Meet The 19-Year-Old Who Spent Over $10,000 On Microtransactions

Kotaku's Ethan Gach writes: At the height of the controversy surrounding microtransactions in Star Wars Battlefront II, a Reddit user who goes by the name Kensgold posted an open letter to publisher EA and other developers in the video game industry. “I am 19 and addicted to gambling,” he wrote. Kensgold wasn’t talking about roulette tables or online poker. He was talking about spending over $10,000 on in-game purchases over the last several years.

[UltraNova]

I've read an interview somewhere that mentioned the term 'whale' was pinned down by devs to describe gamers who spend hundreds/thousands of dollars in games.

Am I the only one who finds this disturbing? They now give names to clearly addicted people and consider them huge free money-giving animals.

Frankly, I m disgusted and appalled. Never again EA and the like.

[UCForce]

Yeah, I find this is disturbing to be honest.

[Gazondaily]

It's his money brehs!

[showtimefolks]

septic

it's his money you are right but he is also part of this problem. it's gamers like him who publishers call sharks who end up spending thousands and our future games get MT

so yes while it's his money but the things he is doing with that money directly affect us

[Jamesx82x]

@ Septic

Yes its his money but you obviously have no idea or just dont care what a gambling addiction can do. Its no different that drugs or other addictions he cant control spending the money and those are the people these Game Publishers like EA, Activision, and the like target. The so called "whales".

Yes people need to be more responsible but at the same time that doesnt let people that target them off the hook.

Kids who take steroids in highschool to try to improve their strength and conditioning for sports should be more responsible but dont we also blame the dealers?

[Godmars290]

@Septic:
It maybe his money, but:

1) It is still the enabling and exploitation of additive traits.
2) Effecting everyone else the more the game industry tailors to what is amoral behavior.

FFS, this is the exact mentality that had cigarette makers advertise to kids and created a legal sub-industry that factors in deaths and birth defects into things like product recalls.

"Its going to costs us 20 million to retool car production because of this safety fault, but only 4 million to cover annual legal fees from an estimated four accidents. Let's put profits over being responsible."

Really hope you're not being serious.

[Ducky]

@Godmars290 "1) It is still the enabling and exploitation of additive traits. "

Role-playing games tend to make it easy to level up in the beginning and then it progressively takes longer and longer. This is a way of exploiting people with addictive traits, and other games use other techniques to hook people into playing their games for longer. Some people unfortunately end up ruining their lives.

Are we going to start regulating game design because of video game addiction?

[Christopher]

Lol... Ducky, are you serious? You're comparing the reduction in advancement in a game that promotes longer playtime with no financial impact on anyone to designed business strategies aimed at exploiting gambling tendencies for profit and continues movement towards such things to encourage people to spend more money over longer periods of time.

Seriously, talk about a really shitty apologist argument there that has nothing to do with microtransactions as a business model.

Oh, and by the way, the reasons RPG video games are designed to accelerate growth early on is to introduce various abilities to the user to develop how they want to play rather than having them wait an hour just to use and learn a new ability. By a certain point the user has enough tools at their disposal and the rest of the time is spent specializing and customizing in those skills. This goes back to classic pen and paper design.

[mikeslemonade]

My friend who is 28 spent more than 10k on overwatch, fire emblem mobile, and hearthstone. Maybe close to 20k now. And his salary is only like 45k lol

[Godmars290]

@Ducky:
The difference being between design happenstance that requires or builds to level grinding, a cash meter has been added and game has specifically been designed to give up real money for a "quick fix" while old style grinding is made even more tedious. Its direct manipulation and purpose.

[rainslacker]

@Septic

No one is disputing it's his money. The top the OP brought up is that there are those in the industry that exploit those who spend a lot of money, regardless of it it's morally or ethically proper to do so. They bank on the small portion of the market, and go so far to classify a even smaller segment of that group that obviously have restraint issues.

[RacerX]

Gentlemen, set your eyes on the fools that are feeding the Microstansacrion machine.

A fool and his money are easily parted.

[Ducky]

@Christopher
Godmars made the argument that microtransactions were bad because they exploit an addictive trait.
I disagreed with that specific argument, because if this guy - who's lost over 10k because of addiction - is a reason to take action on microtransactions (regulation, etc), then similarly the people who lose their youth (or worse) because of videogame addiction are a reason to take similar action.
I'm not defending microtransactions, I am disagreeing with a specific comment.

