Due to Star Wars Battlefront 2, the topics of loot boxes and microtransactions are currently a major issue in the gamer community. What do you think about it?
Anyone currently searching the internet for articles and posts about Battlefront 2 will read less about the gameplay, the heroes, or the weapons from the Star Wars spectacle. Instead, a completely different topic is in the spotlight: loot boxes!
Since it became known that almost all game progress in Battlefront 2 depends on loot boxes with a random factor and that you have to grind for over 4,000 hours if you want to unlock all game content without spending real money, the shitstorm has been unrelenting.
But are loot boxes really that bad? This topic is currently being controversially discussed in our editorial team. Here are two opinions:
Jürgen says: “Loot boxes are a lot of fun and provide motivation!”
In my opinion, loot boxes are actually a great thing and are always associated with nostalgia and good feelings for me. Even as a little boy, I loved unboxing packages.
Especially when I didn’t know what was inside, I felt even more anticipation. And when the box contained a gift I had always wanted, everything was perfect! That’s how I felt on Christmas 1992 when I unwrapped my first SNES and until then didn’t know if my parents would actually give it to me! I was so happy!
Just like I felt under the Christmas tree back then, I feel every time I open a loot box in a game. I always look forward to cool cosmetics and mounts that I want to try out immediately.
Therefore, I actually have nothing against such boxes in games. I just want the option to pay for the boxes with in-game currency or unlock them through achievements. That then gives me extra motivation to face the grind in the game.
Robert says: “Loot boxes promote envy and gambling addiction”
Loot boxes are now a central element in many titles. They are increasingly placed prominently in the game. Even though the loot boxes have so far only contained cosmetic items in full-price titles, I view them critically because, on the one hand, they can promote gambling addiction and, on the other hand, target the envy of other players.
This is also demonstrated by the fact that you can now watch other players open these boxes. Here, psychological tricks are deliberately applied to promote players’ buying behavior. When – as is now the case in Star Wars Battlefront 2 – slight pay-to-win mechanics are also involved, this no longer justifies the purchase price of the game.
In my opinion, loot boxes represent a cheap substitute for content that should actually be present in an accessible form in the game itself. For this reason, I fundamentally reject loot boxes.
What do you think about loot boxes? Participate in our survey!
But enough opinions from the Mein-MMO editorial team. We want to know how you feel about this controversial topic. For this, we have prepared a complex survey together with our colleagues from GameStar and embedded it here. Have fun participating! We are already excited to see how the result turns out!
P.S.: Currently, we are not giving ratings at Mein-MMO, but that might change soon if there is a desire for it, which is why we are also interested in your opinion on possible ratings.
If the embed is not displayed, you can go directly to the survey about microtransactions.
