that slavery would fall under the banner of "cruel and unusual punishment." Let them fight for their rights.
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FF_Redux posted...

DarkBuster22904 posted...

FF_Redux posted...

why isn't anyone else hyping the fuck out of the game?

Because we have no release date, a metric Asston of high profile releases coming up, and because hype culture is fucking dumb in general

I dunno anything about hype culture, but the gameplay videos should hype the fuck out of you if you love Doom and the new Doom game.

I loved Doom 2016 too. But Im not about to build my hopes up sky high just to have them smashed when something stupid happens closer to launch date, or even on launch.

That's hype culture. Building something up to be the second coming of christ based on nothing but promises and a few videos. And something the game industry has down to a science. And its led to hundreds of disappointments.
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