Your response makes it seem like you are fine with exploitative strategies as long as there is no financial impact. So if someone with addictive traits falls victim to a game by playing for long periods while neglecting their own health, that is fine? There's the extreme cases of deaths caused by people neglecting their own health or the health of their children, because of video game addiction. Should that be ignored while focusing on people that fall victim to microtransactions, just because the latter had a financial impact?

I wasn't clear about my RPG comment, I meant that the overall leveling system is used as a way to exploit addictive traits. Or else, why does a game like Call of Duty have a leveling and prestige system?
This is a business strategy, just like microtransactions, because these companies are competing for your time, not just money. In some cases the two are directly linked, such as subscription-based games.

@Godmars290
I agree that it is wrong to have a leveling system with a paid option to circumvent it.
However, your previous comment was about exploiting addictive traits, and I think that has consequences that affect more than just microtransactions. Both the the 'grind meter' and 'cash meter' are something that people with addictive traits risk falling victim to. My question is, if we want to protect people with addictive traits, won't we have to do something about both meters?

I don't think that grinding is just a coincidence. Pretty much every game's online component has a leveling system nowadays, while even single-player games often have trophies/achievements that require doing some repetitive task for a prolonged period of time. Are these systems not exploiting addictive traits?

[DarXyde]

Septic,

It's increasingly apparent that EA is taking advantage of this. Rather than seeing this and trying to follow up or contact platform holders to freeze network activity, they allowed this to get this bad. The game hasn't been out long. If you're not seeing this as red flag behavior, you're hopeless.

The truth is, they do not care and it's so sad. I will never support EA again. This is just predatory and enabling.

Gaming needs to nip this in the bud asap. Lives are being ruined, but you turn a blind eye because profits.

[Godmars290]

@Ducky:
Its not about "protecting" people who are especially vulnerable to this kind of thing, but more about keeping this kind of manipulation from becoming standard.

We've already faced - and lost - to the BS of single player AAA gaming being passe for not being as exploitable as multi, but now the likes of EA and Activision want to retool the whole of the industry to where a $60 game can rake in hundreds if not thousands more from a small minority of the audience.

[Christopher]

***So if someone with addictive traits falls victim to a game by playing for long periods while neglecting their own health, that is fine?***

You're conflating user choice in continuing to play with business decisions to prey on gambling tendencies. Games even developed methods to tell gamers to take breaks.

These are two vastly different issues where one is about providing long term gaming for those who still it but it's mismanaged by some gamers. There other is about designing purposefully to prey on the bad habits of gamers.

that tend to have these extended gameplay scenarios don't want you to finish the content quickly or to invest too much time into it by design (they even limit content by number of times a day or week).

So, at best, you're using a really poor straw man argument that has nothing to do with the topic at hand.

[thorstein]

Casinos give away free nights at their hotels and free meals to guests out of the goodness of their hearts.

They would never call these people whales... oh... wait...

EDIT: BTW You just met the person that has spent $0.00 on Microtransactions over the years.

[sprinterboy]

I remember spending £20 on ps home furniture for my apartment which I spent pretty much zero hrs in, even though I enjoyed home. Still don't know why I spent the money lol, hangs head in shame.

[bloop]

"Casinos give away free nights at their hotels and free meals to guests......"

Throw 20 grand at SW:BFII and see if EA put you up in a swanky hotel with free meals.

[Old McGroin]

Getting back in the console game soon, what I've been reading about EA over the past few months is sickening and enough to make me never buy one of their games in future.

[TheVetOfGaming]

That's what we all need to do. The UFC beta is full of their shady practice so I'll be buying it used.

[mochachino]

Yeah, me too, just going to play Fifa and NBA2k18.

oh wait.

[Thomaticus]

EA ruined sports games, they're ruining all games with Micro-transactions and they're trying to ruin single player games. At this point they are completely bad for the industry.

[PygmelionHunter]

@mochachino

NBA 2K18 isn't even made by EA lol

[OffRoadKing]

Vegas casinos have been referring to high rollers as "whales" for years now.

[CrimsonWing69]

It’s a stock market term, too. Watch the Boiler Room.

[Chumdiddy]

Whale is a gambling term/slang for exactly that. Casinos call repeat, high spending customers "whales".

For devs to use the term wrt a game and its users, it tells you all you need to know about what it is.

