RNG - random number generator, a mechanic used to give you a chance at winning something rather than getting that thing. So instead of spending $5 to buy a virtual item, you’d spend $100 buying loot boxes that have a chance of giving you that item. And when you pair that with “sets” where you need several items for a set for example, you end up extracting thousands of dollars from kids and their parents (mostly their parents)
Discussion
Ah. Yeah, just more of the typical evil shit packed into every crevice these days.
And do you know about “early access” schemes? That’s where a game studio releases an alpha version of a game that barely works and milks users for millions while staying in alpha for 5+ years. And when the user base drops off, they just quietly shut it down.
I have heard about that. I stopped gaming in like 2017. A lot has changed. At the time we were getting pissed about having to buy DLCs to essentially build a functional game. Sounds like a worsening version of that. If I did game again it would be retro and actual indie.
Once you change the developer’s incentives, there’s little reason for them to finish. It’s the same problem with Nostr grants. The incentives don’t align.
Yeah I totally agree with that. It's shortsighted, but that's the world we live in. This is one reason I don't preorder things anymore. Backorder, sure.
Doing it to children is particularly sinister though. Pisses me off.
But... Parents should parent. I don't have kids. Can't say for sure, but I like to think I wouldn't allow it given how hard lined I can be on this stuff. It's a wild world.
It never works. Think about your own childhood. How often would you get around rules laid down for you? Almost always.
Yes, but limits still worked. I view the goal as harm reduction, not harm elimination. Of course you can't totally isolate a child. But you can guide them and not just give into whatever bullshit comes along. Buying them things without analysis is a parental issue. It's fair to call those companies garbage, but where's the money coming from?
They just walk out the door and access all the things you forbid at their friend’s.
Where a child spends time is a parent's choice. Who a child spends time with is a parent's choice. What a child spends time doing is a parent's choice.
If those things aren't true, then I don't know what the hell a parent is. I don't know the difference between adult and child.
I get that you have to strike a balance to not totally suffocate a child, but I don't understand just saying fuck it because something somewhere will slip through the parental filter. Again, reduction, not elimination. A parent can absolutely require that friends come over instead of their child go out. Especially if there aren't shared values and understanding between all the parents.
lol does this sound like your childhood? It definitely does not sound like mine. Once I’m out the door there’s nothing to control me