It's time for government regulation...

Luiden

Yes, I said something I thought I would never say but it's quite clear that game development companies no longer have the ability to focus on creating quality games.  Over the past 5 years the focus has changed from creating entertainment that sells to creating revenue schemes targeting consumers and not delivering on product.  Before you flame take a look at the following ideas for regulation:

1.  Games advertised as 'Early Access' and accept money in exchange for allowing a gamer to play the game before release must publicly state a release date.  If that date is not met or changed at any time then the game company must offer a full refund to the gamer at the gamers request.

2.  Games implementing loot boxes must publicly post the odds of winning each item in the item pool.  Loot boxes will be classified as gambling and will be taxed as such, all revenue generated from loot boxes must be reported for tax purposes.  All items which gamers are gambling for must be public knowledge including an item description and abilities of the item.  Game companies that update or change item abilities after being won in the loot box gambling system must offer a refund to the gamer if requested.

3.  Every non consumable item (mounts, clothing, weapons) available for purchase through an online cash shop must include a target expiration date.  If a game is shutdown by the gaming company before the expiration date of item purchased then the game company is responsible to reimburse the gamer for the item purchased.

4.  Purchasing made through online shops or any other avenue must be approved by a consenting adult.  Gross purchases made without adult approval is subject to 100% refund upon request.  The game company must show that a consenting adult has made the purchase.

These are just some starting ideas but I think you get the picture as to why we now need something like this.  Gamers are severely getting ripped off across all types of games and I hate to say it but we now need some kind of consumer protection.    

Spiider

ROFL politicians will make sure that we get quality games.... riiiight....

Scot

I would have concerns that the regulation does not run away with itself. But I think we need to stop random items all together, remove loot boxes and their ilk. Some of your suggestions like proving its a consenting adult would be tricky. But we do need an overall clamp down on predatory practices.

Sovrath

Government regulation for video games?

Look, it's their companies and they can do what they want. They don't "have to make quality games" anymore than you have to buy them.

I'm not against government regulation, especially when children are concerned but if these companies want to run themselves into the ground let them.

In case I only agree with "2" and "4".

tawess

by that logic we would have to issue a court order against Michael Bay and a open refund policy on movies... alternatively a fine on anyone cutting a "bad" trailer. =P 

The loot box issue a actually a completely separate issue seeing as you can do loot boxes in a good way... as shown with well... any RPG since Dungeons n Dragons... the table top version... but more relevant games like WoW... because in the end... Any raidboss is just a loot box that fights back .

I am all for putting a end to unregulated gambling, and i am sure that will come. 

delete5230

Hay, BDO is still on Steam sale.... Everyone should rush right out and buy this Asian grinder if they don't have it.

rojoArcueid

So we need the government to regulate how we spend our money because we cannot stop buying shit?

Why not just stop buying broken games from anti-consumer and greedy companies to send them the strong message that their shit is not welcome?

EDIT: with that said, points 2 and 4 from the OP make sense and i agree with those. Everything else falls on the player's head for being so compulsive buyers. Stop supporting anti-consumer practices. We've all been there, just stop spending money blindly.

Konfess

Why not ask for an out law of F2P?  Realize that EA is access to Beta and Alpha testing, not the completed project.  EA may award the completed project as an addition, but this is not an entitlement.  A LOT of games in professional development never see the light of day, there is nothing new or deceptive about that.  Many games in EA are being done by amateurs who don't have the skill, money or temperament to ever complete a project.  But EA is access to the development phase, as such their end of the contract is fulled in its entirety.  Oh and with the end of F2P, welcome in the $160 buy in followed by the $60 subscription.  Full refund, the government will not allow that for a service that was received in full, the access.  The delivery of final product is a separate thing and is not covered or warrantied. 

Loot Boxes where passed before local, state, and federal governments and passed off as not gambling.  Residents of foreign countries especially should seek legal advice.  Loot boxes were the answer to P2W, you don't want Loot Box then be happy with all the P2W that comes next.

