What is better: Lootboxes with the ability to buy everything (via earnable currency) or skins/content only available via purchase

[Chairmanchuck (另一个我)]

As the Overwatch 2 thread showed, apparently Blizz might be thinking of adding "Mythic Skins" that might be 45$ and the only way to get them is buying those.

I personally dislike that. I would rather buy the game for 40-50$ and have the "old" system back as in you can get Lootboxes but you can also get coins and after playing enough (and it isnt too much grind) you can just buy the skins you want with the ingame currency (outside of those Overwatch league skins).

With OW2 I can feel, since it will be F2P, they most likely need to have the income via BP sales, exclusive paid skins etc.
Personally this feels far worse to me than buying the game once, then being able to get 99% of the content by playing.
If I now really would want a skin or some sort of content I have to shell out the equivalent of a full price game or half of that at least.

 

[Dr. Mario]

Purchase only, it necessitates a "fair price".

 

[MidnightEquinox]

I feel lootboxes are inherently predatory and should be made illegal everywhere.

I don't like all this mixed stuff, personally. It makes everything more complicated and makes games feel more... well, gamey.

The ship has sailed at this point but I'd rather there were extra purchasable cosmetic things for money, or full-unlock modes for money, and leave it at that.

The prices for things can at times get really high, though, and I don't know what's up with that besides the fact that people pay it. *shrugs*

 

[KillstealWolf]

Neither are really great, but force me to pick one, I like the Lootboxes model a little bit more if only because there's a chance you can get something cool without spending anything. But I imagine the grind wheel can be obnoxiously bad. Espicially if there is some specific skin that you want and it has absurdly low drop rates to encourage spending a lot of money.

Of course, on the flip side, if you do have skins hitting the $20-40 prices (Which is depressingly become COMMON now in F2P games.) that's something that turns me off instantly too.

I think I'd rather just spend a $60 upfront for a lot of content in a game over the absurd prices some of the skins F2P games can be going for.

Edit: In Hindsight, I'm thinking specifically overwatch here which eventually became fairly generous with it's systems, if you expand it to the full blown Gacha of other games, then yeah, I'd probably have buy what you want (Which is often nothing due to their cost.)

 

[DontHateTheBacon]

Sign me up for lootboxes with earnable currency that can buy the things individually that come out of the lootboxes once you earn enough.

 

[UltimateHigh]

if the purchase option is overpriced then both are insanely trash.

trash anyways.

 

[MadLaughter]

If I can't earn the vast, vast majority (or all) of the stuff in the game just by playing(like OW1), then your game is bullshit.

 

[Deimos]

I'll always choose the option to earn items with in-game currency over cash shop exclusives, even if that comes with lootboxes.

 

[Launchpad]

You should be able to buy everything but nothing should cost 45 fucking dollars

 

[Budi]

Problem isn't giving out randomized rewards. Problem is selling randomized rewards. Transparency is important, that people know what exactly they are paying for and how much. Direct skin purchases are better than gambling. Selling skins for real money doesn't prevent selling skins for earnable in-game currency too.

 

[Mad_Rhetoric]

Purchase only, so I know what i'm getting. No randomness.

 

[Exposure]

Give me the latter any day because I can't be the only one who like

actually believed in all the various problems people had with lootboxes without it being a "I need some reason to say EA sucks today" thing, right?

 

[Allietraa]

Lootboxes are fun if they're free and have decent "bad luck protection". They're trash when they're paid and buying things directly is better almost 100% of the time. The people speaking fondly of OW lootboxes do so because they played enough to unlock everything for free and didnt get ensnared in the monetized aspect of it. No one is sitting here thinking "oh shit I wish I could buy $100 of lootboxes so I have enough credits to buy this new skin instead of just spending $20 on it".

 

[trashbandit]

I don't have a problem with lootboxes conceptually, but when they are hooked up to real-money systems they're obviously a problem for some people's personalities. Personally, I've never felt a need to spend money on lootboxes so I prefer being able to earn in-game currency and get cosmetics that way over dropping money directly. I don't see why you couldn't do both though; let people buy what they want directly at a premium, and anyone that doesn't want to can just roll the dice with in-game currency earned through play.

 

[Cort]

Fuck loot boxes and their predatory behavior.

 

[VeryBerryPunch]

I'd prefer direct buying over lootboxes because lootboxes don't always come with earnable currency, those are two different systems

Devs and pubs could have earned currency with the option of direct purchases if they wanted to

 

[onpoint]

I'd prefer direct purchase of in game cosmetics

But honestly I just avoid games that use this practice in general and it's easier

 

[HStallion]

Neither but I'm a fossil who wants an entire expansion pack full of content for that kind of money. So generally I just avoid these types of games in general or just use the basic stuff that comes with the base game.

