19-year-old gambling addict lays out a case against video game microtransactions
In a powerful open letter to the video game industry, a 19-year-old gambling addict gave a first-hand account of how in-game microtransactions and loot boxes can tempt young players into spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars for content.
Reddit user Kensgold, who asked us not to use his real name, shared his story on Reddit in November.
The post, aimed at the developers and publishers of Star Wars Battlefront II -- and all other companies in the industry -- explained how, at the age of 14, he spent well over $10,000 over the course of a few years thanks to microtransactions and, admittedly, his own addiction to gambling.
He name-dropped the companies involved with Star Wars Battlefront II because of the controversy surrounding the recently released game, the loot boxes for which contribute to at least a portion of the game's progression system. Loot boxes can be earned from playing the game over time, or can be purchased with real money to get those helpful upgrades, new abilities, and credits (in-game currency) faster.
Although he enjoyed playing the game's beta, Kensgold was disappointed to learn that it used a loot box system and microtransactions. He's had to avoid games with these features after he came to terms with his gambling problem.
"It makes me disappointed to know I wont be able to play those games," he said in an email. "I loved Star Wars as a kid and still do. It sucks to see the passion and sheer man hours the developers put into the game to have it ruined by executive-level choices. Other games too. For example I am worried about the upcoming vanilla servers for World of Warcraft that Blizzard announced."
According to receipts and statements Kensgold shared with us via email, he spent around $10,000 on video game content, ranging from $0.99 to $100 on games like Clash of Kings, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Hobbit: Kingdom of Middle-earth, Pokémon Go, and more. The transactions he shared were only from 2015 and 2016.
"At first it was 10 bucks every other week. Then the game shifted again."
Many of the purchases Kensgold made helped him out in games, falling into the pay-to-win category of microtransactions that many people adamantly oppose. These kinds of transactions are what got the ball rolling for him when he was 14, and the instant gratification and rush of getting something good fueled his addiction.
"In the beginning I began playing a game on my phone," he wrote on Reddit. "It was a normal city builder clone. The goal of the game was open ended. It started off fine, but slowly changed to favor those who purchased large quantities of their equivalent to [Star Wars Battlefront II] credits."
People he played with — adults with full-time jobs — could afford to stay on top by buying hundreds of dollars of helpful content in the game, and Kensgold didn't want to fall behind, he said.
"I began to spend some of the money I had saved over my early years in an attempt to keep up with my friends," he wrote. "At first it was 10 bucks every other week. Then the game shifted again. They introduced the premium token chest. It had better gear for your heroes, new and better heroes, resources, experience, etc."
The spending grew out of hand and not only emptied Kensgold's savings but strained the relationship between him and his mother. He worked at near-minimum wage jobs and nearly 100% of his income went toward in-game purchases. He started getting into more and more games that offered loot boxes and other in-game purchasing opportunities.
With Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the in-game purchases didn't actually result in anything beneficial like they do with his mobile games of choice. Players can buy keys to open loot crates that contain gun skins, which are purely cosmetic, and then sell and buy those skins through the online marketplace.
Finally, Kensgold realized he needed help and started seeing a therapist, confronting his addiction. But he wrote that some other young players may not receive the support that he received and end up worse off.
Though there are obvious repercussions to legally labeling loot boxes as a form of gambling, Kensgold is in support of it. He said that it could go a long way to help inform people about their choices.
"Add government gambling tax to all loot box transactions, and an ESRB rating that complies with the U.S. age limit for gambling," he said, noting that making games with loot boxes only available to people 18 and older could cut down on kids getting exposed to the problems he faced.
Belgium's Gaming Commission looked into loot boxes in November and said that they are a form of gambling and want them banned from Belgium and Europe at large. Meanwhile, EA does not consider the loot boxes in Star Wars Battlefront II as a form of gambling, and neither does the ESRB.
Of course, microtransactions and loot boxes have become a necessity for some developers as the costs of development and upkeep rise, without which many games wouldn't even exist. And imposing restrictions on publishers could lead to unwanted regulations on other aspects of games.
Regardless of the myriad problems and their potential solution, the one clear takeaway here is that current systems in place don't seem to be working. At least not in many gamers' eyes.
