AndyMK84

@BloodNinja diverted into nonsense?
All of the points I’ve made you’ve ignored, because it doesn’t fit with your point of view.

@dkxcalibur the thing is, young minds are more impressionable than those of adults. Addiction occurs far easier at younger ages than in adulthood, so breaking a potential point that could cause addiction surely should be looked at.

@BloodNinja so what - the link is nonsense, despite it featuring an interview of someone addicted to loot boxes, just because it doesn’t fit with your own narrative?

Priceless.

Do us all a favour and learn to be humble and admit when you’re wrong.

@BloodNinja plenty of counter arguments, you’ve just being a complete and utter fool here, pretending competitive gaming ore 2010 is the same as playing to win through loot boxes, and that addictions are ‘down to the individual’ and that all addicts are essentially mentally weak.

You keep digging that hole, but you’re showing yourself up to be an EXTREMELY naive and nasty individual.

@BloodNinja
So basically, you’re denying that addiction is a thing and is simply down to ill discipline or not being mentally strong enough to know when to quit.

Got it.

@BloodNinja
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-54906393

@BloodNinja it’s not just a parent/young child thing though. What about young adults who get their first jobs and end up spending 90% of their pay cheques on them? Might be an exaggerated example, but I guarantee that there are people out there who can’t control the temptation of paying for better in game items.

It’s people like those who need help - you might say they’re doing it within their own free will, but I’m saying they’re doing it out of addiction and bad habit and need help.

@BloodNinja the way someone plays a game to gain a competitive advantage is a problem, but that problem is enabled by the fact the system of loot boxes exist. Disable the thing enabling people to pay to win, and you start controlling the issue.

I don’t know how many people spend more money than they should on these things as it would be relative on a person by person basis based on their disposable income, but regulating it so it doesn’t become more predatory can’t be a bad thing.

A lot of us would be happy to see loot boxes gone altogether, but a happy go-between (only allowing players one transaction per day, limiting the amount of items in rotation, making a maximum price per loot box, etc) wouldn’t be a bad idea as it wouldn’t allow people to exploit the system and become dependent on them.

@BloodNinja the very reason WHY loot boxes would be regulated is because of the adverse reactions that are associated with them.

If they weren’t seen as having the potential to cause the mindset of gambling then this whole point wouldn’t be up for discussion.

And it doesn’t even concern children - plenty of young adults out there are spending vast amounts of money on loot boxes.

@BloodNinja video game addiction hasn’t been recognised as a diagnosable condition, but it has been ear marked as an area that requires further studying. If you really want to split hairs, here’s an article:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200513143803.htm

Addiction is classed as : ‘ Addiction is defined as not having control over doing, taking or using something to the point where it could be harmful to you.’

I’m not sure what the minimum required percentage is until something is legally recognised as being ‘addiction worthy’ as you could throw absolutely any inane action into the list and say it’s a medical addiction, when in theory, it wouldn’t be.

And the problems that I’m bringing up are extremely relevant. If loot boxes weren’t addictive, they wouldn’t be an issue. If people weren’t out there wasting hundreds or thousands on trying to earn a competitive advantage in a game on these things, then it wouldn’t be an issue.

The fact that there are YT videos of people paying money to win good players on FIFA and promoting the practise, which is then viewed by hundreds of thousands of people tells me it needs regulating.

You can argue all you want, but the fact that you can’t see that these things have the potential to cause financial and mental issues is alarming.

@BloodNinja whereas I disagree.

Mental health issues and the implications of being addicted to something that could create financial ruin and depression is a very real issue, regardless of it not being a visible issue in the same way as liver failure or lung cancer is.

@BloodNinja Agree with that point.
But what I will say is that there are regulations in the tobacco and smoking industries due to them both being harmful.

I’d argue the same could be said over something that could create financial and/or mental health issues which is why regulation wouldn’t be a bad thing IMO.

@BloodNinja not regulating it allows a frankly disgusting practise to continue.
I don’t know why you’d oppose such a thing..

@BloodNinja so, because alcoholic anonymous is a well known organisation, it stops alcoholism? Absolutely not. It only stops people who admit they have a problem and want to stop.

The whole notion of being okay with paying extra in a game to gain competitive advantages is absolutely nonsensical in my opinion..