[mochachino]

The name is not meant to be offensive, it derives from Casinos and is used to identify a person who is known to be very rich and spend a lot of money. If Marc Cuban was known to love videogames and when to Gamestop he's be considered a whale. Same probably goes for Drake going to a club. They coined the terms to let customer service know they were very important (big) customers and should received very special treatment throughout their stay in the Casino with the best rooms, service, food, etc.

[agent4532]

True, sadly whale gamers don't get anything in return. No free hotel nights, no free meals, no tour of the gaming facilities, no E3 pass, etc. They just get a kick in the nuts enriching say gaming corporations in the process. ....

[fathertime4464]

@ultranova
"Whale" is a term that's been around for decades in the gambling world to generalize Amy person with deep wallets

[Forn]

Who is this "Amy" person? I want to know!

[agent4532]

Agreed but what do gamers get for spending over $10,000 dollars on microtransanctions and loot boxes. The answer absolutely nothing, which as a gambler for over spending money at the casinos you get free rooms at hotels and free.meals, etc

[fathertime4464]

Lol any person

[trooper_]

People like this don't give two thoughts about the value of money.

Its sad.

[Thomaticus]

Seems we woke up one morning and went from regarding games as works of art, to games as a money making schemes.

[NovusTerminus]

That was Zynga back when they were kind of relevant.

Most of their revenue came from 10-20% of their player base.

[fromchildren]

From what I know term "whale" began from casinos. It is used to describe those that gamble bug.

[kneon]

Whale comes from the casino industry, it's another name for people who make large bets, and therefore make them a lot of money.

[memots]

i friend of mine who plays , like mafia war or clan war something like that spent a couple thousand ... yet he was complaining about upgrading his pc for 500$ ... its like they dont see that spending for what it is . Addiction is a bad thing and they are preying on those people

[pinkcrocodile75]

Sorry, but if you are against gambling that's fine, but be commited and campaign to shut all forms of gambling down.

Addiction is not the responsibility of EA, its YOUR OWN responsibility. If you are stupid enough to spend that much money on MT's, its your own fault. Go and get help instead of going online and saying woah is me!

Simple thing is, you don't have to buy them.

[rainslacker]

What if one isn't opposed to gambling as a whole, but doesn't like practices that are akin to gambling being in place in a product that we enjoy because we don't support gambling, or we don't like it when certain things actually affect what we get. Casino's existing don't make my experience at other hotels or resorts any different. Loot Boxes and MT have already had an effect on the games that I've brought for a while now.

I agree that someone should seek help if necessary, but sharing one's story just highlights the issues involved, and isn't always a sob story. Not really reading this article, as it seems like a strange coincidence it comes out now, and I'm dubious of the claims in the title, but it's not the only report I've seen of similar things, and they fall into the categories of kids who don't understand the value of money and aren't spending their own, or those with additive personalities.

[cyclindk]

Watch “Rounders.”

[yeahokwhatever]

I've heard the term "whale" being used in this sense in game studios as early as 2006. I've also personally heard the terms: "hamsters", "idiots", "retards", and many, many more things. This isn't new and it certainly isn't only EA. It's everybody. The way product teams and designers talk about their paying customers is..interesting. NONE of it is positive. They all think you're idiots and its a fun thing to talk about at work. Please people, don't ever spend any money on MTs.

[rainslacker]

You can hear all sorts of crap talked about customers at any place that deals with customers. No matter the kind of customer, the "customer" tends to be the most annoying part of any job.

Anyhow, I would often agree with some of them that what you see on forums generally does paint the customer as not that bright. On top of that, the general market doesn't often support the gripes that the ardent vocal gaming community have.

I do see some of that changing as of late though, because social media has become so much a thing now that grievances by the hardcore can highlight things for the masses, and it can affect sales from time to time. Not always, but often enough that it's not worth ignoring the potential backlash that could come.

[conanlifts]

I agree. In my opinion it should be illegal to charge gamers more than a set amount for in game transactions. Once a gamer has reached a designated limit they should be able to permantly unlock everything.

[M_Prime]

I don't know why EA is getting all this Flack... I mean yeah its shitty what the did but if you played TF2 or Counter-Strike, they do it too for skins. Gears has had skins for guns since Gears3 and there was no way to unlock them for free. At least with EA you can grind the stuff out.

[corroios]

This is a new form of gambling and must be stop by authority right now, before it escalate

[2cents]

At least with official gambling there are chances to win back investments, win big and strategically. Also there are many regulations in place to help advise and protect 'users' .

These b@stards have simply taken a video game with potential in game purchases and made it into a game of chance with no regulations or upper caps. scumbags.

