EA basically gets a pass because of a technicality, with UK legally defining gambling as a game of chance that yields monetary rewards, which isn't the case for FIFA loot boxes, not officially at least. The thing is though, otherwise, EA loot boxes and slot machines work fundamentally the same way and are equally effective at exploiting gambling addicts and getting them to spend exessively. It's time for the UK to expand their antiquated definition of gambling Show your support on Patreon.com/YongYea or PayPal.me/YongYea or by clicking the JOIN button, and you can also follow me on twitter.com/YongYea for the latest updates. TOP PATRONS [CIPHER] - John Nguyen - Shaun [BIG BOSS] - Kevin Barnett - FreedTerror - Michael Shuler - Vin Giorgio - BobaFett912 - Alaryyn [BOSS] - Joe Hunt - Peter Vrba - Time Dragonlord - Zach Ansley - Jonathan Ball - Alex Moretti - Michael Redmond - Kyle Crawford - Mitchell Mason [LEGENDARY] - Michael P. Reid - Jake Betts - PrismatDragoon - Darien Cunningham - Mark Taylor - Nezzalonius - TheBritSniper - Theron Webb - Abdulaziz al Senaidi - Gerardo Andrade - Phoenix X Maximus - BattleBladeWar
The UK government and its related governing authorities tie themselves too tightly to technical definitions in their laws and policies even in thr face of their own common sense.
YongYea there is a TH-camr by the name of ecoliespresso he made a video about the total cost of black ops 4 and every in game item be a great topic to cover for a video. Btw love ur vids keep up the great work
It is time to take it to the extreme. Burn their laws by pushing it to its fullest capacity. They say this isn't gambling. Then they better prepare for what they allowed to exist opening that door. Ha ha ha ha. Because the law is a double edged sword.
Thats what I was thinking. Gambling at least *can* give you something you can keep. Lootboxes just give you intangibles that they can take away at any time if they want.
Exactly! You spend a lot of real money with no chance of getting monetary rewards or a guarantee that you'll get what you wanted in the first place! On top of that the rewards are purely virtual and you never actually own them according to most games' EULA.
@@Janx14 But in-game items aren't worthless to the owner. This argument is bs. You get something you knew about before. You accepted not getting money, but another "valuable" item.
Oh you mean the laws around gambling that are decades old, established way before video games were a thing? Too much common sense. It's the same everywhere. It doesn't fall in line with gambling laws that were revised in the late 20th-century, but don't forget that, at least in the US, gambling was outlawed for a long time for some of the same reasons as microtransactions.
Doubt it.They know it's bad. They weren't necessarilly bribed.They did say that it's not gambling according to CURRENT legislation. But the law shouldn't be abstract. People should follow it to the note since, it'll lead to troubles otherwise. Best they can do is to update the legislation.
Surprise fund injected by ea to speak in favor of ea.... Corrupt officials.... They need to favor the citizens not the big corps.... Corrupt corrupt corrupt...
Because once obtained, you can't do anything with those items. If you had a chance to earn money, then the UK law would label this gambling... thing is, it's literally the ONLY difference.
@Manannan anam technically you never owned that nothing.(if you only have a digital key) You own a license to play and have access to the game and all the extra nothing you paid for 😁 digital game ownership is a lie 🤫
*U.K Law* Me: *Murder's a person* Police: "You just killed someone! You're going to jail!" Me: "I don't endorse his death." Police: "Ok, you're free to go."
Keep pressuring Parliament. If the gambling commission can’t do anything then Parliament can. The gambling commission and Parliament are 2 different things.
Sounds like people on the gambling committee have earned some under the counter paychecks.. some people would call it a bribe, others call it surprise bonuses...
Its not that at all, and it shits me that yong has not done his research on this one. Its an issue of the wording of law, and how it needs to change to cover new technologies. The word of law, which is decades old, states that because there is no physical item you can cash out through legitimate means, that it isnt gambling. They ARE NOT saying that it isnt insidious bullshit, just that the law needs to be changed in such a way that it wont impact other industries or sections of commerce. Watch Bellular News' video on the topic, its much better.
@@Mephiston But so far they aren't even discussing changing the law or regulating lootboxes to adult only games. They are just saying "this is an issue but we can't do anything because of the law, sorry it's not our problem." That continually repeated responses every time the subject of gambling in video games comes up seems suspicious.
If anything, that's worse than gambling. At least actual gambling gives you a chance to get out ahead. With EA's mechanics, you're playing games of chance just to get fake items that have no real world value. You're better off blowing it in Vegas.
Also, you're basically waiting for them to pull the plug on supporting said game down the line. So whatever little value those virtual items have is diminished further.
Yeah and that's the problem with gambling. It gives the chance to get ahead. So people cling onto that chance and keep trying and trying until they waste away all their money.
But, as I understand it, the Gambling Commission is charged with enforcing existing law, and does not have the authority to create new laws. Channel your anger (and letters, petitions, etc.) towards the people in government who CAN create new laws.
@@navie78 I see that shit everywhere. The longest serving US senator in history is from my home state. He ran against an incumbent his first term his plat form was that the incumbent (who had served 3 terms) had been in office too long and was too set in his ways. senator Orrin hatch would go on to be undefeated from the time he was elected after my dad got out of homeschool until this year where he announced his retirement. We need age limits on public office of no older than 45 and no younger than 25. Also Congress and the Senate need a 70 percent pay decrease.
Heres a more fitting alteration Yarr har fiddle mon-ey! Being a pirate is now alright to be! Do what you want cause a pirate gets games free! You are a pirate!
True, they can't even agree to the divorce settlement with the EU. Giving the public referendum was one of the worst decisions to make in recent political history.
Unfortunately it will make little difference since EA etc don't care about people like you and me, it's the people who DO buy them and spend THOUSANDS that they target.
I feel the same. I am VERY picky about my games. DLC cost has to match with development time and cost, there will be no subscriptions. (xbox,playstation) im about to ditch the nintendo bandwagon when they up the subscription from 20$. 100% PC here i come.
@Matt Frazier don't have too much hope...the tobacco liqour and firearm enthusiasts dont like marijuana i sympathise my countries full of idiot fucks to
@@davenewton3576 no but it does mean a lot more kids accidentally ruining their parents finances...not to mention everyone else who partakes in the scheme
@@davenewton3576 well, when you say "however that doesn't mean they are out of the woods yet" what would you have in mind? Maybe new laws, or a change of the existing? There is of course a case to be made that the companies may weasel their way through this, when going by the letter of the law. Which means, that the British government may have their hands tied for the moment and can't crack down on it for gambling, despite understanding that it is clearly gambling. While I'm not a fan of government regulation, it may be justified in this case. The rest of us need to boycott the micro transaction schemes.
This is funny and all, but I bet in 10 years pedophilia in the UK will be legal since you are being controlled by the liberals/ SJWs on how your country is being run and they believe there are more than two genders in which pedophilia is included as one...
Thats ok I wont be buying another EA game including a Starwars game regardless of how good it is. I cannot and will not support EA praying on the vulnerable. Its gambling to everyone else who actually understands what they are doing and how they are manipulating gamers. Done with Epay games.
But the problem is... other than you there are people who aren't aware of this kind of situation, not many but not less either. Consumers who doesn't care or aware of the bs that the EA did. Still continue to buy games or lootboxes from them.
well what if the game has zero macro transaction, should there be no buy? perhaps i am naive to think if you make the right purchases and don't buy the games with micro transactions it can speak to how horrible they are, i could just be ignorant but thats my 2 cents on the matter
@@blank2588 Well, if we gamers give them also bad publicity, sooner or later something got to give. It worked for SW Battlefront2, Anthem, NFS Payback, Fallout 76, and ME Shadow of War. We're not entirely defenceless. Consider it a long grind. A lot of things in life aren't conquered in one battle. Only with endurance we achieve glory. The fact that we know we're fighting for a just cause should give us the will to keep fighting. The just cause being that we're not going to take being somebody's bitch that takes our lunch money whenever they want to
It’s not the only thing that’s a joke in this country unfortunately. Our government or commissions can never get their heads together or see the obvious.
Cars are considered financial assets that you can put a lien on. That's where the commission is getting stuck on working on it. Current laws just couldnt keep up with how fast things change. Lootboxes exploded but laws can take years.
