Quite long at 40mins* but I found it interesting as although I kinda
knew about skin betting this fleshed out some of the details in
particular about how Steam can be seen to be complicity in it and also
some of shady practices employed.
Besides the normal points of why can this not be seen as gambling, considering the normal sticking point for lootboxes is that the content
has no real world value when CS:GO Skins clearly do, something that I
don't think is normally mentioned is the issue of what is effectively gambling is being inserted into computer games via the backdoor. There's loads of sites you can go to if you want to gamble online and have the advantage of the safe guards of gambling regulation in place. What do
gamers get out of it?
*When did 40mins become a long time, youth of today I tell you**
**And yes I am joking about the last part.
On Thu, 22 Feb 2024 10:01:39 +0000, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
On 22/02/2024 09:56, JAB wrote:
Quite long at 40mins* but I found it interesting as although I kinda
knew about skin betting this fleshed out some of the details in
particular about how Steam can be seen to be complicity in it and also
some of shady practices employed.
Besides the normal points of why can this not be seen as gambling,
considering the normal sticking point for lootboxes is that the content
has no real world value when CS:GO Skins clearly do, something that I
don't think is normally mentioned is the issue of what is effectively
gambling is being inserted into computer games via the backdoor. There's >>> loads of sites you can go to if you want to gamble online and have the
advantage of the safe guards of gambling regulation in place. What do
gamers get out of it?
*When did 40mins become a long time, youth of today I tell you**
**And yes I am joking about the last part.
Well I suppose I should include the link ... doohhh!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqHxVu-QaLg
There was a similar video* about this released a couple years ago
(that we discussed here in Nov 2022 if you want to go back and revisit
what we said). It's a long-known issue not only with modern video
gambling problem, but Valve's complicity with it. Still, it's an issue
worth highlighting again (and again, and again, and again... until
something finally gets done!), so thank you for alerting us to this
video.
Still, as I said, this is a known issue. Newell and co. certainly know
about all this. Steam probably wouldn't be as successful if not for
gambling. They are definitely profiting from it. Steam could crack
down on it; they could make changes to prevent it. But it would cost
them billions of dollars. Every time a skin is sold - whether
legitimately or as a 'chip' used by a gambling site, Valve gets a cut.
So they pretend not to know anything about it, and when informed, do
the absolute minimum until the public shifts it attention elsewhere.
Some countries have - rightly - classified all this as gambling, and restricted as such - and, lo and behold, Valve has found ways to make
it harder for people in those regions to engage in gambling. (Sadly,
VPNs make it hard to keep natives from engaging with the websites).
But outside of those jurisdictions, Valve pretends they are innocents
who have no way of stopping the problem.
It's actually worse than the video above states. It's one thing to
gamble; it's a predatory habit that can destroy lives. Even adults
have problems resisting the lure. But children are even more
vulnerable... and the websites themselves are specifically designed to
be attractive to the younger set. The sites are made to look live
video games, and purposely designed to hide the monetary cost of the
games to the player.
Valve is often held up as the savior of PC gaming; that under its conservatorship, PC gaming has become a viable platform despite the popularity of the Playstation and XBox. And in some ways this is true.
Valve hasn't, like many other publishers, been overly restrictive with
the games it sells. You don't, unlike with Ubisoft or EA, see Valve
regularly pulling games a few years old from sale or shutting down
servers on older games. Valve's open market has helped to promote
Indie publishers, and made 'long-tail' sales of older games a viable
market. But all these benefits are underwritten by Valve's own
addiction to profits gleaned by enabling gambling, and it's only due
to poor legislation (and a refusal to enforce what little legislation
there is) that Valve gets away with it.
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMmNy11Mn7g
It's actually worse than the video above states. It's one thing to
gamble; it's a predatory habit that can destroy lives. Even adults
have problems resisting the lure. But children are even more
vulnerable... and the websites themselves are specifically designed to
be attractive to the younger set. The sites are made to look live
video games, and purposely designed to hide the monetary cost of the
games to the player.
On Fri, 23 Feb 2024 09:54:00 +0000, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
On 22/02/2024 15:33, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
It's actually worse than the video above states. It's one thing to
gamble; it's a predatory habit that can destroy lives. Even adults
have problems resisting the lure. But children are even more
vulnerable... and the websites themselves are specifically designed to
be attractive to the younger set. The sites are made to look live
video games, and purposely designed to hide the monetary cost of the
games to the player.
Don't worry there will be someone along to tell you it's all the parents
responsibility even though we already ready have age restrictions laws
in-place for other activities and is it ok to exploit children if their
parents aren't responsible enough.
To be sure, the parent's /aren't/ absolved of all responsibility, but
neither can the blame be laid entirely on them. The gambling has
become so common that even the most cautious of parents won't be able
to completely shield their children.
Even if the child isn't drawn into gambling directly, the messaging is pernicious: that massive success is easily reached through a quick
bet. It's not just something pointed towards kids either, or isolated
to video games. It's becoming normalized throughout society. I've no objection to gambling -- so long as it's done for its entertainment
value. But increasingly I see it used as... well, almost as financial planning towards achieving goals, and that's worrying.
I mean, I get it. As the wealth gap increases - as people on the lower
rungs become more desperate, and the lifestyles of the ultra-wealthy
become ever more extravagent - gambling seems to be (and, quite
honestly, probably is) the only way for the average person to ever
achieve any sort of parity. I see the appeal. But it's not the panacea
it's made out to be. And it's disgusting how people that profit off of
this desperation hype up gambling as a solution.
(The other day I saw an advert for some app designed to aid people
involved with online sports betting. Paraphrased, the ad said: "This
app will let you more easily keep up with all the games and bets,
without worrying about not having enough time for your work and
family"... with the implication that there's really nothing WRONG when
your work and family play second fiddle to your gambling, but this app
will let you have both).
Sorry, am I ranting again? It's a topic that hits a chord with me.
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