We get it, you're upset that you've had to refinance your mortgage six times whilst buying loot boxes in search of that top tier reward. Electronic Arts has been under fire from gamers and content creators alike for as long as anyone can remember. The publishing conglomerate has been caught up in numerous scandals such as monetizing old games via the "Online Pass," being voted worst company in America two years in a row, and of course the most recent controversy; Star Wars Battlefront II's loot box system. Their customers love to hate them. And their profits have never been higher.
It's sad to see people smashing their keyboards over the actions of EA; but can you blame them? EA has published some of the best AAA gaming titles in the world from Mass Effect to Battlefield, only to be plagued with issues. The trouble arises not from the multi-million dollar games themselves, but from the way they're monetized. Loot boxes have found their way into almost all of the popular games.
The loot box business model has often been compared to gambling at a casino. The player spends real world money for a chance to get a specific reward. Most gamers will agree that a loot box that rewards players with cosmetics (and cosmetics only) isn't the worst thing ever. Still--players insist that paying for content in a game that they've already bought is ludicrous. The resentment is compounded when you give players the ability to pay-to-win, a spectacle that can be best observed in SW Battlefront II. A game in which the victor is most often the player with the better loot box content.
It's not difficult to trash these corporations for their actions, but money talks, baby! If you want a AAA quality game, your only options are the big companies, and guess what, you can bet they're going to cram a lootbox system in there. Yet, millions of gamers will flock to the next EA release as if compelled by a deep seeded desire for masochism. These companies only speak one language; green.
Despite the shady business practices of Electronic Arts, the worst part of the whole situation are the hypocritic content creators who make their money spewing hate about the problems without offering genuine, realistic solutions. The same YouTubers will turn around and make an entire video series about EA's newest game or stream it on Twitch for months on end, just to keep up with their competition. Absolutely embarrassing.
If gamers really want to make a difference, stop paying for business models that you do not agree with. Better yet, get out there and make your own game. You can't expect a business that is raking in record profits hand over fist, year after year, to change because you're upset with the way they conduct business. The proof is in their bottom line. The fact that you've looked up how much money you can get for your kidneys is a testament of a successful business. It's a lot, by the way.
Electronic Art's track record is clear. Albert Einstein is famously, although perhaps inaccurately quoted as saying, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result."
With love,
TSB, not an apologist.