@@computaterjones Yeah. It's frustrating that lootboxes eploit the fact that laws take years to be finally legalised (because you need to make sure it's not a bad law) and EA runs faster than laws and gambling commission only check the law and it's not including lootboxes. Frustarating but that's how things work
Just because it’s not gambling in the strict words of the law doesn’t mean it’s not gambling period, or that it’s ethical. There have been many laws in history that were far from ethical. It’s up to us as consumers and citizens, armed with peer reviewed research to demand the likes of politicians and EA to change their attitude or get voted out and face regulations respectively. It’s up to us to tell both parties that we’re sick of their bullshit!
They know, they just don't care. They are run by a hollow person who cannot understand anything beyond money, human decency is far beyond their limited faculties.
They cannot do anything I am afraid. You see, they cannot Change or Implement Legislation, only Parliament can do that. The Commission can only *Enforce* the legislation that is made By Parliament, and, sadly, the current Legislation, which Dates back to 1968, allows Lootboxes to fall into the Loophole made for Trading Cards. The Gambling Commission has openly Stated in the past that they want to *Ban* Lootboxes in the UK, but they cannot do so unless/Until Parliament re-Writes the Gambling Act so that Lootboxes no longer fall into the Trading Cards Loophole and become classed, By Parliament, as Gambling.
Does anyone on this comment page know how government works? Comissions can't just create new law. What do you want to do, give tons of bureaucrats power to create law as they see fit?
@@ChucksSEADnDEAD Exactly, I have lost count on how Many times I have Pointed out ot People that the Commision has their Hands Tied, they have wanted to *Ban* lootboxes and MTX since 2017, but cannot do so unless/Until the 1968 Gaming Act is Re-Written. However, I also understand that most of the Commentors Here are American, so I don't really Expect them to understand the Arcane and Bizzare way that the UK Parliament Works, most *British* don't understand how Parliament works, so what chance has the average American Got? I for one do NOT want to give Unelected Bureaucrats the Ability to make Laws on a Whim. Because we know what happens... You get the EU...and we don't want another one of those. I just hope that the Gambling Commission, if/When the Gaming Act is re-Written so they CAN Enforce against Lootboxes and MTX, can Redeem itself in the Eyes of the Global Populace with a Dramatic Action. Removing EA's right to Trade in the UK should do it IMO!.
@@simeonyves5940 exactly, people need to understand the implications of them simply "creating" a new law. One thing leads to another... We should be thankful that more bad light has been shed on lootboxes and Mtx in general
@@MiorAkif Indeed, there are Terrible Implications of giving Unelected Individuals too much power, it goes straight to their Heads, and that is how Dictators like Junkers and Tusk are Created :( The more bad Light the better, as it wont be long until someone in Government, either in the US (Josh Hawley's Bill, which, IIRC calls for MTX, let alone Lootboxes, to result in a Federally Mandatory "AO" Rating) ) or the EU (their Proposed Double headed Ban on both Lootboxes and MTX) realises that a Lootbox and MTX Ban is going to be a massive Vote Winner.. and Snaps. their. Fingers. I for one cannot wait for that Day, just to see the Look on Andrew Wilson's Face when His prime Source of Profit gets Thanos'd! "Surprised Pikachu!" is going to have nothing on it. However, I also feel that is Better the Wheels of Government are allowed to turn Slowly on a matter like this, so the Inevitable Anti-Lootbox Laws , when they finally come into Being, can be thought out Properly and wont end up as "Swiss Chees Legislation" like the Current Regulations are.
That's because they managed to steer the discussion into whether Loot boxes are gambling or not. When one of the real main issues is UNCONTROLLED SPENDING. Loot Boxes =/= Gambling, arguable, but fine HOWEVER the real problem is: Gambling = uncontrolled spending -> Legislation Lootboxes/Microtransactions = uncontrolled spending -> ?????
It's not gambling guys, monetary rewards aren't given to the players, they are given to the UK Gambling Commission to make sure Surprise Mechanics® aren't considered gambling.
@@ABonafideSkeleton you ever heard of "back door" deals? like come on, the person, who had multiple days to investigate it AFTER that video had enough time to "accidentally" leave their number at EA's HQ in UK and basically be like "give me something to basically keep your market." So yes a fucking bribe, but no one can prove it happened.
Be careful--if you detach gambling from the monetary value question, then card games of all shapes and sizes will become a casualty in this war. If that's acceptable to you, so be it.
@@DarkKnightCuron That would just mean no randomized packs. You can still have the game under those conditions, and in fact it will be better for the customer on average.
*Minister with pockets bulging with cash* : "I think these mechanics aren't technically gambling, and even then we should take some time (indefinitely) to really look into this to see if it should be banned."
@@solorhypercane5041 Stretching the letter of the law to put a nail in this is corruption in the other direction though. If "the law is the law", then it shouldn't be stretched in either direction. That's the fair way. ... so is realizing there's a loophole and planning on how to *close* it.
@Manannan anam But the definitions still need to be applied as is, until they get changed. Next step is trying to get them changed. (Good luck with that, I expect it's even more of an uphill battle.) On the other hand, such a change might also catch MTG, Hearthstone, and 'blind box' objects in the real world.
It may not be over yet, since there are other avenues to deal with this and it’s pretty clear that various governments aren’t happy (at least in appearance) with the situation. Laws need to be updated and there are other groups looking into this.
Same thing will happen in America once the right people are paid off. If you want to change things, these companies need to go bankrupt and anyone who attempts to try it later should suffer the same fate.
Most hard core gamers have already boycotted EA. The problem is the normies that buy Madden, and COD every year have not. Normies do not usually pay attention to gaming news like hard core gamers do as well.
@@DarthSoto78 Then pressure the normies into doing the same. Tell them the news and pressure them. At this rate, their opinions don't fucking matter anymore.
One issue is we allowed AAA companies to monopolize franchises. For example lets say your an NFL fan. If you want to play an NFL game Madden is your only choice. Some supper fans love their franchises so much they will put up with the loot boxes.
No, there's no evidence to say otherwise. It's not gambling. Gambling means spending money for a random chance monetary reward. Which lootboxes aren't.
@@jeanfrancozaratemarcial7916 Yes Prime Minister Disney-EA-Activision-Ubisoft-Blizzard-Bethesda-Amazon doesn't seem to concerned about selling gambling to kids. Who knew?
"become so powerful." It doesn't take much. Virtually anyone can do it. It's called lobbying, and it's been around pretty much as long as any government has ever existed. "Hey, pass this law and I'll donate XXX dollars to your election/party!" It doesn't even have to be money. It could be votes, or advertising, fundraisers, you name it. "Everybody has a price, and it's usually lower than you might think."
Just remember the game dev with the 'lets go whaling!' Conference... Its psychologically predatory and its gambling...but they'll discuss the morality of it later.
This 100%. I understand that the laws are behind, and technically, according to the law, this is not pure definition "gambling". The predatory investment into refining maximum revenue, and moral bankruptcy shown by the companies willing to "monitize to the point of theft" and not give refunds just proves that a new law needs to be added. But I doubt anyone in power would be willing to make a law that if both effective, that also has minimal side effects to the industry. Something that has come to mind recently is the laws about getting tips. Low wage employees who get tips above $20 a week are taxed on an average estimated income. How about we tax the income of every single game company that allows "tips for better service" (microtransaction). [YES we need to define this "tip" as a microtransaction that can be purchased more then once.] [YES this would kill free to play games. But sorry that game model has been proven to be a abusive relationship to the game player 99.6% of the time. The ones with good models can easily become paid games in most cases.]
Lobbying is illegal in the UK. The gambling commission wasn't paid off, the UK legal definition of gambling is what they enforce and the UK legal definition of gambling states gambling is a game of chance which yields monetary rewards. This legal definition is very old and when created would've been aimed at licensing gambling for casinos, pubs, bookies, etc. It's down the the UK government to amend the appropriate and relevant gambling acts of law to redefine gambling as a game of change yielding some form of reward not exclusive to money. Citizens of the UK should write to their local members of parliament to raise the issue in the house of commons and try to bring about a change in law which would further protect consumer rights. tl;dr bribery and lobbying is illegal in the UK and unlike America, people caught get into serious trouble
@@thomas40444 'redefine gambling as a game of chance yielding some form of reward not exclusive to money' Would this definition not cover any game in the world? Forgive me but that seems insanely dumb. Can you better define what your new definition of gambling is?
