Loot Boxes: Difference between revisions

'''Loot Boxes''' (aka "Loot Crates", "Prize Crates", and many other names) are consumable items that contains virtual prizes, like [[Cosmetic Award|skins]], in-game currency, weapons, and armor. Their contents are usually randomly selected from items sorted into tiers of frequency -- the usual scale is Common (most frequently seen), Uncommon (less so), Rare (hard to find) and Very Rare (almost impossible) -- with what is expected to be a value to the player corresponding to their rarities.

 

 

Further, the contents of Loot Boxes may be [[Color Coded for Your Convenience|color-coded]] or otherwise styled to distinguish them from similar items that may be acquired through normal play through [[Random Drop|drops]] or quest completions. The intent here is to mark the box loot as "special" and/or more "elite" than its pedestrian counterparts that any schlub can acquire just by going through game content. Some loot -- usually of the higher rarities and often granting near game-breaking advantages and bonuses (or just offering [[Bragging Rights Reward|bragging rights]]) -- may even be ''exclusive'' to the Loot Box system, with the intent of driving more players to use it. Sometimes loot box contents are tradeable or can be sold for in-game currency, but in many cases they are "locked" to the player or character who acquired them.

However, this game mechanic is not without controversy. No small number of gamers hate Loot Boxes because they feel the mechanic detracts from game play. They argue, with some justification, that making Loot Boxes (or the means to unlock them) a cash commodity turns a game from roleplaying into [[Pay to Win]], especially when boxes contain exclusive rewards that outrank those acquired in normal play. Players with money to spend focus their effort on [[Munchkin|buying boxes to collect ever-more-powerful rare items to gain an advantage over other players]], leaving those who cannot or do not want to invest money in Loot Boxes. Even when the boxes do not provide exclusive and overpowered items, the race to buy one's way to the best equipment can turn into the ''raison d'etre'' for playing the game, rather than the game content itself.

 

 

Then there are the legal issues raised during 2018 and 2019 -- loot boxes came under fire in multiple jurisdictions like Belgium, which have designated them as gambling, placing them alongside online casinos in terms of regulation, and Japan, where the ''kompu gacha'' loot boxes are banned outright by the Consumer Affairs Agency. Questions were raised not only about circumventing gambling regulations but also the effect of random reward systems on personalities already prone to addictive behaviors. Then there were concerns about a growing underground market for selling loot from boxes for real money at often exorbitant prices, driven by the legally-grey "gold miner" industry based out of the far east.

* The in-game store of ''[[Middle Earth: Shadow of War]]'' is called the Market, where gamers can purchase loot boxes; they can use the in-game currency, Mirian, with real money or actual microtransactions. But special chests requires gold, the rarest in-game currency - which can be bought with real money.

* ''[[Mass Effect: Andromeda]]''{{'}}s loot boxes are rewarded for completing strike team missions; they can be claimed in the Strike Team Console or in the Militia Office.

 

=== [[First Person Shooter]] ===

* ''[[Counter-Strike]]''{{'}}s Weapon Cases drop right after a gamer completes a game round, buying a key from the tie-in game store, or buying from some guy selling it in the Steam Markets. Since keys are needed to unlock the cases.

* ''[[Team Fortress 2]]''{{'}}s loot box system is similar to CSGO, they randomly drop and needs keys to open them (Which can be bought from the Mann.Co store, using the Steam Market to buy it from a seller, or a fan trusted site, like Scrap.TF).

* ''[[Battlefield 1]]'' and ''[[Battlefield Hardline]]''{{'}}s Battlepacks are obtained by finishing specific objectives, just buying in-game currency to buy the loot boxes, or reward progression.

* Some of ''[[Call of Duty: Black Ops 3]]''{{'}}s loot boxes, that are called Mystery Boxes, can spawn in various locations.

 

=== [[Fighting Game]]s ===

* In ''[[Phantasy Star Online 2]]'', the scratch cards are like loot boxes with their randomness, their selections of three choices, and their dropping during certain events. Most of the cosmetics can also be bought with real money.

 

* ''[[RuneScape]]''{{'}}s daily mini-game, Treasure Hunter, offers five crates where the gamer has to choose one but they need a key to unlock, which can be obtain by drops or can be bought in groups with real money.

* ''[[City of Heroes]]''/''[[City of Villains]]'' has never had anything along the order of in-universe Loot Boxes, but toward the end of their original run a "Booster Pack" mechanism was added to the game. Players could buy booster packs with real-world cash or merits, and each would give five random drops ranging from common salvage to ultra-rare enhancements and recipes. With the revival of ''COH'' in a non-profit form in 2019, boosters became available for in-game currencies only.

* ''[[Paladins (video game)|Paladins]]'' has the Treasure Chests can be earned by doing certain quests. To open them the gamer needs Crystals, the in-game currency, which can be obtained by microtransactions, buying the Battle or Season Passes, buying them straight from the store, redeeming codes, doing special quests, daily logins, and Refer-A-Friend.

* ''[[Dota 2]]''{{'}}s Treasures can be purchased through the ''DOTA 2'' store, using charms, or waiting for item drops.

 

=== [[Sports Game]]s ===

* Many of EA's recent sports titles fall under this, including the aforementioned ''FIFA''.

* Before it was replaced with a more ethical system, ''[[Rocket League]]'' has crates that can be unlocked by using keys, which can be obtained either by buying from the marketplace or by trade.

 

=== [[Strategy Game]]s ===

 

== Non-[[Video Game]] Examples ==

* ''[[Recovery of an MMO Junkie]]'' has a scene where a party goes to loot boxes where the main character buys web money until she gets what she wants rather than being lucky.

 

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