@Stocksy genuinely astonishes me that anyone can defend the practise of greedy companies asking you to pay X amount extra in a game you’ve already brought, to gain a competitive advantage.

Literally no advantages whatsoever to wanting to pay to win.

@BloodNinja ‘ I think too many triggered gamers are afraid of lootboxes’

Well, yeah. I think any reasonable gamer would oppose the notion of playing to win. Why should you pay for a full priced game and then have to pay extra (blindly at that) to keep up with other people who have given in to loot boxes, for fear of being left behind?

@BloodNinja I’m also of the generation where we had masses of sugary sweets and unhealthy cereals, and it didn’t do me any harm, but that’s not what the point here is.
Just because I’m relatively healthy, it doesn’t mean that there are people out there who’s lifestyles have been shaped by the way they lived as children..

Although to counter my own argument, I miss the days when kids could be kids. Bring back prizes in cereals!

@BloodNinja I respectfully disagree. You’re ignoring the amount of parents who give in to their children’s wants as it’s ‘easier’ than arguing why loot boxes are a bad thing.

It’s the same reason why the U.K. has started banning cartoon characters on sugary kids cereals and won’t allow advertising of fast food before a certain time now.

Is it becoming a nanny state? Possibly. But the reasoning behind it is that if it becomes the norm now, maybe in 10-20 years time we’ll have a healthier population.

Sometimes you need external influences to step in and do the job. It’s an interesting debate all the same, and I do hear you and get what you’re saying too..

@westman98 absolutely. Any game that you purchase and then have to pay more towards in order to be competitive online should be banned IMO.

@dkxcalibur if banning loot boxes altogether isn’t viable, maybe limiting the amount a player can buy per day, or how many different items a game can offer, would be a more sensible in-between.

I’m not fully aware of how loot boxes work, as I’ve thankfully steered clear of them, but having a fair way to earn the items through playing the game wouldn’t be a bad idea either..

@dkxcalibur absolutely. I loved collecting and swapping cards and stickers as a kid, but I guess with blind boxes in video games that social element of playing ‘swaps’ with your mates is gone.

And also, when a loot box in a game can get you items that improve your chances of winning it also feeds into a very different kind of ‘want’ than the more innocent card collecting of my youth..I think when blind boxes can alter your enjoyment of a gaming experience, that’s when it can become an issue.

@dkxcalibur you raise an extremely valid point..

As a kid, I used to love collecting stickers and cards (still have most of my old sets to this day), but they fall into exactly the same category of not knowing what you’ll get until you pay for the product first.

EDIT
POGS definitely came under that bracket too..

@BloodNinja there SHOULDN’T be a need to regulate something that’s 100% in an adults control, but you’re over estimating the intelligence of a lot of people.

I mean, the temperatures over in the U.K. are absolutely sweltering today, yet the government still needs to tell people not to be out in the sun, to drink water, to keep shaded etc…

Common sense evades a lot of people, which is why we need regulations!

@BloodNinja as a parent myself, I have never, and would never, let my child get into loot boxes.

The link it causes in their still not fully developed brains can be potentially catastrophic if it leads to links to ‘adult’ gambling. The risk of it all tells me that it NEEDS to be regulated in some form.

Pretty sure a homemade modification of a car like that can’t be legal - he was flying down that road at some speed…

@mazzel got you…Cross communication there, as I was looking at it from the POV of the U.K. pre order.

Like you said though, it’s all nonsense now. The fun and games continue..

@mazzel we were given a late July window for the CE:

https://twitter.com/NintendoUK/status/1534188479298641920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1534188479298641920%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnoisypixel.net%2Fxenoblade-chronicles-3-special-edition-pre-orders%2F

@MrGawain because people are fans of the franchise and based on previous entries there’s a pretty high probability that they’ll enjoy this game as well..

There’s no risk involved from the buyer - either pre order and if the game bombs, return the collectors edition, or sell it on eBay.

@nathatruc that’s the EU Store - the U.K. Store is up and running as it always has been..

@piecez sales of the game aren’t going to be affected. The CE is still being released. It’s just the mess up of changing the pre order window that’s a hassle here.

@mazzel no, but the pre order window has changed, for no reason.

