Regulating the Gaming Industry
2017 was the year that microtransactions, loot boxes and other egregious business models common to gaming finally came to the attention of the mainstream. The debacle that surrounded the launch of Star Wars: Battlefront II finally dragged this matter into the limelight and subsequently put in on the radar of various global, legislative and regulatory bodies. The genie is now well and truly out of the bottle and it’s now a question of waiting to see what happens next. I suspect that the EU may likely be one of the first regions to tackle the issue and that it may well be the mobile game industry that is first to fall upon its sword. If there’s a change in government in the UK, then there is scope for matter to be tackled here. There is already a strong lobby against current gambling legislation and it doesn’t take much of an imagination to envisage a tabloid led campaign against the iniquities of smartphone game addiction and it’s pay-to-win culture. Then there’s the issue of virtual items resold for real money via auction websites and the question of whether loot boxes are or are not gambling. Apples recent statement about games publicly declaring the odds of winning in advance, shows that the world is indeed slowly turning against this business model.
LOTRO: Pilgrims in a Barren Land
I bought the Mordor expansion for LOTRO in August but apart from playing through the prologue, I made no further progress. I was getting somewhat burnt out with MMOs at the time, so I decided to take a break and pursue other games. I was prompted to return to the LOTRO today by the recent Executive Producer’s Letter from Rob Ciccolini and the announcement that Update 22, coming in 2018, takes the story to Northern Mirkwood. Iconic locations such as Thranduil's Court, Dale, Laketown, and Erebor will feature in the epic story. Looking further ahead another future destination is Minas Morgul and a showdown with Shelob, who so far, we’ve only met briefly from a first-person perspective in a cut scene. Naturally I’m interested in where Standing Stone Games takes the story next, so I need to ensure that I have reached level cap by the end of the year, which isn’t that far away. Hence, it’s back to Mordor. Shame I don’t like Mordor.
Getting What You Want in MMOs
MMOs are all about the proverbial carrot on a stick. The carrot can take on many guises and not everyone is pursuing the same goal. However most players at some point have set their sight on something in particular and doggedly gone about pursuing it. The tale I am about to tell is regarding Star Trek Online, although I’m sure readers may well find parallels with other MMOs that they may play. Essentially this is about when you just decide that you want something in a game. It may be relevant to your overall gameplay and offer a significant enhancement. It may also be just a cosmetic item that has taken your fancy. Either way you’ve decided that you must have this specific thing and that you are going to get it, come hell or high water.