GamerBraves Newsletter vol. 19 – Trapped Inside The Loot Box

In this week’s issue of the GamerBraves Newsletter, we’ll be unpacking the loot box, excavating glimpses of its history and its future. In the world of gaming, loot boxes are commonly regarded as one of the most predatory and exploitative forms of monetisation, but it didn’t always start that way.

The very essence of loot boxes—is loot. Take away the monetisation, and you basically have one of the most common RPG mechanics in history. Killed a mob? Maybe it’ll drop an item, a rare weapon, or maybe nothing at all! Despite that, gamers will stop at nothing to grind and collect whatever they want in games, no matter how low the odds are.

Somewhere along the way, and developers realise that instead of having players sell their soul to RNGesus, they could introduce the option of spending money to summon RNGesus! In its earlier days, loot boxes weren’t as heavily hated as they are now. Loot boxes remained were mostly optional and didn’t really impede gameplay that much.

Enter the mid 2010s and that is where it all changed. What does the future lie in store for the humble loot box? Subscribe to our newsletter and maybe you’ll find out.

Give it a read and let us know what you think!

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