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[Fbh]

So I have been playing Battlefront 2. I dislike the way the game was originally designed and even now I think the progression sucks. But 2 of my best friends are playing it and since moving to another country online gaming has been a great way to stay in touch and catch up with them so I ended up buying the game when I saw it on a PSN sale for $35.
Honestly, aside from the shitty progression system I think it's pretty fun. It has a lot more content than the previous game, I enjoy the gameplay and it looks great on my Pro with HDR.

As most of you probably know, currently the microtransactions are disabled (and apparently coming back soon) but most of the progressions system is still tied to lootboxes and they can still be purchased with in game currency.
Since I've been playing frequently over the past few weeks I've gotten a bunch of them and after engaging with the system for a while all I can think is why the hell would I pay for these?
What I get in literally 90% of my looboxes is a bunch of basic cards, as in the lowest, weakest and most common ones. Often with at least or 1 or 2 (out of 5) being duplicates and at least 1 or 2 being a shitty and boring emote I'll never use.
I don't even get how this is supposed to push me toward spending money. If all I'm getting is crap I don't see how that's going to convince me to spend real money on more loot boxes.

It's not the first game I've played with a system like this though. Over the years I've tried a bunch of mobile games that use the gacha system like One Piece Treasure Cruise and Fire Emblem Heroes and my experience with their microtransactions has always been the same. Why the hell would I spend money on these?
Both of these games frequently hand out free premium currency (specially when they launch) so if you don't mind waiting a bit you can save up quite a lot of it. In both games I've ended up saving up the equivalent of around $15 in premium currency and upon spending it I have gotten nothing but crap. Low level or weak units I don't care about and a whole bunch of duplicates.
And again, spending the equivalent of $15 worth of in game currency and getting nothing only makes me less likely to spend real money on it.


Now, in a way I see this as positive since it diminishes the pay 2 win aspect of these games a bit. You still get an advantage for paying but from my experience you have to spend like $50 or more for it to even make a difference and I doubt a lot of people are doing that.
Still, I don't want this to sound like I'm defending loot boxes. I still think it's a shitty system and I still think that Pay 2 Win lootboxes should stay the hell away from paid games (or any free 2 play game that wants me to take it seriously). The concept of being able to pay real money to get in game advantages is shit even if the money you have to spend for it to make a real difference is quite a lot.
I also understand that these business models are built around whales so the publishers aren't expecting everyone to pay for their microtransactions and are instead fine with a smaller number of players spending a lot of money on their game.

But either way I find it a weird system that in my eyes is actually pushing me away from spending real money.
Is it the same for you guys? Even if you take real money out of the equation, do loot boxes even appeal to you?

EDIT:
There is a "you" missing in the title (do YOU even...)
Some mod please fix it

 

[philm87]

Never felt the need to buy them. I just wouldn't play a game that forces you to pay to progress (such as Clash of Clans).

I've played an really enjoyed Fifa 14 to 17 Ultimate Team mode and created great teams without ever paying money for packs, and realy really enjoyed it along to way.

I completed the whole of Shadow of War recently and never felt like I had to make a purchase as there systems are all there in the game to progress easily enough and level up your armies. Again really enjoyed it.

In both these cases I've never felt offended by the fact they exist, or felt like it's deterred from my experience. The moment it does though I would probably lose interest in a game.

 

[OH-MyCar]

They had a hold on me but there've been diminishing returns on how much I care about them. When Overwatch came out, I probably spent around $30-50 on them (which isn't a lot for some, but a lot for me). Fast-forward to 2018 and I don't even have Overwatch installed & feel like the entire phenomenon is behind me. I don't feel "cheated", necessarily, but just done. I literally can't think of a single scenario that'd make me interested in them again.

 

[grumpyGamer]

The problem for me personally, is that it changes the core of the game, it does nkt matter that you dont want to buy them, because the company that puts them there has a strategy for selling them, it is not a matter of maybe they buy maybe they wont.
They will make the average player buy them, or else there is no point in adding them.

I dont buy them either but mkst people dont have my vast exprience with games or try to stay informed with the industry.

Just look at the witcher 3 great game no loot boxes, made alot of money.
Now look at ea, batlefield 2 sold 7 or 8 million copies they say its not enough to make the return.
WTF i say

 

[MrDanGuy]

I believe I only bought loot boxes once, or twice. This was because I wanted to see what I would get for like $2-5 on a video game I honestly can’t remember. I think loot boxes are not a big deal if the post-game content is big, and the loot boxes don’t effect are purely cosmetic.

 

[NickFire]

I detest loot boxes, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit to buying them in multiple games in the heat of the moment or when I was drunk. I am not exactly in favor of politicians attacking the gaming industry, but I do worry about the kids with respect to loot boxes. They can be addicting when you get a decent pull and want just one more try at something great. Madden cards have left a few holes in my wallet, and I know better.

 

[DonF]

I once got ...3 keys? for rocket league. I figured that since I got the game for free as a Playstation plus member, and due to all the play time I have with the damn game... I might as well throw them a couple of bucks.

edit: I actually got a really cool and rare skin, a rare car and crap. I get trade requests all the time for the skin.