Be careful--if you detach gambling from the monetary value question, then card games of all shapes and sizes will become a casualty in this war. If that's acceptable to you, so be it.
@@DarkKnightCuron I mean the definition should be broadened to include such things that don't provide monetary rewards, but still include some type of game of chance involving the user to spend money.
@@Suzakuux I can sort of agree with that, especially concerning minors--it's just that a lot of legislation concerning the practice of loot boxes will likely cause card games that have random-chance card packs will be caught in that crossfire as well. The one here in the US certainly reads like it.
@@DarkKnightCuron yeah, it's something that could likely require detailed descriptions and stipulations to cover everything appropriately, yet the greedy ass publishers will just find loopholes in everything eventually.
Imagine if casinos would be deemed not gambling because you could not cash out the markers in the casino but had to go next door to a third party instead. Am I misunderstanding this or is it just that stupid?
Legislation changes unless seriously pressed by a lot of legislators, politicians and the general public, is usually very slow, and this is a new problem, so...
@@Robbini0 Talk about a government who supports no one but the rich and powerful. They don't even care about more pressing matters too. Always so selfish in their own agendas.
I wouldn’t say paid off. Believe me when I say our governments have fallen a long way since the past. And now can’t focus on the obvious. Work for common goals and interests. And just love slandering each other. And look at us now. (Cough brexit) I would not be surprised if the UK’s days of unison are numbered
By UK standards, I guess real life gambling isn't gambling, because one can count cards and that brings "skill" to the table; therefore not gambling. Smh
@@sykocaine one of the arguments they used is that video game lootboxes need "skill" therefore not gambling. So it is the same logic. Sorry. Not sorry. Lmfao
This sounds like BS. Politicians just love to bring up the kids when making laws, but all of a sudden forget the children? Who is getting money sent to their bank account?
No One. There is a Problem with Our Law that is Preventing the Gambling Commission from Doing its Job, You see, the Gambling Commission is *Not Allowed* to Change or Make Legislation, only Parliament has that Power. The Commission can only *Enforce* the Legislature made by Parliament. The Current UK Gambling act was Written back in 1968, and contains a Loophole made for Trading Cards that Lootboxes currently fall into. The Gambling Commission ITSELF wants to BAN Lootboxes, but currently cannot do so because they are Legal under the Current Legislation. In Short, there is *nothing* they can do Unless/ Until Parliament Re-Writes the Gambling act So Lootboxes no longer fall into the Trading Cards Loophole!
The problem wasn't that it was illegal(companies will always skirt the line of what is legally allowed), it's that it is unethical. The gambling commissions "findings" don't change anything.
because it is stated in the game Terms of Service that once IAPs are consumed, you can no longer refund them. i worked for a gaming company for several years and people usually ask for a refund because they spent few hundred bucks and they never got the virtual thing that they wanted. there are a few more absurd reasons though but it's generally being declined due to ToS. as long as you still have the virtual currencies and items untouched, you can generally get them refunded (at least on our game). do what a lot of people do and just chargeback. you get your money back and keep the IAPs. however, there are companies who keep tabs on these and your account might get suspended for it.
MERCENARIE GUY All multinational corporations are the same TBH. They all "lube" government officials. Also I won't be surprised if BBC will white knight lootboxes if EA and the others will nudge the government in right direction successfully.
Kei Kurono Actually, as far as I know the NFL Madden series and similar football games get very little recognition these days. FIFA is the one I see alongside the games I'm shopping for (I'm not a sports game guy. RPGs and platformers are more my shtick) rather than any football titles. FIFA is big here in the states as well.
Let them, if EA kill off their own whales. The less life support EA has. It'll take more time. all we can do is wait. The bubble will burst and when that day comes, we'll celebrate the momentous occasion.
Sorry, casual normie here and I still ain’t buying any triple a games lol. Only one I did play was hearthstone, but now that blizzard is taken over I left the game before the loot boxes got too bad lol
If this were a drama, EA would've bribed the UK gambling commission with large portions of the money they reaped from these surprise mechanics. 😃 I wonder...
If it was that simple..... the market adapt to these things and the games they release are less and less good and more predatory. Less good morality games in the bunch less games to play.
Hot Coffee Mod: Someone modded this interaction in games, "tHiS nEeDs tO bE rEgUlAtEd!" and "tHiNk oF tHe cHiLdReN!" GTA:SA is threatened with AO rating, even on consoles. Lootboxes: Predatory monetization techniques with documented impact. "Well, _technically_ ...." and "there isn't anything wrong here" alrightythen
Also, what they missed out was THE REASON WHY there was legislation for gambling in the first place. Because of uncontrolled spending. EA brilliantly managed to hide the real problem using their "ethical, surprise mechanics" nonsense. It's not that the loot boxes itself is the problem, it's the uncontrolled spending.
@@ShadowWolfRising In what sense? If towards actual gambling... well the back channels used by the mafia already allowed for money returns. If you mean they're loosing customers, or are dealing with legal repercussions, then I'd be glad to learn that.
@@LucilleHe This Generation for the most part doesn't care for it, that's all. And those who do are old and thus dying off. People are losing interest (Which in retrospect, might be partly due to, ironically enough, Microtransactions and lootboxes in mobile games granted that is merely conjecture on my part.).
Just so we are clear. The Commission doesn't have the authority to keep the UK government from passing legislation or making an amendment to already existing legislation. The job of the commission is to enforce the laws. They don't have the power to make or change laws.
@@scoopstacey3112 Yes. They are basically saying their hands are tied with the current legislation so if you want something done you need to amend the current legislation or come up with a new one, then we can do something about it.
My question is if It's not gambling... what is it then? You buy a meal at a restaurant ask the waiter for additional benefits with expectation the waiter will receive a tip at the end. So let's exsamine the tip laws and let the politicians know they should tax the heck out of reoccurring microtransactions. I mean there are crazy entertainment taxes in Chicago. So local city governments could access this extra money too. It's not predatory to tax player choice, because people don't have to tip.
EA basically gets a pass because of a technicality, with UK legally defining gambling as a game of chance that yields monetary rewards, which isn't the case for FIFA loot boxes, not officially at least. The thing is though, otherwise, EA loot boxes and slot machines work fundamentally the same way and are equally effective at exploiting gambling addicts and getting them to spend exessively. It's time for the UK to expand their antiquated definition of gambling
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This is very bad
Keep fighting, just because the law is slow doesn't mean it can't be pushed to change.
The UK government and its related governing authorities tie themselves too tightly to technical definitions in their laws and policies even in thr face of their own common sense.
@@tenjenk You DO know that this is coming to America next, right? America's GOP LOVES this stuff!
YongYea there is a TH-camr by the name of ecoliespresso he made a video about the total cost of black ops 4 and every in game item be a great topic to cover for a video. Btw love ur vids keep up the great work
"It's not murder, it's 'a suprise funeral'!"
"It's not a robbery, it's a 'suprise withdrawal'!"
"It's not pedophilia, it's 'Early Access'!"
Edward The Hunter 🤣😂🤣👍🏻
Dude...'early access'? Yikes.
*EARLY ACCESS*
I'm dying
The “Early access” part is killing me XD
The last one 🤣🤣🤣🤣
In other news, UK gambling commission all receive new cars from mystery donor
UK gambling commission: It was just a surprise gift.
It is time to take it to the extreme. Burn their laws by pushing it to its fullest capacity. They say this isn't gambling. Then they better prepare for what they allowed to exist opening that door. Ha ha ha ha. Because the law is a double edged sword.
there was a note left that read "IT'S IN THE GAME".
LOL!!!!
Boris just traded a nice gov position for a fancy flat. so, like America
It's worse than gambling since you're not even making any money.
Thats what I was thinking. Gambling at least *can* give you something you can keep. Lootboxes just give you intangibles that they can take away at any time if they want.
Exactly! You spend a lot of real money with no chance of getting monetary rewards or a guarantee that you'll get what you wanted in the first place! On top of that the rewards are purely virtual and you never actually own them according to most games' EULA.
Yeah exactly. It's a complete and utter money sink.
@@Janx14 But in-game items aren't worthless to the owner. This argument is bs. You get something you knew about before. You accepted not getting money, but another "valuable" item.