 

[Kei-]

Why someone would rather pay for a chance at something is beyond me. Lootboxes are a grift and it's unfortunate that they are so accepted by many. If two peopple want the same thing, it's absolutel gross that Pweaon A can spend the cost of 1 lootbox and get it vs Person B buying 10+ and possibly never getting it. Who cares if Person B gets a bunch of random junk they don't care about?

 

[_Aaron_]

both evil and unacceptable

 

[Shadow Dancer]

Lootboxes

 

[Rosebud]

Lootboxes if you can't get repeats, otherwise they're useless

 

[spineduke]

Eh, neither. It's a false dilemma.

There's no need to have $45 skins, nor lootboxes. There are plenty games that manage neither.

 

[Ra]

Let people buy exactly what they want at a fair price, while also offering the ability to purchase the exact things through in-game currency.

Lootboxes are a 100% trash way to dole out rewards.

 

[SimplyComplex]

Definitely purchase only.

Although I do like the Destiny 2 way of allowing you to earn Eververse Engrams (basically a loot box) just by playing the game. I've gotten a few cosmetics I never would've bought through those without paying.

 

[Jimnymebob]

The people speaking fondly of OW lootboxes do so because they played enough to unlock everything for free and didnt get ensnared in the monetized aspect of it.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, that's me. I played a lot of the game, and earned a lot of loot boxes/got a lot of cosmetics purely from playing the game, which is kind of the ideal scenario for me.

CTR NF had a similar system, although that was paid currency as opposed to loot boxes, but again, it was completely ignorable if you actually played the game.

 

[Scuffed]

Skins and armor in games was always a flex. These days you just buy the cool shit. I caring less and less about how I look in a game where all the cool stuff is in a shop.

I started playing D3 again after Immortal turned out to be dogshit and it was so refreshing to earn cool gear through play. I had just stopped playing the recent season of PoE and despite going further into endgame than I ever have before my character still looked like shit. I have cosmetics but they just don't do it for me as much anymore. I've determined that store skins are trash and I'm never going to buy them again.

I'll only wear stuff that can be acquired through play, achievements or other ways. Just straight up buying a skin is meh. I see expensive skins in games and I have no envy or want for them I just think that person spent a lot of money.

 

[Rosebud]

Let people buy exactly what they want at a fair price, while also offering the ability to purchase the exact things through in-game currency.

Lootboxes are a 100% trash way to dole out rewards.

Click to shrink...

Problem is the "fair price", skins these days are $15+ with no ability to earn playing

 

[PinkSpider]

Personally the Apex model works (I bought all the black skins using in game currency). I'm a goth alright and I've unlocked all the characters I want for free.

Saying that I can recognise it's predatory and can fuck people over so I'd maybe like the option of both and think gambling should come with an 18+ thing maybe.

 

[Stowaway Silfer]

These skins in these games are getting expensive but I dislike the idea of them less than I do the randomness of lootboxes.

 

[hydruxo]

Lootboxes that you could grind for without paying any money are fine. I liked that lootboxes in OW1 were easily grindable if you just play the game regularly. If you're patient it wasn't too bad. I got most of what I wanted without ever paying a dime. That said, the gambling paid aspect of lootboxes suck for obvious reasons if you're someone who gets roped up in it.

I wouldn't mind F2P with paid skins if the prices for skins weren't so inflated. No skin should ever cost more than 10 bucks tops, and $45 is insanity. Just because other popular games sell their skins for a lot doesn't mean it's ok. I used to play Apex a lot and seeing the prices for the skins always cracked me up because they're so ridiculously priced. Would never even consider paying that much for a skin.

 

[IMCaprica]

Having things only available via purchase is unquestionably better. It's a lot less likely to trigger a compulsion to spend lots of money, so already it's the better option. Even if things are overpriced, so what? That's not as big of a problem for players as it is for the publisher (when most people don't buy any of it). Let these companies be the ones burdened with financial risk.

 

[JayCB64]

Honestly the latter fucking sucks and guarantees that I'll basically never get any additional stuff in a free to play game. There are obviously problems with lootboxes which need to be ironed out, but I've played Overwatch for 5-6 years now and had almost everything I wanted in each event without spending a dime thanks to a combination of leveling up for boxes and earning currency, so that system is infinitely more appealing to me than me spending 20-30 quid a month on a few cosmetics.

 

[Rosebud]

Having things only available via purchase is unquestionably better. It's a lot less likely to trigger a compulsion to spend lots of money, so already it's the better option. Even if things are overpriced, so what? That's not as big of a problem for players as it is for the publisher (when most people don't buy any of it). Let these companies be the ones burdened with financial risk.

Click to shrink...

If people didn't bought them games wouldn't go F2P so easily

Personally I have an unhealthy compulsion with this, much more than gachas (that I can earn currency playing and so never spend a dime)

 

[Risev]

OW1's module was extremely consumer friendly compared to how everything else (including OW2) is being monetized nowadays.

