Re: Just Another Necessary Reminder That Valve Promotes Underage Gambling

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

On Thu, 02 Jan 2025 13:20:31 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
Xocyll wrote:
>

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

On 30/12/2024 23:15, Zaghadka wrote:

Did you see the part where the guy bought a Steam Deck without ever
leaving Steam? It may be a loophole that games are not physical purchased
goods (technically you are purchasing a license), but that Deck may be a
real problem for Valve if they continue to let it be bought in that way.
It's real. It can be sold for real money. No need to regulate anyone. A
12 yo can sell a Deck.
 
That kid just cashed out. Virtual currency for real product, giving the
virutal currency value, which means you're spinning an RNG for some kind
of random compensation. Since letting people cash out is what apparently
defines gambling, I think Gabe may have f-ed up with his shell game.

>
It seems a bit of a grey area as even now you can cash out (that's been
a sticking point for quite a few countries who've looked at this) by
just selling your entire account.

>
What gets me is that the whole lootbox thing is nothing new, but people
are treating it as though it is because it's digital.
>
Exactly what is the difference between an online lootbox and a pack of
random MtG cards?
>

[snip]
>
Damn good point.
>
It's the video slot machine aspect, which is known to trigger certain
people with a Skinner box effect, that is the sticking point. That
particular video sequence has been designed to trigger certain human
brain functions and prey on certain vulnerabilities. It is deeply
associated with smoke filled slot rooms.

So a place those underaged kids everyone is wailing about, HAVE NEVER
BEEN.

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.

If you just popped open a loot box and got the reward with a little
sparkle, like in a lot of my phone games, people might not associate it
with gambling. As long as the Skinner box shenanigans remain, they will.
>
It's the whole, "Oh you almost got that super rare, don't you want to
spin again?" aspect that triggers people to belive somethings up.
>
But is that illegal gambling, or the same as collector cards. Who knows?
It's a good point.
>
They should probably stop the psi-ops bs though and just pop a box open.
It would have avoided them a lot of suspicions and trouble. Using it is a
sure sign that they're trying to manipulate addictive personalities to
become whales.

They want people who have lots of money to spend the money.
No different than all the easy terms, easy financing, etc promotions in
literally every goods store of the last 50+ years.

Kids generally do not have lots of money, unless they are an influencer
that earns a lot, or have rich as fuck parents - and both of those can
afford it.

The rest are adults, they are in charge of their actions, not a casino
or Valve.

It's just more of "The Devil made me do it" bullshit.
Or these days "society made me do it" "racial inequality made me do it"
etc.   

No you made a choice or choices, now live with the consequences of your
decisions and stop making excuses for why your choices are not your
responsibility.

Xocyll