@mariomaster96 they’re saying buy the game at launch, and then they’ll release the contents of the special edition separately (i.e minus the game)

It’s a big old mess - I’m going to wait until the collectors edition goes on sale and try and snag the game + special edition together if they bundle it like that..

@AhabSpampurse this one is stressing me out as they keep moving the goalposts..
Why they can’t say ‘pre orders on July 22nd at 1pm, although the limited edition contents won’t ship until September’ is beyond me..

@SilentHunter382 cheers. Still pricey for me, but it looks great all the same!

@Piyo I agree that the eShop experience isn’t the best, but is it really THAT big an issue? I mean, if there is a product I want, I can find it easily. It’s the games that go under the radar that are missing out most.

I still feel Nintendo makes the most enjoyable games out of the big three. Sure, games like Horzon Forbidden West look great but for me gameplay > story and cinematics all day long. I buy games to play them, not watch them.

And that’s where Nintendo differentiates. If you look at Sony and Microsofts presentations last month, all the trailers focused on the cinematic aspects over showing the gameplay.

So for that reason alone, I’m GLAD Nintendo are (as you put it) so ‘behind’.

Ugh. Ridiculous. What’s stopping Nintendo putting the pre orders up now and letting people secure in advance?

@somebread Oh, i've absolutely seen how rabid some of the fanbase get. I get that people are passionate about it, but it's a bit much (to put it mildly!)

Stayed away from this almost in it's entirety - saw the original trailer when announced, haven't followed it much, and haven't played the demo...

I think what I saw in the reveal was almost enough to persuade me to get this - just waiting for those review scores to come in and see if it's as highly rated as people are giving it praise for.

Is Sonic lore really that big a thing?

Have limited exposure to the series - I loved the Mega Drive games, own Battle 2 on the Gamecube as well as Colours on the Wii and Generations on the PS3 (as well as multiple re-releases of the orginal games), but never 'got' the story side of Sonic.

I guess for me, i've always looked at it as a companion title to the Mario games, as in it's never been about the story, and only about the gameplay...

That said, I used to love the UK (Fleetway) Sonic The Comic magazine from the mid 90s...

£180.00? Yikes.
Although I love things like this - artbooks and gaming books are often fantastic additions; I have all the LoZ Dark Horse Books (Hyrule Historia, LoZ Encylopedia, Art and Artifacts and BoTW : Creating A Champion) as well as some of the Bitmap Book launches, and love flicking through them.

I'm sure anyone who buys this will absolutely love it!

@dr-gorgo except, they're really not. If the DLC is on par with Torna The Golden Country DLC from XC2 it will be completely worth the added price.

If you don't like it, don't buy it. But the aforementioned DLC is completely worth the money.

@tameshiyaku Agree and disagree. Cosmetic DLC can be nice to have - new customisation, new outfits...All fun to look at. But obviously the DLC adds on story as well..

@BTB20 The guy needs to look at all the amazing exclusives available for the Switch, how well they've been received by critics and the public, and then try coming back with a straight face and tell us all that Nintendo are still leagues behind Sony and Microsoft.

I appreciate how beautiful current gen games are, but Nintendo have found their area of the market and absolutely cleaning up.

@Piyo 'I hate it. Nintendo is always two console generations behind.'

How so? The Switch is a phenomenal piece of kit. The software available is absolutely insane. It's selling like hot cakes, and has been cleaning up the hardware market since it launched over 5 years ago. Considering they're 'so behind', it's hardly cause for panic. Or are you one of those who thinks technical power of a console is the primary factor on whether or not it is worthy?

Are you trying to say Nintendo need a 4K, top tier machine? If so, what are your reasons?

I'm pretty sure the lineup available on the console would contradict the necessity of Nintendo needing to be leading the way, or at least on par, technically with the other two.

Not to mention, the form factor of the Switch would render it nigh on impossible to have a handheld device running specs comparable to the PS5 and Series S/X.

@a_brave_new_geek I wouldn't suggest jumping straight into XC3 if you haven't played the first two...I don't think you'd miss an awful lot in terms of lore and story, but it's always a good idea to go back and play the first game(s) in the series first instead of jumping in head first into the most recent game in the series blindly.

Whatever you choose - enjoy!