If you’re a gamer over 20 you’ve already seen a few large-scale changes in the video game industry. The console wars have come and gone, couch co-op seems all but extinct and live-service products have risen to dominate an industry saturated with products begging for your time and attention. But these live-service games and their techniques, while prolific, might not be as popular as their commonality suggests. In this article, we will examine three salient techniques that modern video game developers employ, including loot boxes, which work great for the business of selling games, but are they really techniques that gamers enjoy?
Loot boxes
Loot boxes function by getting people excited about what rewards they might win when they open them. It doesn’t take a genius to see that this technique is very similar to the way that some casino games on platforms like Betway work. For better or worse this technique is no longer used solely by the casino industry and platforms like Betway where people who understand the risks can go to gamble. Loot boxes could now almost be considered a typical feature of many modern games.
While there is nothing inherently wrong with this, loot boxes do provide a very easy avenue for game developers to get players to continue to spend money on their games. Games such as Apex Legends, FIFA and Dota 2 have utilised loot boxes over their lifespan to generate large amounts of excess revenue and keep players engaged. While the player always receives something, the most likely items they will get are of little value, but there is the chance to receive very rare and valuable skins or in-game items. This is essentially the same way that many casino games such as slot machines on platforms like Betway work, the player spins the wheel and hopes for a good result.
There are several parts of the world where this loot box technique has received criticism and been at the centre of some controversy. For example, as of this week, games with loot boxes in them have been given a higher rating in Australia, positioning them as being playable only by adults due to ‘simulated gambling’. This follows a trend of governments becoming concerned about the use of these techniques more ubiquitously in games meant for children.
Player retention techniques
Another technique that was perfected by casino platforms like Betway and is now a staple of the video game industry is offering daily logins. By offering players small rewards for daily log-ins and regular playing, developers have found that players are more likely to remain active for longer. Often in video games, these rewards are things like experience points or in-game currency.
These player retention techniques, while well-used across a broad swathe of different games, see the most use by more arcade-like titles. Games such as Fortnite and Clash Royale in particular are well known for daily rewards. This technique is designed to play on a concept known as loss aversion and works the same way in video games as it does on casino platforms like Betway. In essence, players will feel like they are missing out on something valuable if they don’t log in, even if the virtual reward is worth very little.
The live-service model
One of the newer mores that has arisen in the video game culture is the existence of live-service games. These shouldn’t be confused with subscription services, of which the gaming world has many, such as PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass, but they are similar. A live service game is one in which the initial cost of the game isn’t the only one that players are expected to pay. Over time more content will be added to the game and in turn the players are expected to make purchases in support of this content.
On paper, this seems like a good deal, but while some game devs have done an excellent job of providing a fleshed-out service that evolves and gives players new reasons to return and play more, and in turn spend more money, other devs have not been so successful. Many game devs have chosen to fund their live-service model with in-game cosmetic rewards and battle-pass events, which sometimes contain loot boxes and other casino elements such as you might find on a platform like Betway.
Conclusion
These three techniques might have a large amount of saturation in the video game industry, but it seems that many gamers would rather do without them. While there are many success stories of games that have used these techniques, like Apex Legends, there are just as many or more stories of failure, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League for example. The answer to whether or not techniques borrowed from gambling platforms like Betway belong in the gaming industry is likely more nuanced than a simple yes or no, it is more likely that they have their place, but not every game can be served by their addition. It will be up to gamers to decide with their wallets if they are happy to accept the use of these techniques or if they yearn for the simpler, more linear days of gaming.