[InTheZoneAC]

let's ban McD's and all fast food for people getting fat....

let's ban cars because people can't stop texting and driving......

let's stop blaming everyone else for our own actions.

[agent4532]

Is not banning you fool. Is regulating loot boxes and microtransanctions like the regulations and laws that are in place of drinking alcohol and gambling. Both are not banned but are regulated. So in that sense regulating and putting laws in place to ensure kids don't get too addictive or become gamblers in the process for buying microtransanctions and lootboxes.

[zekk]

I kinda get what zone is getting at. I mean I have a friend that is an alcoholic and know they are. The problem is they never take steps to either stop or change even after we have tried taking him to aa meetings remove liquor from easy accessible places, stop drinking around them to prevent temptation or outright locking the alcohol we find away from them away. They always find a way to get plastered. I know addictions are a issue but people like this will go to the extreme for these things and ruin it for others. Yes feeding the addictions are bad thing but there are times where the victim is just as guilty. If it's not one thing it'll be another. At some point the blame should also fall to people and their actions as well.

[yeahokwhatever]

I also don't think it's just to blame EA for taking advantage of stupid people. The trick here, is to not be a stupid person.

[Aquacure]

Here's the thing, you buy a $4.00 burger it's yours, they aren't charging you additionally per bite or chew. Texting and driving are FWIW independent of each other. Here EA has said "yeah you bought our $60 game but we're gonna give you this crappy weapon set or characters which severely limits your progress because we didnt program them to be beast (foreknowledge). Now you as the gamer who would naturally want to complete their game in a timely fashion have to shell out $50 more, $100 more, $200 more. Imagine Chris and Jill running from the dogs and needing to buy a $10 key to get into the mansion, $20 to get an emblem to fall out of its indention, $50 to unlock stairs access. It'd all be ridiculous.

[bluefox755]

Why? The current form of gambling isn't illegal. If you want to call it gambling, make the games rated "Mature", so they're not for kids. But why should the authorities legislate what adults want to do with their own money? I hate MTs as much as the next guy, but this is the wrong way to go about it.

[rainslacker]

What we see now is not lawmakers trying to make the loot boxes illegal, they're just looking at what to classify them as. If they're classified as gambling, then they'll automatically fall into current regulations, or something special will be made up for it considering the medium they exist in.

But, them being classified as gambling by any major market is likely to be the death knell of the practice. Anything that falls into gambling isn't just advised to be for adults only, but can only be sold directly to adults, and adults that buy for their kids wouldn't be allowed to buy the products for the kids, or even allow their kids access to the games themselves.....and given the nature of the market, publishers may be required to insure that the person playing isn't a minor....or just make sure the account playing it isn't for a minor.

There is so much that is involved with gambling regulations that it just isn't going to be worth it to the publishers, so they'll forgo them to find another way to fleece the consumer just to make sure that the game still sells.

[ChrisW]

@Corroios,

Exactly! And it's geared towards really young people!

My son (6yrs old) really loves games like Cut the Rope on iPad. When he found that there was a Cut the Rope 2, he obviously wanted to play it. I saw that it had microtransactions and became wary, but since he'd completed almost all of the levels in the first one, I thought that we could give it a try. And just a couple weeks ago, I bought it for him.

The first thing that they did was give him free balloons to obtain difficult clovers or to make the level easier. In about 2 levels he had mistakenly used all of those balloons and, of course, he wanted to get more. It's $3 for 20, $5 for 50, $8 for 150, and $20 for unlimited balloons. The same thing goes for candies and helpers to make the game easier.

Shaking me head in disgust, I told him that he's going to have to play the game without any of those special items. When he asked why, I told him it was stupid and that it would cost over $60 just to get unlimited everything. I then showed him how many of his favorite toys it took to equal $60 and asked him if he thought it was smart to spend that much money in a game for microtransactions. He said, "Ummm... No." Smart kid... I hope he retains that.

[yeahokwhatever]

great job! thats what us parents have to be doing. :-)

[-Foxtrot]

Meet the "idiot"...****

Fixed

[Liqu1d]

Addict. Being an addict does mean you're an idiot.

[UltraNova]

He was an idiot when he spend the first couple hundred on a game, then somewhere along that slippery path he became an addict. Now if that aint blurring the lines then I dont know what is...

[NordicRainy]

How do you think someone becomes an addict? Out of thin air?

[Krysis]

The ignorance on the subject of addiction and the people stricken by it is mind boggling.

