Zack “Asmongold” is the biggest MMORPG streamer on Twitch and has a clear opinion: Loot boxes and gambling in general have no place in games. He even went so far as to contact politicians. MeinMMO reports.
What is the situation?
- Many games like FIFA, Genshin Impact or Lost Ark have in-game microtransactions that grant advantages, skins or items. Just for a single character in Genshin Impact, players in China have spent over 50 million euros in total. FIFA 21 even generated about 1.6 billion euros from the random packs in Ultimate Team mode.
- Games that offer (unfair) advantages through in-game purchases are often labeled Pay2Win. Even Diablo Immortal has not escaped such accusations.
- So the Twitch streamer Quin69 spent over 6,000 euros in Diablo Immortal and still did not receive the item he wanted. The streamer shroud also got his money’s worth in the mobile game.
- Even Asmongold has spent 2,200 euros on microtransactions in Diablo Immortal so far, even though he is against loot boxes and gambling. He wanted to demonstrate what advantages one can gain through spending.
How Asmongold achieved his success on Twitch can be seen in our video:
Asmongold contacts the office of US Senator Ted Cruz
What did Asmongold do? The streamer has long been an opponent of gambling, loot boxes, and other microtransactions in games. He would even boycott his beloved World of Warcraft and Lost Ark if everyone joins in to make a statement.
He has now announced that he contacted the office of a high-ranking politician – US Senator Ted Cruz. Just to convince him to abolish loot boxes from games.
You can watch the clip here:
What did the streamer say? Asmongold stated that contacting does not mean that something will happen. He also expressed:
I think I can get many, especially religious Republicans on board if I sell it to them as gambling. Because it is. It is effective brainwashing of children, getting them into gambling.
Asmongold
The chat then asked him if Ted Cruz could really make a difference and if he even cares, to which Asmongold replied: “I don’t know either, but I want to try and do it. I will really try to do it.” He further stated:
And I also think it is an easier sell [to Republicans] than to Democratic politicians (…) I am willing to put aside any differences I have if it gets me what I want.
Asmongold via Twitch
Asmongold is more hopeful of success as many Republicans support his views.
Why did he contact a Republican? For some time, the Republican Party has been advocating for a ban on online gambling in the US or finding other ways to sneak legislation in. Since we primarily focus on gaming news and not political issues, you can learn more about it on isa.guide.de.
Asmongold apparently wants to take advantage of this goal and present loot boxes and other microtransactions as online gambling.
Whether the senator will actually respond and a conversation will take place remains to be seen.
Our MeinMMO author Maik Schneider has very different pains in the discussed Diablo Immortal:
I am now in the endgame of Diablo Immortal and suddenly pay2win is no longer the biggest problem
