Loot Boxes Microtransactions: Necessary Evil Or Just Wrong

Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars isn’t a historical game in the sense that it transports the players back in time - although, the game was made in 1996 so it could be considered a modern-day historical piece. It is, however, a point-and-click adventure game that gives players a lot of historical insight into the Knights Temp


The nominations for the first ever edition of The Game Awards were unveiled this morning and include the standard set of genre-based categories, a fan category for most anticipated title of 2015 (which mostly includes delayed games) and as a bonus, some love for famous YouTube celebs and eSports teams to help spread the word and bring in the "hardcore" crowd for appro

As per its title, the game is set in Tolkien's middle-earth and encompasses much of the lore detailed in the author's many novels. There are even one or two familiar faces thrown in there just for good measure, though it's really the gameplay that takes center stage in this one rather than the characters or narrative. The sequel's pretty good too, although fails to recapture the brilliance of its predeces


We have no idea what's going on with the Spike VGX this year or even if there will be one. The annual celebrity-fueled, ad-hungry video games event was consistently chock full of controversy and disdain from the gamer community which is why last year host and producer Geoff Keighley helped re-brand the Spike Video Game Awards into the Spike VGX. It was a ratings success but still begged the question of whether it should contin


Sid Meier’s Pirates! w as released in 2004 for the PC and was updated version of the 1987 original. Since then, the game has found its way on to the Xbox, PlayStation Portable, iOS, and Assassin's Creed Shadows updates|https://creedshadowgame.com/ the Nintendo


Games like Overwatch use loot boxes to distribute new emotes, profile customization options, or costumes for characters to wear. These items are purely cosmetic and have no effect on gameplay, and loot boxes can be earned just by playing the game, or in exchange for real money. Reception has been positive because of the way the game doles out a reasonable drip of loot boxes just for playing the game, fueling an addictive cycle of "play the game, get loot, show off loot by playing, repeat." There's always the temptation to spend real money; the way the trickle of free boxes slows down the more you play is intentional, insidious, and incentivizes paying for more boxes. Regardless, many fans consider it an integral part of the gameplay loop, for better or wo

Mechanically, the game looks and plays like The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim but in Deliverance, there are no magic or fantasy elements of any kind. It’s a medieval simulator where players need to keep an eye on their character’s well being as much as their health. Furthermore, it features some of the most complex and realistic sword fighting mechanics in gaming where timing is everything and one mistake can cost one their li


For the first time in the series' history, Battlefield V included a chapter that follows the story of a female soldier , Solveig. Solveig is affiliated with the indigenous resistance movement opposing the German occupying forces in Norway, and despite being young, she is a well-trained and effective soldier during the war. Solveig survives the Norwegian cold and avoids Nazis patrolling the woods during the campaign, as she is in search of her mother. We have not seen many playable female soldiers in the past, and Solveig definitely sets a high standard for female soldiers in future ga


Middle-earth: Shadow of War , published by Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment, is out now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and this predominantly single player game features loot boxes. Throughout the game, players recruit an army of Orcs, enough to see them through to the end of the main story. Orcs can also be purchased with real money via loot boxes, but they're not immediately necessary. After the main quest is completed, the player is presented with an endgame story arc which blocks progression until the player can amass an insanely powerful army of high-level Orcs. The player is essentially given a choice on how they will reach Shadow of War 's true ending: pay up for premium followers, or face the grueling grind to conquer Middle-earth, slowly leveling up Orcs in a seemingly endless l


Even if microtransactions are incentivized by publishers and thrust onto consumers, a vast majority of gamers can ignore them and still enjoy the games they love, often with the added bonus of not having to buy maps for titles like Star Wars Battlefront II . However, to players with tendencies towards addiction, the temptation can be too great, and much of their disposable income will go towards paying for games they already own. A player who bought the first Battlefront on launch day with the Season Pass spent $110. Someone who buys Battlefront II and invests heavily in loot crates could potentially spend many hundreds of dollars or more before they move on to another game. Is that an unfortunate side effect of enabling reckless spending, or is it the goal of having loot crates in the first place? The dubious ethics of loot crates have led to them be regulated in some countries, though they remain completely legal, and technically not a form of gambling , in the United Sta