[Liqu1d]

I meant to say it doesn't make him an idiot.

@UltraNova He actually spent $30 at first and then he was addicted.

[yeahokwhatever]

You can't be addicted to crack without first being a big enough idiot to try crack. Idiot works just fine for addictions. If the thing they were addicted to was positive in the first place, it wouldn't be an addiction.. it would be "work" or a "hobby".

[bloop]

@yeahokwhatever: That's a bit of an ignorant point of view. Having close friends that developed very real problems with cocaine I've seen first hand what addiction can do. Unfortunately one of my friends took it too far one night. He was far from an idiot, very intelligent, successful in a very good job and had a great social life with close friends and women practically falling at his feet. He didn't make the conscious decision of becoming an addict and dieing way too soon. It's not as Black and White as you think and you clearly know nothing about it.

[Liqu1d]

@yeahokwhatever Why are you comparing taking crack, an illegal drug, to gambling which is a legal activity? They aren't even comparable. Gambling is a regulated activity that people find enjoyable but can be addicting to some. If you want to compare it to something then compare it to alcohol.

[Pancit_Canton]

I was about to say the same thing.

His parents much be rich

[agent4532]

His addiction started at age 13.He got a part time job at Panera to pay his addiction at age 16. He then got another part time job to continue funding for his addiction. His parents disconnected from the internet and tried to prevent him from buying loot boxes and microtransanctions. He ended up continuing with his addiction through his smartphone 4G network. He ended up going to a therapist to get rid of his addiction. He proved that lootboxes/microtransanctions are a new form of gambling addiction. That is in dire need of regulation and laws in place to curb this new gambling addiction. Is not banning lootboxes/microtransanctions is regulating and having laws in place like traditional gambling or alcohol. I can still gamble and drink alcohol but it is regulated and there are laws in place to curb addiction....

[yeahokwhatever]

that's neat, agent4532, but can my tax dollars not go to funding your opinion?

[Mikelarry]

The name calling doesn't really help as I am sure there are plenty of things you or I could be wasting money on that other people may frown upon, moreover he came out to let everyone know that these predatory tactics these gaming pubs and devs are implementing into their games does a great deal of damage especially kids with no self control like this individual.

He has also gone to find help and is only letting most people especially now that the world is watching this particular topic how it could affect gamers with no self control in the long run if some sort of regulation is not put in place

[Krysis]

Don't try to rationalize in here, the average IQ is so low that I'm shocked they can even put together sentences that make sense.

[yeahokwhatever]

I'm so happy white knights like Krysis are here to virtue signal our ears off for being rational. Coddling doesn't lead to success OR happiness.

[Krysis]

I feel sorry for you. I can only hope you or someone you love never has to go through something like addiction because your ignorance will only make it worse.

[2cents]

Devs gotta eat yo...

Seriously though, this needs sorting out once and for all.

[agent4532]

Yes, I agree that game developers/publishers need money to make and fund their game proyects. The solution to this is not banning lootboxes/microtransanctions entirely but regulating them and having laws in place to prevent kids becoming gamblers. Similar to traditional gambling and alcohol 😀

[yeahokwhatever]

Don't buy ANY games with ANY MTs in them. It will sort itself out. There are obviously enough people who care, just nobody wants to practice their own self control to make it work. You'd rather be FORCED at gunpoint(government) to change things. This is why we are where we are.

[cfc83]

The worst about it is that these companies are targeting younger people, some of who are spending the card holders cash without permission. Tight regulations need installed.

[ElementX]

Obviously if you have a child in the household you wouldn't store your card info on the console.

[cfc83]

To buy digi many have a card linked to account. Many share same account. Bro got charged 50 quid or so for rainbow siege content, even though he'd never played it.

[PS3_Noob]

Wow, no wonder he does not want to reveal his name. He is ashamed but 3yrs addiction over some games microtransaction is worrying. He really needs to grow up and play some proper games instead

[Kosic]

Heard Bout this on YouTube. I took it with a pinch of salt as it's the internet. Anything can be made up.

If true, that's crazy.

[Enjoigamin]

Dumbass should of bought bitcoin.

[zb1ftw777]

Darwinianism at its finest.

[StormLegend]

All of that money wasted and could have went to people who really needed it.

