How's Overwatch in Belgium since gambling (lootboxes) was banned?

General Discussion
1

So as games such as starwars battlefront and shadow of war have shown us, games deliberate lower drop rates of items and create a ‘slow grind’ environment to manipulate players into buying lootboxes in hopes of getting the item they want, especially during events. Once those games removed lootboxes they were forced to improve the drop rates of said items and restructure their economies proving that they intentionally created an artificial grind to promote their loot boxes.

So Belgium banned ‘paid’ lootboxes for overwatch in August (I think) but unlike battlefront and shadow of war, overwatch hasn’t improved the drop rates of items and reduced duplicates, or if they have they haven’t made it public knowledge. This could be for many reasons such as: 1) if blizzard improved the drop rates so that paying for lootboxes wasn’t needed, other players in different countries would complain that they still have to pay to get the same experience as Belgium players. 2) Blizzard is hoping that enough Belgium players complain about the crappy experience (that blizzard themselves created) so that the government reverts the changes. Games companies including activision blizzard have already asked players to complain on there behalf to governments… 3) something I haven’t thought of.

-So how has the overwatch experience in Belgium been?

-Do you feel the game is worse to play post paid lootbox ban in regard to cosmetics (the only reward ingame) or just the same experience?

-Do you think blizzard should improve the drop rates, reduce duplicates or lower the cost of cosmetics? Are you in favour of paid lootboxes and want them brought back?

-Do you blame the Belgium government or blizzard and the current lootbox trend?

Background info to avoid assumptions:

-Im a UK player

-been playing overwatch since the month it officially came out on ps4. Level 1632 (I think) so I play very often.

-I dislike Paid lootboxes as more often than not games intentionally make themselves grindy to promote buy lootboxes instead of earning said items ingame without a slog

-never paid for a lootbox and save all my ingame currency for events.

-always complete the weekly challenges for the extra 3 lootboxes and have a endorsement rating of 3, sometimes 4 (but I play symmetra a lot so its volatile haha) for some extra lootboxes

-only buy event cosmetics with ingame currency and I only buy them on the last day of the event if I haven’t earned them during the event. Even then there is times I cant get all the items I want and have to wait the following year…

So I believe I’m playing the most optimal way to get the most out of the rewards ingame without spending real money on gambling. Ive even wanted the symmetra utopea skin since launch and have only just received it ingame from a lootbox a few weeks ago (so 2 and a half years waiting) highlighting how serious I am about saving ingame currency for the last day of limited time seasonal events. Also it highlights how abysmal the drop rates and duplicate system is for overwatch and most games that using paid lootboxes.

2

The same as before

The same

Pretty sure everything can stay the same, I’m fundamentally against gambling.

The government has nothing to do with a trend in video games. Blizzard is a company, thus they want to make as much money as possible. As long as it’s legal they’ll try to squeeze as much money out of the consumer as they can.

The main issue is that people actually buy these boxes.

1 Like
3

There’s a HUGE difference between the “pay to win” model of SW Battlefront 2 and the “cosmetic only” OW model.

3 Likes
4

I actually paid once for loot boxes and i regretted it ever since.

3 Likes
5

I was expecting them to offer cosmetics for sale directly already, even team fortress 2 does this you can just buy cosmetics directly, why they don’t do this already least for Belgium really worries me. as other countries may soon follow :cold_sweat:

6

The issue right now is that Blizzard is trying whether they are stronger than Belgium, because if they were to change anything at all, other countries would follow suit, reducing Blizz’s income. Now with that new UK report about juvenile gambling, there will be more pressure on Blizzard and other companies to adress the issue.

1 Like
7

Lootboxes and micro transactions in games are just getting worse and worse i foreonce aplode Belgium for stepping up and not stanind for it. I really hope that other countries join them even my own one. Game atm(excluding Overwatch and some games) are just made to be semi-pay-to-win/enjoy and are just made to cycle players out(older once stop since they dont wanna pay, new once join egger to spend money.) Blizzard will mostlikly never give in to this since they have games that are set on having to pay to own reletivly something worth showing in this games. Looking mainly at hearthstone and soon to come diablo immortals. IF you don’t pay in this games you cant play and even if you do pay like lets say 300-500 euro you will still be short on unlocking everything… So yeah kinda easy for me to support Belgium and it’s kinda sad since they are the only once who see true this money making scam that some games have deployed with the excuse that they need more funds.