@@cooltwittertag But in-game items aren't worthless to the owner. This argument is indeed bs.
As a UK citizen the only logical step is to change gambling law to fit modern methods utilised by gaming companies
Shit bruh my American side just says "Fuck it, bomb the company buildings and maybe possibly assassinate Andrew Wilson"
Oh you mean the laws around gambling that are decades old, established way before video games were a thing? Too much common sense. It's the same everywhere. It doesn't fall in line with gambling laws that were revised in the late 20th-century, but don't forget that, at least in the US, gambling was outlawed for a long time for some of the same reasons as microtransactions.
@@terrypennington2519 You do know that rule by terror leads to anarchy, right? Pirate their games, cut into their blood money, but don't bomb them.
Simon, that would be reasonable and intelligent. Governments do not acknowledge such things
@@obligatoryusername7239 corperations don't run the government. We don't live in Fascism my dude.
Looks like some persons in the UK Commission found their bank accounts having a "Surprise Funds Injection"
"It's not a bribe" it's surprise employment. ..
This guy gets it.
Doubt it.They know it's bad. They weren't necessarilly bribed.They did say that it's not gambling according to CURRENT legislation. But the law shouldn't be abstract. People should follow it to the note since, it'll lead to troubles otherwise. Best they can do is to update the legislation.
I would call it a "suprise donation", but yeah it seems that is what happened here.
Surprise fund injected by ea to speak in favor of ea.... Corrupt officials.... They need to favor the citizens not the big corps.... Corrupt corrupt corrupt...
I disagree with the UK Gambling Commission's decision.
Just like EA disagrees with evidence.
I agree with your assessment.
Yeah, except this makes more sense than EA’s arguement.
We should all do the following for all EA games :
" It's not boycotting EA games, its simply not buying them ^_^ "
It's not a boycott, it's surprise money conservation.
@@samebersman3100 😂😂😂
If only.
Most of their games are out and out garbage anyway. Only one I'd consider touching is the sims 4. At 75%+ off.
it won't work, all whale who addicted to 'gambling mechanic' would still throw money at em
How do they NOT have monetary value if people spend real money for them?
EA: "Because shut up."
Fubukio monetary value for the buyer, not the seller
Bc people spent real money
Because once obtained, you can't do anything with those items. If you had a chance to earn money, then the UK law would label this gambling... thing is, it's literally the ONLY difference.
@Manannan anam technically you never owned that nothing.(if you only have a digital key) You own a license to play and have access to the game and all the extra nothing you paid for 😁 digital game ownership is a lie 🤫
In the UK you can literally be arrested for saying something mean on the internet. But predatory business practices are A-OK!
As long as you bribe the cops and the law you can get away with anything nowadays it's not surprising that they would sellout.
Sounds just like America 😅😅
Alan Allen isn’t bribing illegal in the USA?
@@atypicalatoms9425 Never seen anyone arrested for mean Internet comments in the US.
@@atypicalatoms9425 in america, you can threaten people and expose peoples personal credentials actually. you can say anything.
I highly suggest that anyone who lives in the UK, like me, should contact their local MP (via email) to raise this issue.
THIS THIS THIS. Force the government to listen.
Damn right. I cheer you on from the US.
Nothing will happen mate unless of course you have got 1 or 2 millions£ ready ....
Wont do a damn thing at this point.
@@darthbane2669 Even if nothing comes out of it directly, it will still spread awareness for the cause.
*U.K Law* Me: *Murder's a person*
Police: "You just killed someone! You're going to jail!"
Me: "I don't endorse his death."
Police: "Ok, you're free to go."
Keep pressuring Parliament. If the gambling commission can’t do anything then Parliament can.
The gambling commission and Parliament are 2 different things.
Lets hope there not gonna let this slide over and allow it please we need this surprise crap outta here
Parliment is rotted just like my government in America. It'll fall on deaf ears.
Gambling commission was bribed and so will the parliament.
Parliament will do something
For a price
With Borris as the new PM parliament is going to do nothing for a while until he gets his s**t together
Sounds like people on the gambling committee have earned some under the counter paychecks.. some people would call it a bribe, others call it surprise bonuses...
Its not that at all, and it shits me that yong has not done his research on this one. Its an issue of the wording of law, and how it needs to change to cover new technologies. The word of law, which is decades old, states that because there is no physical item you can cash out through legitimate means, that it isnt gambling. They ARE NOT saying that it isnt insidious bullshit, just that the law needs to be changed in such a way that it wont impact other industries or sections of commerce. Watch Bellular News' video on the topic, its much better.
@@Mephiston But so far they aren't even discussing changing the law or regulating lootboxes to adult only games. They are just saying "this is an issue but we can't do anything because of the law, sorry it's not our problem." That continually repeated responses every time the subject of gambling in video games comes up seems suspicious.
@@AuraKumo104 The real strength will come from the community as they continue grass root efforts. Very few gamers actually want randomized loot boxes.
@@Mephiston You clearly did not watch the entire video.
Sounds like drugs to me... I guess people must die before anything changes. They can't even adapt to today's tech. lol
naturally. Politicians are corrupt as all hell, and publishers are rich. They'll never do whats right over whats profitable.
Wheres the logic in that? If you want change go become a politician yourself like everyone ever who wants to bring change
Coletrain Hetrick Mr. Robot.
@@coletrainhetrick lol, ok dude
@@coletrainhetrick that's not how that works but ok
Question is... how do we stop them... publishers, I mean?
If anything, that's worse than gambling. At least actual gambling gives you a chance to get out ahead. With EA's mechanics, you're playing games of chance just to get fake items that have no real world value. You're better off blowing it in Vegas.
Also, you're basically waiting for them to pull the plug on supporting said game down the line. So whatever little value those virtual items have is diminished further.
Yeah and that's the problem with gambling. It gives the chance to get ahead. So people cling onto that chance and keep trying and trying until they waste away all their money.
I don’t care if it’s not legally gambling by law, the fact that this discussion has been happening proves the problem is real.
But, as I understand it, the Gambling Commission is charged with enforcing existing law, and does not have the authority to create new laws. Channel your anger (and letters, petitions, etc.) towards the people in government who CAN create new laws.
Why do we leave these things up to old people that don’t understand technology
Cause they won't relinquish their power or fucking die already so we can replace them.
@@Gamingproductionv2 When you are in this position you are corrupted and greedy to. Otherwise you would't get there.
Codenamed Zombie shutup
TheWorstChannelYouKnow lol nice
@@navie78 I see that shit everywhere. The longest serving US senator in history is from my home state. He ran against an incumbent his first term his plat form was that the incumbent (who had served 3 terms) had been in office too long and was too set in his ways. senator Orrin hatch would go on to be undefeated from the time he was elected after my dad got out of homeschool until this year where he announced his retirement. We need age limits on public office of no older than 45 and no younger than 25. Also Congress and the Senate need a 70 percent pay decrease.
Funny because I'm pretty sure that to enter the Lottery you MUST be by LAW 18 years of age to play....
16 for lottery, 18 for gambling
Don't lottery commercials have "Please Play Responsibly" at the end? Gee it's almost like it's still gambling.
Laws are often late. Gambling law is still in mindeset of Poker, Blackjack etc. Loot Boxes are still relatively new thing
The hypocrisy. lol
@Manannan anam
It's same as... "Why do people get addicted to drugs so easily? *Then starts pushing for more drugs* "
Well.
Yarr har fiddle dee dee
Being a pirate is alright to be
Do what you want cause a pirate is free
You are a pirate!
Heres a more fitting alteration
Yarr har fiddle mon-ey!
Being a pirate is now alright to be!
Do what you want cause a pirate gets games free!
You are a pirate!
I am now
Long live piracy!
Looks like I have to change job into a pirate then
People thought the UK parliament would do something about it lmao. They clearly don’t live in the UK
True very true there
True, they can't even agree to the divorce settlement with the EU. Giving the public referendum was one of the worst decisions to make in recent political history.
@@Karloss00 Boris said you leaving EU bro, 31st October whether you get a deal or not.
@@harryballs6652 yeah, but what the prime minister says and what will happen is incredibly different these days.