[Ninjamonkey82]

I`Ll never get it and will always depise it. I started my gaming mid 80s and remember bedroom coders lol dreaming of there game just being played by others ffs. Gaming today has went to the dogs suits run the show before the gamer imagination replaced with complacency and sheer greed. Fun needs to return to are games and not in the form off what emote, skin there is to unbox next. I want when i buy a game a fully finished product. No need for season passes and MTs and if they add more to the game, how about a thankyou for lining there pockets cause it used to be that case.

[mochachino]

I blame mobile games. They're completely marketed towards children and often, the first videogame experience children have as every parent has a phone that they give to their kids to play with from time to time.

All "F2P". Like a drug dealer giving the first hit for free to get you hooked.

While I feel bad for the person, we can't outlaw things because a small minority of the population have problems with it. Otherwise, we'd need to ban alcohol, casino's, fast food, etc. Hell people get addicted to the internet or videogames.

[Nodoze]

Sorry but this is patently absurd. Who in their right mind would think this is ok? Even if you have the coin to spend, WHY? For a digital outfit or digital whatever? Frightening that will power seems to be a thing of the past. I for one will NEVER cave and purchase these things.

If he had taken that money and invested it properly, he would be a millionaire with compound interest. Instead he has digital outfits for games that he can no longer even play. I mean if he bought a car, or something tangible at least he would have something to show for it.

[kevinsheeks]

funny how it all works out isn't it -_- 10k he could have saved got some property or land and flipped it for a larger payback

[Cyborgg]

Smdh

[ElementX]

As a recovering alcoholic with over 6 years of sobriety I can say that after a point, the individual loses all self control. Yeah in the beginning a person can choose not to drink or in this case, avoid buying content, however willpower isn't enough once addiction kicks in. Nobody chooses to become addicted

[opinionated]

Stupid article. Who the hell cares about this goober? Blaiming his bullshit on somebody else and of course it’s the asshole of the Internet kotaku giving him a platform.

[Segata]

Well, can that idiot spare me a couple grand?

[Majinzo]

Give me some too.

[InTheZoneAC]

EA and these whales are disgusting. I read his subreddit a couple weeks ago, he's a loser with no self control, making every excuse why he couldn't stop spending money. He doesn't want others to go down the same path, but he is what EA and these companies target.

What I don't understand about these whales addicted to MTs is that they say they're addicted to spending money in their games, but why aren't they addicted to just playing the game to earn the same items? Almost like they don't even care about the game and just want to have more than the next guy, which is bs.

[Majinzo]

EA is doesn't seem to respect anything. Horrible,but they are making a lot of money.

[kevinsheeks]

you just figured it out " just want to have more than the next guy: that urge to one up the next guy is very strong and it leads you down a scary path . . .if i know I can pay just 10 dollars and make you my pet why wouldn't I do it? . . what if i need 100$,200$,500$ to make it so anytime i meet you or others like you on this game it won't be a problem . . until someone beats me at which point i'll have to invest even more to beat them, it's a sad endless cycle.

EA and other developers hope these whales force normal customers like me and you into digging into our pockets so we can compete with addicts, while slowing becoming addicts ourselves.

[Majinzo]

I am guilty of doing something similar, but think I have only spent around 3k-5k. I also give some $ away so others can do too, on my channel called Epic Trophy on YouTube. The game I usually spend it on is called Dokkan battle dbz sometimes pkmn duel.

[agent4532]

I feel bad for him, and he got a part time job just to buy loot boxes. His parents did try by disconnecting him from the internet, they forgot about the phone 4G network. It proves that loot boxes and microtransanctions is gambling.

[Tross]

The issue with MTs isn't whether it's gambling or not. It's that it's downright evil to put them in games we already pay full price for, and this practice needs to stop. It's true that getting MTs labeled as gambling would just help us accomplish that end as it would drive a game's rating up to AO, unless the devs drop that element or leave it out of their games to begin with. However, in the meantime we ought to vote with our wallets and shake our heads in disappointment at those who vote the other way. Man, when did gaming get so political?

[opinionated]

Thank you for admitting it’s bullshit and a means to justify an end. I don’t disagree with anything you said besides finding that acceptable.

[zerocarnage]

I think that is shocking to the point that if anyone is spending that much it is a clear sign of an addiction problem one of the traits of gambling.

If devs are ok reaping that much from someone then shame on them and gaming is now being shamed because of publishers and devs who are to greedy beyond belief. I don't care how it's done but this is a clear sign that laws and regulations need to be bought in to stop this crap in this industry.

