Dev blog: Black Desert Online makers Pearl Abyss to acquire CCP!

Belgium ban lootboxes

lol EA

I guess no, I do not understand it.
Or rather, I understand it and am correcting you of your illusion.

You can either grind, or pay.
That has been the case in EVE already for years.

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It’s not a joke. I’m a senior gambling industry regulator in Australia. This is a hot topic right now. The definition of gambling is being reassessed and there is a growing awareness of how companies are targetting children and getting around the traditional definition of gambling.

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I never seen lootboxes as a joke, I laugh at EA. Greed is good…I wonder will it impact RNG mechanics like mutaplasmids.

Australian legislation/regulation is not likely to impact EVE at all.

At worst, CCP/PA might have to stick a “18” or “PG” limit on EVE in Australia.

In gambling, there are two entities. The gambler, and the gambling service provider.
Legislation can address both, or just the other.
On a tangent, its not dissimilar to solicitation for/with prostitution.
Laws globally vary wildly on whom is committing a criminal act. The “John”, the prostitute, or both, and many vagaries on what kind of exchange constitutes either.

not if they change the definition of gambling. Increasing PG is not worth in the eyes of investors, they need more audience not less. People start to understand that race for profits may went to far. Lootboxes are prime example. EA won’t give up that huge income from microtransactions. Meanwhile EvE was sold to the company thrive on them…

With an “+18” or “PG” label, the parents/guardians of a non-adult are responsible for their ward/children’s actions online. If the child/ward is involved in online gambling, that becomes a Child Protection Services issue (or however they are called in whatever jurisdiction), and the parents/guardians would be found negligent.

Iirc, EVE is already labelled “PG”, internationally, not least because of “gambling”, but also offensive language and real cash payments involved in subbing and other CCP services.

TLDR: Anyone under the age of 18, or whatever the age of liability is in that jurisdiction, should not be playing EVE without parental/guardian supervision. If they are, that is the “fault” of the parents/guardians, and they are legally culpable for that, as their child/ward is under their duty of care, and themselves are not of age of legal liability for their own actions.

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If the definition of gambling is updated to reflect the modern world, an 18+ rating is irrelevant. In Australia, the definition of gambling hasn’t been significantly updated for a century. I should add that Australia isn’t a single jurisdiction. We have multiple states and territories passing their own gambling legislation. It’s messy.

Sorry I meant PEGI not Parental Guide. PEGI for EvE is 12. PEGI 12 allows gambling, but it’s not the point. If they enchance the definition of gamling as possible harmfull activity it may become the problem. It’s not like gaming company will change nazi flags with german I WW flags for german players. It would be a mess, some countries would allow it other not.

Well, it hasnt happened yet.
And if it does, the TOS/EULA and “PG” label on EVE is pretty iron-clad.

My post above referred to persons under the age of legal liability being involved in gambling in EVE or another online game (however that is defined/construed).

Adults of age of legal liability might find themselves guilty of gambling in EVE or other games, depending on how regulation/legislation is worded/formed.

IE: If local jurisdiction rules for example activities like mutaplasmid mutations as “gambling”, then anyone engaging it in that jurisdiction would be guilty of that, regardless of the fact that EVE/CCP offers that function/service in its product.

TLDR: Just because committing a crime is possible in a platform/circumstance, does not mean you can do so legally. Its akin to finding a wallet on the street. Either you steal from it, or dont. The fact the wallet is there on the street providing the opportunity for theft, is not material to the act of stealing it or from it.

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“Well it hasn’t happened yet.” You have no idea how much that attitude worries me. The gaming world has gone mad and I know firsthand that regulators around the world are talking about it. I was at the Sydney gambling expo this year, as I am every year. Online gaming offerings were front and centre at a number of meetings.

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true, but if progression on the game depends on it, like in some hardcore lootboxes cases, it may be a problem.

If Australian internet-police start investigating Australian EVE players for using mutaplasmids to mutate modules as illegal gambling, then yes, I would consider that a very serious problem.

Amen to that…

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All I would advise CCP on is never consider some sort of loot box concept. When gambling regulators crack down, I can assure you that is the first and most obvious target. We all love Eve for its uniqueness and savagery. I don’t want to have to use a vpn client to play Eve. :sunglasses:

They found a “hole” and exploited it. Gamers want to be better than other gamers as almost all MMOs are based on opposing other players. That’s why P2W games didn’t die at glance, players are willing to pay to be better. Introducing RNG mechanism into this made gaming company swim in cash. Human psychology working for shareholders.

I watched one of gaming industry CEO claiming solo games are not worth it, because only 60% of game is finished, on average. So it is wasted potential. So instead they pushed multiplayer modes (not her words). It is cheaper, players will play with each other, and we can monetize playerbase with (in)famous lootcrates rng mechanism. Revenue skyrocketed.

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Certainly better than BDO. They are renowned as having entered into a long term deal with one of the most unreliable server hosts in the industry.

In Finland all gambling is regulated, and happens through a state-owned, but “privatized” company called Veikkaus Ltd.

I promise you, they dont give a ■■■■ about RNG involved in people mutating modules with mutaplasmids in EVE whilst living here and playing through a Finnish IP or service provider.

That does not surprise me. I’ve just completed a job for an accreditatiion organisation to allow a gambling test lab to add the Swedish gambling standard to their scope of testing. The Swedish standard is… wait for it… infantile. The Australians and Americans are the only savvy nations when it comes to gambling.

They also acquired Nettention last year presumably in an attempt to address the server issues they were having in NA. This may well just be another attempt to provide a solution to an ongoing issue they have.

Ive personally met a few detectives from the small internet-crime unit here whilst providing testimony in other cases, as well as making police reports of my own regarding internet-crime against myself.

I can just imagine their expression if I tried to report another Finnish player, or CCP/EVE for illegal gambling with RNG lootboxes, or mutating modules… :smiley:

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