@@mrgorbygorby4137 didn't help that the last pm didn't want to leave so sabotaged the effort
I'm not buying any games that contain loot boxes or those card packs. Also not buying any games that keep gaming content locked behind a pay wall.
So... You won't be buying any games lmao
Unfortunately it will make little difference since EA etc don't care about people like you and me, it's the people who DO buy them and spend THOUSANDS that they target.
I feel the same. I am VERY picky about my games. DLC cost has to match with development time and cost, there will be no subscriptions. (xbox,playstation)
im about to ditch the nintendo bandwagon when they up the subscription from 20$. 100% PC here i come.
@@bananasaur5209 your right
@@tommysmalls2874 Except he's not. Read my earlier post. Plenty of games deserve support that don't have loot boxes and microtransactions.
I'M NOT PIRATING YOUR GAME, I'M A SURPRISE CUSTOMER
Piracy is good for everyone though, "surprise mechanics" are not.
It's not a robbery, it's suprise comminism.
Love it
G MAN AWESOME I think that strategy would work 🤔
@@lightningsam OH YES
Normal people: "No one would be dumb enough to fall for that"
The UK Government: "Hold my tea cup"...
@Matt Frazier don't have too much hope...the tobacco liqour and firearm enthusiasts dont like marijuana i sympathise my countries full of idiot fucks to
You could expect nothing less of our government at the moment, it's a shit show, they can't do anything right.
Loot boxes may not fall under legal term of gambling, however that doesn't mean they are out of the woods yet.
@@davenewton3576 no but it does mean a lot more kids accidentally ruining their parents finances...not to mention everyone else who partakes in the scheme
@@davenewton3576 well, when you say "however that doesn't mean they are out of the woods yet" what would you have in mind?
Maybe new laws, or a change of the existing?
There is of course a case to be made that the companies may weasel their way through this, when going by the letter of the law. Which means, that the British government may have their hands tied for the moment and can't crack down on it for gambling, despite understanding that it is clearly gambling.
While I'm not a fan of government regulation, it may be justified in this case.
The rest of us need to boycott the micro transaction schemes.
“Its not lootboxes its suprise mechanics!”
Then its not pedophilia its “early access”
Hahaha Holy fuck!
Lol
Dude, I just ate.
This is funny and all, but I bet in 10 years pedophilia in the UK will be legal since you are being controlled by the liberals/ SJWs on how your country is being run and they believe there are more than two genders in which pedophilia is included as one...
@@Lion10104 whoa...
They sure love beta testing
Thats ok I wont be buying another EA game including a Starwars game regardless of how good it is. I cannot and will not support EA praying on the vulnerable. Its gambling to everyone else who actually understands what they are doing and how they are manipulating gamers. Done with Epay games.
Labarynth Maze
HELL YEA
A wise decision, you make. Regret, you will not.
But the problem is... other than you there are people who aren't aware of this kind of situation, not many but not less either.
Consumers who doesn't care or aware of the bs that the EA did. Still continue to buy games or lootboxes from them.
well what if the game has zero macro transaction, should there be no buy? perhaps i am naive to think if you make the right purchases and don't buy the games with micro transactions it can speak to how horrible they are, i could just be ignorant but thats my 2 cents on the matter
@@Bo0O0olad I pity them but they won't learn anything unless they themselves experience this horrible pieces of crap
Then, we need to fight. Make petitions, put pressure on them, if our governments won't act for us, then we need to act for ourselves
Easier said than done.
@@Deform-2024 but what other options do you have?
@@casualverse Are there any? I takes years to fix laws like this, even then, it can still backfire. There is no way IMO.
Or boycott anything EA
@@blank2588 Well, if we gamers give them also bad publicity, sooner or later something got to give. It worked for SW Battlefront2, Anthem, NFS Payback, Fallout 76, and ME Shadow of War. We're not entirely defenceless.
Consider it a long grind. A lot of things in life aren't conquered in one battle. Only with endurance we achieve glory. The fact that we know we're fighting for a just cause should give us the will to keep fighting. The just cause being that we're not going to take being somebody's bitch that takes our lunch money whenever they want to
“It’s not lootboxes. It’s suprise mechanics”
“It’s not kidnapping. It’s suprise adoption”
Edit: I love these other ones y’all put.
Hey I like your Demon Hunter profile pic, man!
It's not Surprise Buttsecks, it's a Gift Bumming
It's not piracy, it's surprise accrument.
It's not a stolen goods, it's british museums.
Joyful Dude oh my god.....I......LOVE......YOU XD
Ah yes, protect the businesses but dont protect the consumers. Nice job, UK.
UK Gambling Commission is a joke lol
It’s not the only thing that’s a joke in this country unfortunately. Our government or commissions can never get their heads together or see the obvious.
The U.K. Is honestly a joke at this point.
UK as a whole is a joke
Inquisitor Thomas@ I see we are in agreement as I also thinks our country is now a joke
This channel is a joke.
God there’s so much wrong with the UK I’m almost ashamed to live there
You should move
@@theblackswordsman7558 no
Pr0ject Zero Well, there is so much wrong with the planet as a whole.
Don’t feel bad man…America’s not so great either
Your not the only one here zero. I have had no patriotism since 2017 and to be frank. I don’t see us being a United Kingdom for much longer
So if I gamble my car in a bet and lose, it's not gambling because no money was gained by the winner? Makes no sense.
Cars are considered financial assets that you can put a lien on. That's where the commission is getting stuck on working on it. Current laws just couldnt keep up with how fast things change. Lootboxes exploded but laws can take years.
@@computaterjones Yeah. It's frustrating that lootboxes eploit the fact that laws take years to be finally legalised (because you need to make sure it's not a bad law) and EA runs faster than laws and gambling commission only check the law and it's not including lootboxes. Frustarating but that's how things work
Good point actually.
that's... pretty bad example, car is monetize able and there's lot of official store that bought em
@@BerryBabaBear gaming accounts can be monetized too.
Uk: loot boxes ain't so bad
Gamers: *everyone hated that*
Reward: RESPECT -100
Brexit + 10
Capitalism
Everyone disliked that
Question then: Why would a government care about Respect from people that neither DO anything nor are even remotely a threat to them?
@@darktenki5893 ...true were all too fat and stupid to do shit anyway
Bloody hell we aint always about tea! ... Oh look its tea time
If I was a Casino owner in the UK I'm 100% jumping on this decision and arguing that you can't call slot machines gambling either in this case
By what precedent? Will you only give out stuffed animals? I swear some gamers are ignorant
@@Fliigh7z pachinko style
@@Fliigh7z dude slot machines dont give you money directly they give you tokens. You turn in the tokens for money.
@@josh223 actually, it's usually a paper slip nowadays, but same thing pretty much.
@@Fliigh7z
Ever heard of Indirect Money???
EA's lootboxes aren't gambling.
Arc flash from welding is classed as assault.
Thanks UK.
Future UK news
'Man is assaulted with an arc flash, gets out a butter knife to defend himself'.
What's this about welding?
To be fair, those flashes /could/ permanently do damage to your eyes, without protective gear.
Really?? That's crazy. As a welder myself, it seems odd lol.
You got a loicense for that screwdriver, tv, t-shirt, shoelace, ipod... and breathing?!?!
What happened to all these facts they had about the kids with ''suprise empty credit cards''?? I bet they get a huge paycheck from EA
Just because it’s not gambling in the strict words of the law doesn’t mean it’s not gambling period, or that it’s ethical. There have been many laws in history that were far from ethical. It’s up to us as consumers and citizens, armed with peer reviewed research to demand the likes of politicians and EA to change their attitude or get voted out and face regulations respectively. It’s up to us to tell both parties that we’re sick of their bullshit!
Akis Akis not to mention that the people at that hearing laughed at what she said. They all know EA is full of shit. They definitely were paid off.
And EA wonder why they are labeled the evil company. Smh
I don’t think EA wonder that. I think they just try and hide it.
@@irritatingtruth9121 they could be genuinely stupid. They kinda prove it a lot
That’s not their earned title. It’s “Reaper of the Industry”. Due to their high buying out and closure rates and devilish acts and abuse.
They know, they just don't care. They are run by a hollow person who cannot understand anything beyond money, human decency is far beyond their limited faculties.
So basically, a brown envelope was pushed across the table.
End of.