What once started off as a few micros for this kid and many others has quickly esculated into an uncontrollable problem and publishers and devs can not blindly line there pockets any longer, they must stop or be stopped which ever hits home first..

Only way for gamers to truly fight this is refuse to buy any game with micros/L-boxes period..

[Indo]

I will always feel bad for someone who has to spend money to enjoy a game. But the sad part is sometimes it’s necessary to even play a game.

[Elda]

Dummy.

[mandingo]

You sir, are an idiot.

[Vanfernal]

What 19 year old has thousands to spend on games? Probably used daddy's credit card and now is playing the victim card to get attention or to sue the companies. Don't get me wrong, I believe that the whole microtransaction fiasco is a problem that needs to be addressed sooner than later. But the timing of all of this seems extremely suspect to me.

[n1kki6]

But it's not gambling. You always win. Whether it's what YOU want is a different conversation. It's predatory but it's not gambling. If this is gambling you better get rid of trading cards, lootcrate.com mcondalfs monopoly, etc

[kevinsheeks]

Gambling is the wagering of money or something of value (referred to as "the stakes") on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning money or material goods. ... In other forms, gambling can be conducted with materials which have a value, but are not real money.

it's gambling it isn't like gambling it doesn't sort of resemble gambling it is gambling

the biggest difference is this type of gambling is tailored towards teenagers

[opinionated]

You’re wrong, n1kk1 is right. Trading cards are more in violation of actual gambling regulations than loot boxes are. For the simple fact you can take rare cards and exchange them for cash. You can “cash out”. That’s how much of an asshole people like you are, you are trying to ban Pokémon cards to protect kids. Taking away their fun to satisfy your own lust for gratification while using them as a scapegoat. It’s quite sad to see.

[kevinsheeks]

Welp guys as you can see below me Opinionated has spoken,using his top level logic and factually based response he has put me into a situation I cannot counter, he had me at "You're wrong" and his effortless use of trading cards being able to be used towards "cashing out" has stumped me totally, I especially like his ending where he calls me an a*hole and props himself up by saying we're harming the children, truly a class act this guy.

Whew this has truly been an historical moment in trolling on n4g, this trumps the election . . get it trump . .ehh. .ehhh . .nahhhh you don't get it.

here have an upvote on me to encourage more quality trolling :)

[opinionated]

Don’t seek validation from them lol.. How is my logic wrong? You are trying to end the practice of trading card to “save the kids” because a “wager on an unknown outcome” is gambling and should be banned or require a license like real gambling that falls under strict gambling rules and regulations. You couldn’t care less in reality, you say it’s gambling for your own selfish reasons and are using “what about the kids” as your scapegoat. It’s obvious, admit it.

I’m using basic common sense. You didn’t use any logic at all or any knowledge of law. Your entire opinion is based on a basic dictionary explanation without any context. Be sarcastic and avoid the truth all of you like but don’t pretend I’m wrong or that I’m the simpleton lol. I didn’t mean to offend I’m just letting you know that you tried to correct someone and you are wrong. Fair game right? You told n1kki they were wrong.

[Doomster1971]

Oxford dictionary defines gambling as "Play games of chance". For money or anything else really.

[opinionated]

@doomster
Yes exactly lol. Not just games, you can gamble with any kind of decision. The fork in the road is a gamble if you don’t know which way to go. We’re not talking about a basic definition in this context.

This stuff is nothing new either. Watch this video ( https://youtu.be/Ey--3YV6FC... ) and tell me which side you sound like. Kotaku has completely flipped roles since then lol

[SojournUK]

Bet he has a high gamer score.

[TheOttomatic91]

Holy shit I knew MT’s were bad but I never knew it go this far south so damn quickly, microtransactions need to go.

[SameOldx2]

Another garbage story. No. he is addicted to gaming not gambling.

[Artemidorus]

It's time these people started capping the total price of game content. As much as it's the gamers fault they should regulate better.

Even if that happened they would create small content regularly and demand a full retail proce on a new disc then drop support quickly for 'another game'.

[rainslacker]

While I'm not one to say what I'm about to suggest is a good way to go, I always wondered if the publishers just offered up two versions of the game...one regular where you could grind it out at a reasonable level, and another version that was $10-20 more with all the extra bells and whistles(obviously not something like the content we see with current MT), if more people would just pay the extra money to be done with it. I know there are things like that now with deluxe editions, but they usually don't offer up substantial content over the base, and still often have the MT attached to them.