Expiration dates?  READ the TOS & EULA, those dates have always been spelt out as the life of the service, when the service ends so does the things bought, please re-read. There will be no government enforced refunds.

Item 4 has always been the case.  What you are really asking for is refund even when parent(s)  consented, and that wont happen.

What you are really asking for is a warping of all legal contract law in favor of people who don't read the contracts they agreed to, and don't understand the law they are held to.

Nothing said here is legal advice, seek your own legal council.

RexKushman

No....just no.

Quizzical

Companies would comply with (1) by arbitrarily declaring a game released on the specified date whether it was ready or not.  If anything, that would mean companies giving consumers less information about what was going on, as they would no longer be able to use an official launch to mean that the game is meaningfully ready for launch or even kind of close to it.

While I don't think this would be all that common, if companies needed to change stats of former loot box items later, they could technically comply with (2) by leaving the item unchanged but modifying other things, e.g., effectively nerf an item by making everything else in the game stronger, then redenominating the units so that the other items display the same as before.

On (3), companies should be allowed to make items last past the target expiration date.  And if so, then the target expiration date is yesterday.  Now point (3) means nothing.

For (4), credit card usage or other similar payment methods generally should require the consent of the person whose card is being used.  I'm not familiar with the minutiae of online payment regulations, but I don't see any reason to treat computer games differently from other online purchases.  If there's a realistically fixable problem with people spending someone else's money on computer games, let's fix it for online purchases in general, not just online games.

Flyte27

I remember when I decided not to play most MMOs because of cash shops and item selling a long ways back there were similar posts, but far worse.  Despite the outrage, most people don't care.  I don't think I would like modern MMOs at this point even if they had regulations.  There isn't enough focus on character building.  The focus is mostly on balanced PvP, raiding, selling items, and ease of entry.  It's been going downhill for a very long time.

Quizzical

More generally, there is a place for some regulation of online games to prevent fraud and so forth, but there already are some laws on the books for that.  I don't want regulators being asked to enforce vague laws that leave game developers no idea as to what is legal or not, nor do I want regulatory agencies to be given broad discretion to do whatever they please in regulating game companies.  Either of those will impose considerable costs on the industry without offering much benefit to consumers.

In most commercial domains, the question is not whether there should be regulations, but what particular regulations should apply.  Many industries are covered by some basic anti-fraud laws, for example.  Regulations that are unambiguous, easy to understand, offer considerable benefit or protections to consumers, and impose negligible compliance costs on legitimate businesses are good.  Regulations that are vague enough that people aren't really sure what they mean, or impose considerable costs that businesses will inevitably pass along to consumers without offering consumers any real benefit are bad.  The details matter tremendously, and if you want to impose more regulations, you need to more careful in how you write them than you have been in your original post.

HoopdyDoo

Because the government doesn't have other things to worry about...

Good lord.

Cryomatrix

I agree with 2 and 4. For option 3, I think it may be easier just to use a 1-6 month time frame. If game closes within 1-6 months, all purchases are refundable. 

Option 1 is more like, it is clearly a gimmick on the developer's part, it matters who is okay with it or not. I'm okay with it for conan exiles based on what i saw about it on youtube. Otherwise, I'd stay away. Before i look into other games, i usually check youtube gameplay to get an idea of how it looks and plays as im a graphics whore as it is. 

Cryomatrix

MaxBacon

Regulation won't mean higher quality games, it will yes limit the ways they are monetizing that can be considered abusive, but the rest shall always fall on the same rule: The cheapest way to make money.

sayuu

Luiden said:

Yes, I said something I thought I would never say but it's quite clear that game development companies no longer have the ability to focus on creating quality games.. . .   
. . .Gamers are severely getting ripped off across all types of games and I hate to say it but we now need some kind of consumer protection.    

the only protections you need are called self control and consumer awareness. 