UK: Arrests guy for teaching his dog to raise his paw when he says “Sieg Heil”
Also UK: Loot boxes aren’t gambling because you can’t “cash out”
Yeah, pretty fucked up that an obvious and harmless joke gets jail time, bit this....nah it's ok.
Sounds like robots than humans. lol
And putting a reporter in prison for asking pedos how their sentencing went.(Tommy Robinson)
Contact Info actually no. He went to jail because he repeatedly broke the law. He deserves all the time he spends in there!
@@zombieslayer095 He actually was going to go to jail, but they actually fined him automatically because he refused to pay.
Gambling commision:
-"There are concerns".
- Procedes to do nothing about it.
Me: Burning of rage
They cannot do anything I am afraid. You see, they cannot Change or Implement Legislation, only Parliament can do that. The Commission can only *Enforce* the legislation that is made By Parliament, and, sadly, the current Legislation, which Dates back to 1968, allows Lootboxes to fall into the Loophole made for Trading Cards.
The Gambling Commission has openly Stated in the past that they want to *Ban* Lootboxes in the UK, but they cannot do so unless/Until Parliament re-Writes the Gambling Act so that Lootboxes no longer fall into the Trading Cards Loophole and become classed, By Parliament, as Gambling.
Does anyone on this comment page know how government works? Comissions can't just create new law. What do you want to do, give tons of bureaucrats power to create law as they see fit?
@@ChucksSEADnDEAD Exactly, I have lost count on how Many times I have Pointed out ot People that the Commision has their Hands Tied, they have wanted to *Ban* lootboxes and MTX since 2017, but cannot do so unless/Until the 1968 Gaming Act is Re-Written.
However, I also understand that most of the Commentors Here are American, so I don't really Expect them to understand the Arcane and Bizzare way that the UK Parliament Works, most *British* don't understand how Parliament works, so what chance has the average American Got?
I for one do NOT want to give Unelected Bureaucrats the Ability to make Laws on a Whim. Because we know what happens... You get the EU...and we don't want another one of those.
I just hope that the Gambling Commission, if/When the Gaming Act is re-Written so they CAN Enforce against Lootboxes and MTX, can Redeem itself in the Eyes of the Global Populace with a Dramatic Action.
Removing EA's right to Trade in the UK should do it IMO!.
@@simeonyves5940 exactly, people need to understand the implications of them simply "creating" a new law. One thing leads to another... We should be thankful that more bad light has been shed on lootboxes and Mtx in general
@@MiorAkif Indeed, there are Terrible Implications of giving Unelected Individuals too much power, it goes straight to their Heads, and that is how Dictators like Junkers and Tusk are Created :(
The more bad Light the better, as it wont be long until someone in Government, either in the US (Josh Hawley's Bill, which, IIRC calls for MTX, let alone Lootboxes, to result in a Federally Mandatory "AO" Rating) ) or the EU (their Proposed Double headed Ban on both Lootboxes and MTX) realises that a Lootbox and MTX Ban is going to be a massive Vote Winner.. and Snaps. their. Fingers.
I for one cannot wait for that Day, just to see the Look on Andrew Wilson's Face when His prime Source of Profit gets Thanos'd! "Surprised Pikachu!" is going to have nothing on it.
However, I also feel that is Better the Wheels of Government are allowed to turn Slowly on a matter like this, so the Inevitable Anti-Lootbox Laws , when they finally come into Being, can be thought out Properly and wont end up as "Swiss Chees Legislation" like the Current Regulations are.
They literally made a joke of themselves but EA still gets a free pass.
Of course, thank the lobbying groups.
wish lobbying was removed feels like buying/bribing the government.
@@nicknevco215 thats because it is, but good luck getting rid of it when they'll just lobby against them being outlawed
That's because they managed to steer the discussion into whether Loot boxes are gambling or not.
When one of the real main issues is UNCONTROLLED SPENDING.
Loot Boxes =/= Gambling, arguable, but fine
HOWEVER the real problem is:
Gambling = uncontrolled spending -> Legislation
Lootboxes/Microtransactions = uncontrolled spending -> ?????
Legalized government bribery
I've seen this a thousand times... Amusing to see history repeat.
I don’t understand, if it’s recognized as a problem and the law doesn’t forbid it, then CHANGE THE LAW! Is it really that hard?
Introducing a new law can take years.
Yes. Yes it is.
With the corrupt UK government? Absolutely.
Its a stupid really slow process
Ever wonder why people left europe for America
What you expect of the British gov. They've been discussing about Brexit for 2 years now and still can't decide.
They decided a long time ago. They do not want to leave.
Actually it has been decided but things like trade deals etc need to be finalised before it becomes official.
Oh no
It's as if
We have to rework our laws because times are changing and things are not what they used to be
Who would've guessed that?
It's not gambling guys, monetary rewards aren't given to the players, they are given to the UK Gambling Commission to make sure Surprise Mechanics® aren't considered gambling.
Get drunk
Salty kids are funny
Anita Lyfe oh look it’s you again. You actually are a shill lol
I agree but it’s still shady
How do EA get away when their main arguments were 1. Surprise mechanics! And 2. Evidence doesn’t exist because we don’t think it does
Kitamura Hikari money, that's how
@@PD-ek3cu No, they got away with it due to clever wording and outdated gambling laws.
Watch the video.
With bribe, duh.
Lobbyists, nepotism, corruption. I know that your question was a rethoric one, but I couldn't resist.
@@ABonafideSkeleton you ever heard of "back door" deals? like come on, the person, who had multiple days to investigate it AFTER that video had enough time to "accidentally" leave their number at EA's HQ in UK and basically be like "give me something to basically keep your market." So yes a fucking bribe, but no one can prove it happened.
*Mission failed, we'll get em' next time*
The only way to teach these corporations is through our wallet. No demand, no sales, and no profits.
It's not gambling because you can only loose money!
Be careful--if you detach gambling from the monetary value question, then card games of all shapes and sizes will become a casualty in this war. If that's acceptable to you, so be it.
@@DarkKnightCuron Uh, dude, pretty sure he's complaining at the stupidity of said law, but go off
@@DarkKnightCuron That would just mean no randomized packs. You can still have the game under those conditions, and in fact it will be better for the customer on average.
Most of us will be buying “suprise permanent demos” online anyway. EA doesnt deserve any of my hard earned money
If it gets to that point I wont be playing video games anymore, damn shame people are willing to put up with this shit, and all the rest.
Hoist the sails lads, with rum in our hands!
I wonder how many millions of "education" money it took to bribe-I mean educate those law makers.
*Minister with pockets bulging with cash* : "I think these mechanics aren't technically gambling, and even then we should take some time (indefinitely) to really look into this to see if it should be banned."
Christopher ever heard of corruption?
@@solorhypercane5041 Stretching the letter of the law to put a nail in this is corruption in the other direction though. If "the law is the law", then it shouldn't be stretched in either direction. That's the fair way.
... so is realizing there's a loophole and planning on how to *close* it.
kereminde corruption. If you have money you are above the law. Been Proven many times.
It's the UK. I expect nothing less.
@Manannan anam But the definitions still need to be applied as is, until they get changed.
Next step is trying to get them changed. (Good luck with that, I expect it's even more of an uphill battle.)
On the other hand, such a change might also catch MTG, Hearthstone, and 'blind box' objects in the real world.
Companies more powerful than a government?
Sounds like Cyberpunk 2077 to me!
Anyone knows when more collector editions will come out on Amazon?
Unless CDPR changes their minds, there probably won't be coming any more according to them.
Corporations have been legally stronger than governments gor a while, already.
Schnittertm1 Here’s to hoping they will talk about it in Gamescon
"We were on verge of greatness, we were this close"
"It was said you destroy the sith not join them" "bring balance to the force not leave it in darkness"
"Reality is often disappointing"
It may not be over yet, since there are other avenues to deal with this and it’s pretty clear that various governments aren’t happy (at least in appearance) with the situation. Laws need to be updated and there are other groups looking into this.
@@annabella1650 what movie is that from
Freebody_ Unfortunately
Think you got the wrong man, might want to look for the one-armed man.
Same thing will happen in America once the right people are paid off. If you want to change things, these companies need to go bankrupt and anyone who attempts to try it later should suffer the same fate.
Most hard core gamers have already boycotted EA. The problem is the normies that buy Madden, and COD every year have not. Normies do not usually pay attention to gaming news like hard core gamers do as well.
