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Star Trek Online: Chance to Win a Voth Bulwark Dreadnought Cruiser
BMunchausen
Staff WriterMMORPG.COM Staff Posts: 400
From now until July 3, (10 am Pacific time) players purchasing a Romulan Survivor Duty Officer Pack from the C-Store have the chance to win the sought-after Voth Bulwark Dreadnought Cruiser.
The Voth cruiser comes standard with 1 hangar bay of Voth Heavy Fighters armed with Antiproton Arrays, Transphasic Chroniton Torpedoes, Emergency Power to Shields 1 and Emergency Power to Weapons 1.
For more details regarding the Voth cruiser or the Romulan Survivor Duty Officer Pack, visit Arc Games' official Star Trek Online website.
Comments
What is the chance this game will ever not suck?
And how is this so called "article" anything but a advertisement for gambling potentially aimed at under-aged players?
Makes me sick!
Whoever came up with gambling lock boxes in MMO games (played by many minor aged people), should go die in a fire!
All this crap is really starting to ruin the genre! :-(
I am also baffled as how any government hasn´t jumped on this already? As online gambling, especially towards minors, is illegal in many countries. Especially here in Europe.
It has also raised flags here in Australia. Law changes in process include attention to gambling with virtual currency.
And because our censorship system does not yet include descriptors for gambling or simulated gambling (as ESRB does) there is a possibility that may make these games R18+ or even Refused Classification (totally illegal - until it is resolved).
Watch this space.
Nothing says irony like spelling ideot wrong.
There are all kinds of sophisticated and creative ways to avoid the risk of prosecution for "illegal gambling".
For instance: "It's not gambling, because the player always receives an item(s) in exchange for their money." It's standard practice in the retail industry to offer the "chance" of winning some valuable prize if you buy item X during a special promotion.
You also cannot claim that the item is unfairly priced, because digital goods are mostly priced arbitrarily.
We all "know" what they're doing, but proving it in a court of law is quite another matter.
It's not a mere For instance:, that's their main line of defence. It's not "real gambling" they say, because:
- you don't pay for it, no real money involved (players pay for the Zen, TP, FC, you name it, and then they can choose to purchase anything with those virtual currencies. Keys too, among many other. Their choice.)
- there's no losing, so it's not even a raffle, you always get at least some consumables and sh*t (and as a 2.0 version nowadays you also get some form of barter items - Lobi in STO's case - with which you can barter great items if you're really unlucky and always getting just consumable sh*t. Clever... but still shady)
- there's no "winning" either, it's only virtual goods, for virtual currency. You can't make real money from it. (you can turn your items into Zen through 2-3 steps, but it's still just virtual currency.)
Basically they're saying it's simply a game mechanic within the game. Technically, even with the new online betting regulations and casinos, they're right. But it's still a shady and better to avoid it completely. (but I'm biased since I speak against lock/lootboxes right from their start)
Governments are getting wise to this.
This is a campaign by one of the Australian State Governments
http://nogame.com.au/whats-the-problem/
...Most simulated gambling games are easier to win at than real-life gambling. This can give children unrealistic expectations that they will always win if they gamble, or make them believe they are ‘lucky’. ...
And some of their proposals
http://nogame.com.au/whats-happening/
This issue has been highlighted lately because of a number of children getting 'scammed' by games.
It is already illegal to allow Australians to gamble with sites outside Australia.
In practice this means that the Australian government can regulate online gambling within Australia. Sites outside Australia that allow Australians to gamble with credit (they don't get the cash first) run the risk that they may never get their money... because if the Australian refuses to pay (or stops a credit card payment)... they cannot collect. It has happened already.
Virtual items and currency are being targeted now. It's not a matter of "if" - it's "when". The hold ups at the moment are more to do with defining the boundary between real and virtual cash and what is real gambling and virtual gambling. The information I have is that the law makers are leaning toward any game that allows you to purchase virtual currency (or even items which can be indirectly exchanged for virtual currency) will be regarded as virtual currency = real currency.
Nothing says irony like spelling ideot wrong.
Australia does have some pretty insane censorship laws. The titles banned or whatnot was shocking to me. On this though I hope you all kick these companies where it freaking hurts. Hopefully the rest of the world follows. Companies need to ditch these boxes and sell the items for a flat price. I don't care if it's $300, $600, $1,000.
I would be shocked if companies aren't mucking with percentages or capping how many of the top items in boxes can be opened in a given amount of time. Preventing over saturation ect.
want 7 free days of playing? Try this
http://www.swtor.com/r/ZptVnY
Sad, but true. I'm taking an extended break from the game for that exact reason. If there were a better, non-lockbox-crap-filled-Star Trek-MMO, I'd be playing it instead. Let's not even get into the Repetition...I mean 'Reputation System'.