Re: Just Another Necessary Reminder That Valve Promotes Underage Gambling

On 04/01/2025 00:36, Zaghadka wrote:

On Thu, 02 Jan 2025 17:18:45 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
Xocyll wrote:
 

Zaghadka <zaghadka@hotmail.com> looked up from reading the entrails of
the porn spammer to utter  "The Augury is good, the signs say:

So it's literally designed to look like one, which is why people are
making the connection.

>
How can you make the connection to something you've never experienced
cause you are too young to get in a casino?
>
Does not matter to a kid what it's designed to look like when they have
no frame of reference.
>

You missed the point. The graphic action style is designed to trigger
known psychological weaknesses and exploit people with them. That the
kids have no frame of reference actually makes the situation much, much
worse.
 So the connection is being made by adults, and it's problematic.
 I see little difference between adults and kids in this matter, tbh. I
don't think psychology of this kind should be used to exploit people with
certain personality problems, and that's exactly what it does.
 Casinos make their money by exploiting actual mental illnesses. It's a
shame. Some percentage of the population, including kids, have these
problems.
 There is persuasiveness and there is exploitation. This has always been
the latter. Like loansharking is.
 

I very much agree, the whole opening style of opening the lootboxes works on certain people and games companies do it anyway but heh, gotta make money somehow.
As for the kids part, a lot of what is said is just a red herring. So you get the but the games asks how old you are as if that makes any real difference - why not just a spy are they a spy. That will work; but it's the parents fault, really please tell me how often you need to sit down with your fourteen year old child and do an audit of their gaming and online activity - would once a week be sufficient; are child fair game if their parents aren't responsible enough. Indeed, little Johnny is just playing a game, it wouldn't have gambling in it would it otherwise he wouldn't be allowed to play it.
For the difference between adults and children, in many ways I think it's even worse for adults as they have access to more money. The amount of money some of the players spent who were on the World of Tanks forum was quite eye watering. But, but, they can afford it, well no as studies have concluded the correlation between whales and disposable income is weak. Where there is a correlation is between those with problem gambling traits.
The part I really don't get is what argument is there against classifying those aspects as gambling and being regulated as required?