I always wondered if this would be enough to satiate those who are willing to spend more if they receive signiicant value for that extra 10-20 bucks so they'd pay it, and keep those who just want a more standard experience paying the regular price of the game, and if there would be enough money in that to please the publishers, or if it'd match the revenues that MT can bring in from the relatively small portion of the market that spends money on them. I'd imagine there are more people that would pay a bit more that it might be a viable option....although I'd prefer that they just offer up a good experience from the get go for everyone at a reasonable price.

[Ducky]

Isn't that what Ubisoft did with Rainbow Six Seige? A cheap version with an unbearable grind to unlock more classes, or a more expensive version with them unlocked. Granted, I think even the more expensive version still has cosmetic MT, not sure since I never bought the game.
I don't think this gives the publishers the same amount of profit, because they're only getting $10-20 once, whereas microtransactions allows them to make a lot more than 20$ from some players.

[Zjet]

My old boss spent around 10k USD on mobile strike, drove a shitty car that always broke down but had enough money to spend on a crappy mobile game....

[1nsomniac]

This is why MT’s should be banned. Because it prays on the stupid & people that might not be all that with it mentally. These companies should be ashamed.

[DxTrixterz]

Perfect type of customer for today's greedy publishers. EA would love this guy. Glad he has gotten help and he's fighting this addiction though.

[Hakoom]

lol 10k is nothing
there are ppl who spend 10k per month on micros....
games like clash and other same type games

[MetalGearAlex]

It's clear we need to put a stop to microtransactions in general. The excuse "to feed our families" from the devs and companies no longer fly... it's been made very clear in recent reports and matters, that they're sole goal... is to make money and make loads of it -- even if it's to the detriment of the player -- who can get easily addicted -- like this kid who did and is now a full-grown man who has been able to use this opportunity to express it. Yes, companies don't "force anybody to use lootboxes" but they strong-arm and play on the fact people can get addicted. it is gambling, and even if considered "legally not" -- the problems of creating and causing addictions for children that ARE UNHEALTHY should be addressed not only be the media and the gamer community, but the government. Cause the ESA and all it's affiliates are basically in cahoots and can be lobbied to say "It's not gambling" so that they publishers and investors can still make eccentric tons of money.

[FlameWater]

Fool and his money are soon parted

[mastershredder]

Straight up exploitation of gamers with illogical spending habits/addictions. Just take advandage of it EA. Greed.

[WelkinCole]

Bloody hell. We need to stop this. This is literally like having pokie machines in games.

For us adults most of us know better but for the younger kids they are easy to be duped.

WTF?. Are we trying to get kids to hooked on gambling?.

It is horseshit like this that gives gaming a bad name.

[M_Prime]

i don't understand this but that's just me. I understand addiction but not sure how micro transactions can be addictive. I don't even like paying for DLC, I didn't get the starwars Battlefront 1 DLC until it was free on PSN. I think once in Mass Effect 3 I bought some loot boxes (or whatever they had) because I had about $2 in my account. after that I just played the game.

The problem is nobody has patience anymore, I mean Battlefield 1 has online unlocks, i'm pretty sure COD had them for a while too. I just played online and unlocked everything by myself, it was pretty quick. Yes it sucks to get killed by someone who has better weapons than you but eventually you will get it. I rather spend my money on a new game or real DLC than crap in game. My brother plays Counter-Strike and I see how much he has sold SKINS for guns for in that game. I'm talking like over $100 for a gun skin! some people have more money then sense, and some of those people don't even have money.

[LucidIllusion]

An idiot and his money.

[Tanseeker]

Whether it's a loot box or other type of micro transaction for a game; designing the games functions and design with the micro transactions in mind, with a design that urges players to spend is a dirty tactic and needs to be addressed. It's a dirty grey area.

[Amyellevivv]

I can relate to this. Ive been addicted as well, even tho not as much as 10k but 5k at least. Note that this was cosmetic and could (not always) give you an advantage. Just want to say to everyone, please be careful with this , cause even tho you do not know what will happen, and it might seem innocent at times the consequenses will ring on for years to come. Also remember this , whatever you buy, once the servers go offline , all your money is wasted. ^^; sorry had to write it there haha

[Vetalka83]

I know a dude who spent 25000 dollars on advanced warfare(i think it was)but he is rich as hell so he didnt care.and he is buying lots of those loot crates on a new cod.

[rollerdisc]

this person is on something else, wow...

[PGRfox]

EDIT TITLE: Meet the moron who is helping destroy the gaming industry.