I.E. stop buying shit games and the market will adjust. . .

Renoaku

I think it is time for someone to have a say in Loot Boxes, Gambling aka Gacha, something needs to be done about these especially these.

Every game with Lootbox needs a warning on them to explain the risks of gambling and addiction.

As for the Pre-Release sales, it needs to be more specific on an exact release date, estimated release date, and such or people should be able to get their money back.

Part of the problem with games as we have seen with Marvel Heroes they will keep selling right up until the month or so the game is going to close and they know it too but they try and get as much money as they can from people before shutting it down and they don't keep the public aware of things, this part needs to change for sure.

MightyUnclean

Apparently the OP has never heard the phrase "buyer beware."

flames0042

This is absolutely stupid.

First, keep the government out of the gaming industry for as long as possible. Much as they have screwed up everything else they have touched we really do not need big brother screwing with our games.

2nd, this snowflake entitlement bs is just that, b.s.

When you buy something try just understanding what you are getting. If it is a product in development and you actually delude yourself into thinking you will get it on the first date they announce for release you are insane. Get over it, or don't spend money on them.

You have enough disposable income to buy loot boxes? WTF are you complaining about. The real world is laughing at your complaint.

So, snowflake, get over it and  take some personal responsibility for the games you buy and the purchases you make. When you basically ask big brother to come help you because you didn't get what you wanted, even though it openly isn't what your money was going to get you, you are forcing the rest of us, that are responsible adults, to suffer.

KEEP GOVERNMENT OUT OF GAMING. ACT LIKE A DAMNED ADULT

Vrika

Luiden said:

3.  Every non consumable item (mounts, clothing, weapons) available for purchase through an online cash shop must include a target expiration date.  If a game is shutdown by the gaming company before the expiration date of item purchased then the game company is responsible to reimburse the gamer for the item purchased.

That's too complicated. The company should be allowed to sell stuff that last for lifetime of the game.

Protection against unexpected shut-downs would be better done with something like: "Game operator must announce shut down of online services at least 6 months in advance. After announcement is done, the shut-down warning must be displayed before every real money transaction. If the warning is not displayed, the buyer is entitled to get full refund of that transaction".

Luiden said:

4.  Purchasing made through online shops or any other avenue must be approved by a consenting adult.  Gross purchases made without adult approval is subject to 100% refund upon request.  The game company must show that a consenting adult has made the purchase. 

There are already laws limiting what a minor is allowed to do, and refund given when the limits of those laws are exceeded. 

We need better procedures to prevent the situation where minor gets access to his guardian's credit card, not stricter laws.

wanderica

I agree that it's become a bit of a problem in recent years, but in the end it has to be treated like any other entertainment retailer.  It's up to us as the customer to stop buying from companies like EA and "Bob's Discount Game Dev."  After all, we DO get a game, and we DO agree to a EULA.  Technically, you always have the option to decline and request a refund.

FWIW, I agree on lootboxes, and they should be subject to gambling laws.  In the US at least, that would mean different rules for different states, which would effectively neuter those practices.

TalulaRose

I have no problem letting people gamble or smoke or do what ever they want to do to harm themselves. 

Stop making me pay taxes to keep these people alive. If they make a choice that harms them let them deal with it. Only thing I would be willing to pay for is the person who has to clean up the carcass.

Horusra

Careful what you ask the government to regulate.  Obsessive gaming is now a recognized disease.  You want them regulating how much you can play?

Theocritus

The consumer has 100% of the power...no oen forces any of us to spend a dime...If we do, it is our choice but we should live with the consequences.

GeezerGamer

Is there money to be made by the Govt. by regulating this?
If so, they will get involved. If not, they won't touch it.

Calaruil

I'm against governmwnt regulation but i do agree with points 2, 3 and 4.

Point 1 the early access I think would hurt indie companies more than the big guys that release crap.
Imho if your buying early access you understand your buying a game in beta that might not get fully released if it fails.