 

[Frenzy-kun]

I am ok with them conceptually. For me, it's not different from arcade machines where you had to drop your coin for extra lives. The point is in how they are used and if they make sense in the context of the game. As pointed before, if the game design around the loot boxes diminish the game experience, obviously, I am against. But being able to extend the game's life for a couple of bucks it's fine.

 

[JP]

I don't really have any issues with buying DLC as long as I believe the exchange is worth it to me but I can't imagine I'd be tempted to pay for something if I don't know exactly what I'm getting.

 

[BPoole]

I buy crate keys in Killing Floor 2 to support Tripwire since they out out so much free content

 

[Verfault]

I have never bought a loot box and never will. I will spend money on microtransactions when it isnt like a slot machine. I spent way to much money on White Knight Chronicles. I think I bought almost every housing item on the PSN store. (Sad to say I quit playing shortly after I bought it all....) I also bought all the extra DLC fights for FFXIII2 and I even bought a few skins in Call of duty Advanced Warfare (Magma and lightning skins).

I dont mind spending extra money on games I enjoy playing but I draw the line with slot machine loot boxes. They're predatory in nature and companies know it.

 

[-MD-]

Nope, I ignore paid loot boxes in every game.

 

[loki 16]

sometimes, specially in fifa when they have their special event pacs.

 

[Xander51]

I've only ever thrown money into loot boxes when it's a free-to-play game and I feel like giving them a couple of bucks to support it. Otherwise, I have more fun earning them than I'd ever have buying them.

 

[Potoo10]

The single game where I spend dosh on crate was TF2,first and last time ever.Never ever in a millenium I will pay for this crap.

 

[BANGS]

Nah, I don't really like games that have such mechanics. If it was a F2P game that I actually enjoyed then I might consider it, but even then I'd rather just pay for actual items than random loot boxes...

 

[MrMorningMan]

I think it depends for me. I'll happily purchase loot boxes if they contain a cosmetic only item I'm particularly interested in. What I do have a problem with is loot boxes that produce items or consumables that affect the gameplay, either by increasing stats or in single-player games, providing access to equipment which would otherwise be found much later into the game. That's a cheat, and I won't spend any money on that.

 

[Grinchy]

I got a free Steam copy of Rocket League, so I had no problem buying keys. With 1000 hours played, even if I had spent the $20, I wouldn't have minded giving them money for how well they've supported their game.

I spent maybe $40 total on keys, and then I just kept trading high-value items for more keys and I still get to open crates to this day. When the crates are just pieces of cosmetic gear that don't have any effect on the game whatsoever, I can get behind it.

 

[CloudStrife_ca]

Maybe I'm just old school buy I wont pay for stuff, aside from the occasional map pack, new songs for Rocksmith or Rockband. I bought a seasons pass for Final Fantasy XV for the character stories, but I dont like the idea of paying for stuff most of the time you can unlock in the game. The fun for me is playing through and being rewarded through progressing and getting better at the game, not buying the good stuff and doing better in the game because of the stuff I paid for. Thats just instant gratification pure and simple. I will also agree with the OP, Star Wars Battlefront II is actually a fun game but the progression system and loot crate stuff has soiled it for alot of gamers.

 

[gioGAF]

My own personal policy is NEVER to buy a loot box of any kind or any DLC that is linked to a game with loot boxes. I mostly stick to games that do not have any loot boxes, stuff like Horizon Zero Dawn, Witcher 3, BotW, etc.

In the event that I make an exception and buy a game with loot boxes (latest example being CoD WW2), I will not participate in the loot box economy of the game. I don't open them, I don't "earn" them, I don't watch others open them, etc.

However, after playing CoD WW2, I believe I may have to just opt out of ANY game that has a "loot box" mechanic in the future. The loot box economy is built into the game on such a level that it is the "progression" system. In CoD WW2, for example, all unlocks that are not "earned" through a loot box are underwhelming. I also think that there is something up with the matchmaking, I'm guessing player "engagement" has a very strong weighting on finding matches. These games are no longer about finding a good match for you to play, they are about keeping you there and getting you to buy the loot boxes. I still enjoy playing with friends, but they enjoyment comes from playing with said friends. The game itself seems like a very controlled environment. It would be great to see what is underneath the hood when it comes to these games, I am sure that it is all about pushing the monetization.

TLDR: I don't buy loot boxes, I am not interested in loot boxes, and I am becoming increasingly disinterested and put off by any game that has a loot box system of any kind.

 

[Yoda]

I don't own many games which have them. However, I did try out BF:2 (to much dismay) and simply didn't enjoy the progression system. With or without loot boxes there was too much rng in what determined my build and that simply wasn't acceptable.

 

[120v]

i chalk it up to being old, i guess... but i seriously don't understand why real money lootboxes are a thing at all

apparently i'm out of touch as it's a cornerstone of the industry now. but even if i was a trillionaire i wouldn't bother with randomized loot. i can't even pull the trigger on cosmetics i want in games i love to death so it's just weird to me. but whatever