this post was submitted on 09 Apr 2025
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Should we boycott games with loot boxes? (lemm.ee)
submitted 4 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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I have been avoiding multiplayer Valve games like Counter-Strike 2 and Team Fortress 2, due to their in-game economies that have created an underage gambling gray market, which Valve has done little about. However, I am on Linux, and the choices for multiplayer shooters are few. Besides, my small boycott is not stopping Counter-Strike 2 from being the most played steam game. Are boycotts really the best solution to stop this epidemic in gaming? How can we best prevent these gambling grey markets and the gaming to gambling addiction pipeline?

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 days ago (1 children)

No, if anything, we need to boycott games with battle passes. I'm not a fan of lootboxes but I'd take them any day over a battle pass. Don't pressure me to play specific ways, don't exploit FOMO to try to get me to grind or spend money. I find that a LOT more predatory than lootboxes, at least in games where they're optional.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Dont you also have to grind for lootboxes?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

Not in every game. Some games make it reasonably fair, such as Elder Scrolls Online which makes it possible to obtain the lootbox items in other ways.