@@DarthSoto78 Then pressure the normies into doing the same. Tell them the news and pressure them. At this rate, their opinions don't fucking matter anymore.
@@vynonyoutube1418 I have been trying with my brother
Same, my little brother keeps buying games despite the bullshit they pull. יוסף סטרימלינג
One issue is we allowed AAA companies to monopolize franchises. For example lets say your an NFL fan. If you want to play an NFL game Madden is your only choice. Some supper fans love their franchises so much they will put up with the loot boxes.
And I thought the UK parliment would not fall for this, but seriously, they did fell for the "surprise mechanics." PROTEST! PROTEST!
Bingo.
It's time to get nasty.
They didn't fall for it, they just made their pockets heavier. They aren't idiots but they also love money more then public's opinion.
I wonder how much "surprise compensation" changed hands...
What the hell... theres more then enough evidence to say otherwise.
Grow a pair and do your jobs.
Why would they? The can (and did get) more money from the bribes.
They can't there Democrats.
No, there's no evidence to say otherwise. It's not gambling.
Gambling means spending money for a random chance monetary reward.
Which lootboxes aren't.
@@jasonjones3579 That law is primitive and needs an update its as simple as that.
@Anita Lyfe let me guess, you regularly play an EA game right?
When companies become so powerful that they can pay-off an entire government lol.
You just described a classic element of the Cyberpunk sub-genre
Corporations more powerful than the Government itself
@@jeanfrancozaratemarcial7916 Yes Prime Minister Disney-EA-Activision-Ubisoft-Blizzard-Bethesda-Amazon doesn't seem to concerned about selling gambling to kids.
Who knew?
I mean yeah? That shit has been around since governing bodies were a thing
US government in a nutshell, this isn't new
"become so powerful."
It doesn't take much. Virtually anyone can do it. It's called lobbying, and it's been around pretty much as long as any government has ever existed.
"Hey, pass this law and I'll donate XXX dollars to your election/party!" It doesn't even have to be money. It could be votes, or advertising, fundraisers, you name it. "Everybody has a price, and it's usually lower than you might think."
There's definitely something shady going on behind the scenes .
Real business is done behind closed doors not in front of cameras
Not really. Loot boxes aren't gambling because you can't earn money from them.
Ethan D'mello@ I doubt it. Fact is a lot of our country’s government bodies or commissions are just incompetent
@@jasonjones3579 there's lot of types of gambling. not just the one u see on casinos
@@zyajpubgm3591 Yea, and all of them have monetary rewards. Which lootboxes don't.
This has to end. Someone has to put a stop to this.
Hey, instead of raiding Area 51, let's go storm EA headquarters!
No Area 51 first! Then we go to EA HQ.
Maybe we find a brainwashing machine there.
frankly i smell a huge payoff on EA's part and a corrupt government
People are cheap
Just remember the game dev with the 'lets go whaling!' Conference...
Its psychologically predatory and its gambling...but they'll discuss the morality of it later.
This 100%.
I understand that the laws are behind, and technically, according to the law, this is not pure definition "gambling". The predatory investment into refining maximum revenue, and moral bankruptcy shown by the companies willing to "monitize to the point of theft" and not give refunds just proves that a new law needs to be added. But I doubt anyone in power would be willing to make a law that if both effective, that also has minimal side effects to the industry.
Something that has come to mind recently is the laws about getting tips. Low wage employees who get tips above $20 a week are taxed on an average estimated income. How about we tax the income of every single game company that allows "tips for better service" (microtransaction).
[YES we need to define this "tip" as a microtransaction that can be purchased more then once.]
[YES this would kill free to play games. But sorry that game model has been proven to be a abusive relationship to the game player 99.6% of the time. The ones with good models can easily become paid games in most cases.]
The fat check they must have gotten from EA and 2K probably helped a lot.
IF they have time! You forgot that part.
I'm pretty sure this is a textbook example of a lobbyist in action.
Also a textbook example of clueless commissioners.
Lobbying is illegal in the UK. The gambling commission wasn't paid off, the UK legal definition of gambling is what they enforce and the UK legal definition of gambling states gambling is a game of chance which yields monetary rewards. This legal definition is very old and when created would've been aimed at licensing gambling for casinos, pubs, bookies, etc. It's down the the UK government to amend the appropriate and relevant gambling acts of law to redefine gambling as a game of change yielding some form of reward not exclusive to money. Citizens of the UK should write to their local members of parliament to raise the issue in the house of commons and try to bring about a change in law which would further protect consumer rights.
tl;dr bribery and lobbying is illegal in the UK and unlike America, people caught get into serious trouble
@@thomas40444 Sounds like the trick is to not get caught then.
@@thomas40444 'redefine gambling as a game of chance yielding some form of reward not exclusive to money' Would this definition not cover any game in the world? Forgive me but that seems insanely dumb. Can you better define what your new definition of gambling is?
@@thomas40444 Typical lawyer bullshit. They find the most minute discrepancy and use it in their argument. "Monetary". Fuck lawyers.
Sounds like the definition of 'gambling' needs an update to accommodate how things have changed in the modern age.
Be careful--if you detach gambling from the monetary value question, then card games of all shapes and sizes will become a casualty in this war. If that's acceptable to you, so be it.
@@DarkKnightCuron I mean the definition should be broadened to include such things that don't provide monetary rewards, but still include some type of game of chance involving the user to spend money.
@@Suzakuux I can sort of agree with that, especially concerning minors--it's just that a lot of legislation concerning the practice of loot boxes will likely cause card games that have random-chance card packs will be caught in that crossfire as well. The one here in the US certainly reads like it.
@@DarkKnightCuron yeah, it's something that could likely require detailed descriptions and stipulations to cover everything appropriately, yet the greedy ass publishers will just find loopholes in everything eventually.
Curtis Thompson you have C&P that same comment four times.
Come up with a new one now.
I’m from the UK and I don’t agree with what they’re saying. Loot boxes are gambling.
Does not matter
What you say or feel is gambling doesn't change the actual definition of gambling.
It is gambing
@@jasonjones3579 cancer
@@perfectcell5613 Can you make money directly off lootboxes?
If no, then it isn't gambling
The stuff you get from loot boxes not having a monetary value makes it feel worse than if it did. You're basically spending money on nothing.
In order to be hired at EA you have to have failed Business Ethics in highschool/college.
Make that a university study
🤭
Imagine if casinos would be deemed not gambling because you could not cash out the markers in the casino but had to go next door to a third party instead.
Am I misunderstanding this or is it just that stupid?
As far as I can tell it IS just that stupid
Actually....I think that’s how pachinko parlors work in japan, at least the did. That’s why the early Pokémon games did that.
It's so strange. Why would people not want to legislate gambling that can be marketed to children?
Bribery
@@Approvedjoey117 I was gonna say "profit" but honestly it's basically the same
Legislation changes unless seriously pressed by a lot of legislators, politicians and the general public, is usually very slow, and this is a new problem, so...
@@Robbini0
Talk about a government who supports no one but the rich and powerful. They don't even care about more pressing matters too. Always so selfish in their own agendas.
Some politicians likely got some "surprise donations."
Gambling commission: It's not legally gambling
Me, a person who pays attention to the video games industry: So it's illegal gambling? Kill it!
The UK also arrests people for "offending" people online, so this isnt really a surprise.
how the fuck does one have anything to do with the other? Still watching Sargon of Akkad I see.
@@117Smiley .
the point was clear, The UK government is worthless
@@thefool8224 agreed
@@117Smiley your point?
Sources? Probably The people that got arrested are accused of "hate speech". if so, the he/she deserved and the goverment did the right thing.
Not a good precedent. No doubt someone was paid off.
I wouldn’t say paid off. Believe me when I say our governments have fallen a long way since the past. And now can’t focus on the obvious. Work for common goals and interests. And just love slandering each other. And look at us now. (Cough brexit) I would not be surprised if the UK’s days of unison are numbered
Proof?
@Omega Destroyer it’s called lobbying
Omega Destroyer
Proof? If the UK has lobbying, which why wouldn’t it, then there is your proof. “Legal” Bribery.
don't need to pay anyone off to vote pro business in a pro business government
By UK standards, I guess real life gambling isn't gambling, because one can count cards and that brings "skill" to the table; therefore not gambling. Smh
NO, this isn't the same logic. Sorry.