 

[TaySan]

No loot boxes i want to know everything that I'm buying from the get-go. As long as it's reasonably priced

 

[Brat-Sampson]

Lootboxes are manipulative trash that encourages overspending in vulnerable people, and $40+ skins are... an absolute fucking joke.

They should make a game that's fun enough to be of value to people, sell it, and have unlockable costumes.

Maybe release themed costume packs at like $10 for a full set.

 

[Hardvlade]

To this day I'd argue that Halo 5 REQ packs was one of the better systems.

You could earn everything by playing, no repeats on permanent unlocks. If you got all of the permanent unlocks from a tier you'd get a refund on the pack. You could get a free pack by logging in daily from any device phone/computer etc

and no battle/season pass, I'm tired of passes. I'd take loot boxes that can be earned

 

[ImaPlayThis]

We need a poll!!! I don't like either option frankly, one option is to basically gamble and be predatory or grind for literal years in some cases or get nickle and dimed over every option. No matter whats chosen everyone loses

 

[Exposure]

please don't tell me someone's actually going die on the hill of "well see gacha games are actually more generous-" in this thread

like

like at most I think there could maybe sorta kinda if you squint be a couple games that are kinda close but also anything remotely popular I can think of is obviously not???

every time that happens they keep going for examples like Genshin in these threads and I'm just like "how much time have you spent on that game because I feel like you're drastically overestimating how much time the average person is actually willing to spend on a game before hitting that point of should I pay or should I leave"

 

[MidnightEquinox]

This crap is why some people are terrified of F2P games, lol

 

[Rosebud]

please don't tell me someone's actually going die on the hill of "well see gacha games are actually more generous-" in this thread

like

like at most I think there could maybe sorta kinda if you squint be a couple games that are kinda close but also anything remotely popular I can think of is obviously not???

every time that happens they keep going for examples like Genshin in these threads and I'm just like "how much time have you spent on that game because I feel like you're drastically overestimating how much time the average person is actually willing to spend on a game before hitting that point of should I pay or should I leave"

Click to shrink...

Depends on the game? Fortnite you literally can't earn anything without paying (outside of some thematic things in challenges here and there I guess), and Epic just changed Fall Guys to the same model

Fwiw I avoid Genshin like a plague because I have a real issue with money/mtxs and some of those characters look great to me

 

[LossAversion]

Lootboxes are garbage. Paid cosmetics are fine. Except they're absurdly overpriced more often than not AND games with them will STILL pack in lootboxes, battle passes, etc. So it's not like you're getting a good trade or anything.

 

[DoctorPlayer MD]

Purchase only. Reward randomization is the worst. You get lucky one time in 50 attempts, and keep going for a chance to get lucky again.

If everything is for sale, you just buy whatever you really want and ignore the rest.

 

[Spinluck]

I mean, OW1s is light-years better than any model out there. But it was a premium priced game that ALSO could not keep up with the current shift in the multiplayer space. It was the last of a dying bread.

I get the dismay with loot boxes but OW1 literally forced its cosmetics and loot boxes down your throat if you played it enough. Which honestly didn't require much time.

OW loot boxes also gave you in-game currency you can use to buy what you wanted.

 

[sph3re]

It's certainly an interesting dichotomy.

On the one hand, tying everything to in-game currency nearly guarantees that you'll be playing that game for longer to pay for the content that you want. If there's no method to buy lootboxes or in-game currency with real money and you really like that game and really want that content, then you're effectively playing a skinner box, a game with seemingly infinite content (provided they keep updating the game with content) where you'll never fully unlock everything, that exists solely for you to unlock things. Sure, you're not losing money, but you're bound to lose tens, hundreds, maybe even thousands of hours to it if it's a game you like.

So that's not great. But on the other hand, giving players the option to purchase content opens up a whole other can of worms. You can take a shortcut by spending money, but I would hazard a guess and say that most people don't stop at just one microtransaction. Or conversely, maybe most people do stop at just one microtransaction and there are a handful of people who spend the cost of a full-priced game five times over on microtransactions, which I would want to see eliminated at all costs.

Neither is great. I don't know which I'd pick. One is terrible for your mental health, the other is terrible for your finances.

 

[Scuffed]

FOMO is the problem and what creates the compulsion to spend. So if the expensive skin is limited time then it's just as toxic and maybe even more so than a lootbox with skins you can always acquire. Obviously a lootcrate with limited time skins is the worst of all.

 

[kimbaka]

I'd take any option that allows me to get everything via earnable currency in game. I would never spend money on skins, especially in an FPS like Overwatch where you only see your character's hands and weapons most of the time.

 

[MidnightEquinox]

FOMO is the worst.

 

[DiceHands]

earnable currency all day