Overwatch uses a difrent way to cycle players.

1 Like
8

I live in Belgium and I can’t understand why, but it seems like it is worse than before. On the last event “Halloween” I got 0 Legendary Skins and in General for some reason I am not getting any Legendary Skins any more. It is either that I am High Level or it is quite bad. The only sure thing is that they didn’t make it easier for Belgian people.

9

i think that Loot Boxes have a pity timer, you can’t open more than 20 loot boxes(from the same once) and not get a legendary.

10

So if i do not like candy and want to ban candy for everyone that is oke by you ?
I understand kids should’t have acces to gambling but some one of older age ?

I usually get legendary every 8-12 lootboxes out of 38 lootboxes i got all cosmetics last halloween.

So lets asume event last 30 days that means if you farm 1 and half lootbox a day you would have everything, about 10 games a day assuming you already had all non event items already before event.

11

I mean for some games like Hearthstone its just painful, like i play Hearthstone since closed beta, and i pay’d a lot for that game over the years never missing an offer and stuff, on top of sinking a lot of time in that game, but i’m nowhere close to obtaining everything. The pity timer for Hearthstone is 1 legendary in 40 packs(from the same kind, or the 1st 10 packs for a new set(only once)). 2 pack’s are €2.99 an 40 are €49.99 with that money you will at lest get 1 Legendary. But now when it comes to Overwatch after the first payment everything can be unlocked for free and its not like skins give anything that can improve in game stats. Personally i support them since they don’t only stand up for Overwatch loot boxes (not such a problem) but for other scam/gamble systems as well in other games. When it comes to cosmetics its what ever but imagine if you had to drop an Overwatch hero just to play him, they add like 60 new heroes with 0.002% drop rate and a pity timer of 1 for 40 loot boxes and then keep adding more heroes every 3 months and in a year make the old once you got unplayable.

12

Pay to win or not it is still gambling, doesn’t matter how much Activi$$$$$ion says it isn’t.

If it wasn’t allready obvious, legendary chest gives only 500 coins that is 1 of the many things it screams ( give us money if you want your favorite skin! )

1 Like
13

You have to be a weak minded fool to feel being forced to buy something that doesn’t impact your in game performance at all.

14

So just because someone likes other things like skins your are a fool ? wow someone lives in a small world… Yeah i find it weak minded to spend money on smokes and alcohol too much but most don’t seem to agree either shrug.

2 Likes
15

Loor boxes are gambling, but comparing loot boxes that only contain unnecessary cosmetics to a p2w game like SW battlefront 2 is crazy.

16

I think basically anyone would agree that cosmetic loot boxes is WAY better then some P2W model. Nevertheless no matter how you look at it, it’s still gambling

1 Like
17

Yeah, thats pretty much my stance on this. Overwatch doesn’t lock new heroes behind paywalls or ask a fee for extra content like retribution, so it’s better than a lot of games.

18

You conveniently ignored the word “forced”.

And comparing known drugs with cosmetics in a video game… yeah, you really are really a shining specimen of today’s gamers. And I don’t mean that in a positive way.

The truth behind all this is that today’s gamer generation expect to get everything for free. Games, but also music, videos, movies, etc… they want to pay for nothing. And that’s sad.

19

If you don’t wanna pay for candy then don’t but don’t take away that option for everyone, just make them aware of what they gain from paying.

20

No one really thinks it is forced maybe ?

Stepped out of bed with the wrong feet again ? chill the f out… Yes i give an example you don’t have to agree with it. You know people are addicted too pull the slot machine for skins as well right ? Smoking isnt forced yet people do it.

Yes cause i totally said i want everything for free in a silver platter… I am just saying no matter how you look at it, forced or not. That is has gambling practices even though it is cosmetics. As long you get some thing random without you having the power to select what u want it is gambling.

And again myself have no issues with cosmetics lootboxes, but they can’t deny it is a form of gambling.