@@sykocaine Then was is the same logic?
@@sykocaine one of the arguments they used is that video game lootboxes need "skill" therefore not gambling. So it is the same logic.
Sorry. Not sorry. Lmfao
@@billylee4460 this was supposed to be a joke and poke fun at the UK, I dunno why people are taking this so seriously...
This sounds like BS. Politicians just love to bring up the kids when making laws, but all of a sudden forget the children? Who is getting money sent to their bank account?
No One.
There is a Problem with Our Law that is Preventing the Gambling Commission from Doing its Job, You see, the Gambling Commission is *Not Allowed* to Change or Make Legislation, only Parliament has that Power. The Commission can only *Enforce* the Legislature made by Parliament.
The Current UK Gambling act was Written back in 1968, and contains a Loophole made for Trading Cards that Lootboxes currently fall into.
The Gambling Commission ITSELF wants to BAN Lootboxes, but currently cannot do so because they are Legal under the Current Legislation. In Short, there is *nothing* they can do Unless/ Until Parliament Re-Writes the Gambling act So Lootboxes no longer fall into the Trading Cards Loophole!
The problem wasn't that it was illegal(companies will always skirt the line of what is legally allowed), it's that it is unethical. The gambling commissions "findings" don't change anything.
“My refund request via Google Play was automatically rejected” 8:30
Compare to Nintendo which gave a full refund for a similar issue.
I love how these scumbags think they are above refunds until people want to punish them directly with a lawsuit.
@@sebas8225 true. If ya try to sue them, they will refund you cause the refund is cheaper than the law suit
because it is stated in the game Terms of Service that once IAPs are consumed, you can no longer refund them. i worked for a gaming company for several years and people usually ask for a refund because they spent few hundred bucks and they never got the virtual thing that they wanted. there are a few more absurd reasons though but it's generally being declined due to ToS. as long as you still have the virtual currencies and items untouched, you can generally get them refunded (at least on our game).
do what a lot of people do and just chargeback. you get your money back and keep the IAPs. however, there are companies who keep tabs on these and your account might get suspended for it.
I have no words.
I have one, "Bribery"
How about American companies being shit and it's America's fault
MERCENARIE GUY All multinational corporations are the same TBH. They all "lube" government officials. Also I won't be surprised if BBC will white knight lootboxes if EA and the others will nudge the government in right direction successfully.
MERCENARIE GUY Something wrong bud?
Why are people still buying ea games tho. Ea is wrong and all, but why even buy the games.
Casual gamers buy their games. Specifically, their Star Wars games.
I blame children and casuals.
A ton of people buy fifa every year. I pressume many americans buy american football games ever year too.
Kei Kurono Actually, as far as I know the NFL Madden series and similar football games get very little recognition these days. FIFA is the one I see alongside the games I'm shopping for (I'm not a sports game guy. RPGs and platformers are more my shtick) rather than any football titles. FIFA is big here in the states as well.
Addiction, casual players, consumers that are uneducated about content or new stories.
Things like that.
To misquote Morty from Rick and Morty. "It's just gambling with extra steps."
If they can rebrand their loot boxes as surprise mechanics, then the UK should rebrand the definition of gambing.
With how much EA is making over FIFA every year bribing officials is as easy as luring kids to buy ultimate FIFA packs
We can do our part by not buying EA games. Sadly casual normies will still shill out cash.
Let them, if EA kill off their own whales. The less life support EA has. It'll take more time. all we can do is wait. The bubble will burst and when that day comes, we'll celebrate the momentous occasion.
Sorry, casual normie here and I still ain’t buying any triple a games lol. Only one I did play was hearthstone, but now that blizzard is taken over I left the game before the loot boxes got too bad lol
Other games: Rated Teen: Contains simulated gambling.
Fifa games: Rated Everyone: Contains actual gambling.
So it's not gambling if you don't stand to win anything?
Maybe we need a new name for these types of microtransactions, like Scams.
If this were a drama, EA would've bribed the UK gambling commission with large portions of the money they reaped from these surprise mechanics. 😃 I wonder...
It's not bribery. It's surprise mind-changing!
Oh wow! I'm shocked that literally nothing happened to loot boxes which are 100% gambling. Simply shocked!
And they expect us to vote. Theres simply no democracy all the fk same people behind.
Funny how they try so hard to keep lootboxes and card packs but put in less than half of that effort into making actually good games
Powerful enough to take citizen's money
Not powerful enough to change laws
:o
Must've been quite the bribe!
It’s simple, don’t buy their games. For now on I know I won’t be buying their games. Hell, I haven’t played an EA game since Mass Effect 3.
It's not enough
People are still going to buy Maden, NFL and Fifa.
We are saying this for years, EA still strong and profitable.
If it was that simple..... the market adapt to these things and the games they release are less and less good and more predatory. Less good morality games in the bunch less games to play.
was playing mass effect for hours last night trying to remember what good games were like
Bruh this shit was literally an episode of south park😂
They see through our charade...
Hot Coffee Mod:
Someone modded this interaction in games, "tHiS nEeDs tO bE rEgUlAtEd!" and "tHiNk oF tHe cHiLdReN!"
GTA:SA is threatened with AO rating, even on consoles.
Lootboxes:
Predatory monetization techniques with documented impact. "Well, _technically_ ...." and "there isn't anything wrong here"
alrightythen
But the Hot Coffee was inside the game disc and violated the ESBR ruling on hidden content.
Another win for the AAA gaming industry.
At this point I'm starting to suspect that there's corruption involved.
Mehh ill continue to pirate the shit out of em.
There are over 100k bribes involved lets be honests here.
Lol at this point it's guaranteed not just suspicion.
@@PureFuckingMetal6632 yarr a pirate's life for thee!
YoU dOn'T SaY
its the addiction thats the problem. it doesn't matter that they cant cash out, the issue is children are developing addictive habits
Also, what they missed out was THE REASON WHY there was legislation for gambling in the first place.
Because of uncontrolled spending.
EA brilliantly managed to hide the real problem using their "ethical, surprise mechanics" nonsense.
It's not that the loot boxes itself is the problem, it's the uncontrolled spending.
Almost 1 mil subs.
Keep up the good work, Yong.
He really does to good work. He deserves the view count.
I do really like Yong, and he actually cares about the stuff, he does in his vids. (at least I feel from this voice and speech, mannerisms, ect).
i've just realised lootboxes uses the same loophole as pachinko in japan: it's legal coz officially you can't get money from it
Only Pachinko is starting to spiral downwards now.
@@ShadowWolfRising In what sense? If towards actual gambling... well the back channels used by the mafia already allowed for money returns. If you mean they're loosing customers, or are dealing with legal repercussions, then I'd be glad to learn that.
@@LucilleHe This Generation for the most part doesn't care for it, that's all.
And those who do are old and thus dying off.
People are losing interest (Which in retrospect, might be partly due to, ironically enough, Microtransactions and lootboxes in mobile games granted that is merely conjecture on my part.).
Luckily The UK commission isn’t what we base the us law on and the rest of Europe may be against it as well
@@venmen523 He's talking about the EU, not US...
Just so we are clear. The Commission doesn't have the authority to keep the UK government from passing legislation or making an amendment to already existing legislation. The job of the commission is to enforce the laws. They don't have the power to make or change laws.
Its essentially like an american judge, or series of judges, making a verbal declaration?
@@scoopstacey3112 Yes. They are basically saying their hands are tied with the current legislation so if you want something done you need to amend the current legislation or come up with a new one, then we can do something about it.
Makes me concerned how it’ll be handled here in the US.
probably worse because we're corporate oligarchy land.
US: the land of lobbyist.
Although i hope that Hawaiian guy that first took action against Microtransactions in US govn, speaks against them again.
My question is if It's not gambling... what is it then?
You buy a meal at a restaurant ask the waiter for additional benefits with expectation the waiter will receive a tip at the end.
So let's exsamine the tip laws and let the politicians know they should tax the heck out of reoccurring microtransactions. I mean there are crazy entertainment taxes in Chicago. So local city governments could access this extra money too. It's not predatory to tax player choice, because people don't have to tip.
My countries government: [Doesn't call loot boxes gambling]
Me: "I'm so dissappointed in this community."