NBA 2K20 trailer is literal slot machine

[FakeSympathy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46MQ1ZMZ-l4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oyBnjNaS2E&t=42s

So the newest trailers for NBA 2k20 has been released. Instead of showing the cool features and new rosters in-game, 2k decided to focus more on the MTX portion of the game. As if the "starter pack", which is NBA's version of loot boxes, wasn't enough, 2k decided to promote minigames that you can find at Casino

These minigames include ball-drop, slot machine, and even a wheel of fortune thing. They make it look like the winning is exciting and you have a high odds of winning, but if you know how lootboxes or casino games work, you know you have a low chance of winning.

What's worse is that this game is promoted as Age 3+ by PEGI standards. They are telling GAMBLING is approriate for kids less than 6 years old. Oh i'm sorry, it's a surprise mechanic that is quite fun and ethical, right?

IDK which publisher is worst; EA or 2K when it comes to monetizing their sports game franchise.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

C'mon man, don't be like that! It's not gambling, it's just a surprise casino!

*Can't keep a straight face while saying it*

Seriously, this is so beyond parody at this point that I almost feel like 2K is TRYING to make the ripoff so blatant that they get this kind of thing completely banned. There's more gambling in the trailer than basketball. In a goddamn basketball game.

Also, what the hell is the ESRB doing? They got nintendo to pull the game corner's slot machines and replaced with a voltorb flipping card game in the remake of Pokemon Gold/Silver because Nintendo didn't want the game to go up to a Teen rating. For virtual gambling. ...And then they seem to be allowing THIS SHIT to fly in an E rated basketball game?

Honestly, I think the ESRB is completely worthless at this point. If they can't even enforce THAT, then they're hopeless.

 

[BrawlMan]

This is why I don't bother buying anything from 2K and the other trash publishers.

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

Seriously, this is so beyond parody at this point that I almost feel like 2K is TRYING to make the ripoff so blatant that they get this kind of thing completely banned. There's more gambling in the trailer than basketball. In a goddamn basketball game.

This is exactly the reason.

They need the BIGGEST win they can get. Because if after all the hub-bub about loot boxes, and surprise mechanics and all that bull... they need to show that customers are very much into this game mechanics. That people want to take apart of this.

Kind of like how we all had to opt into Google Plus to even comment on youtube for a while? You get to say "Hey, you see how many users of Google Plus we have? Sure must be popular to be in the millions, right?".

Tone Deaf and Stupid as it may be, it certainly fits into the CEO's playbook.

 

[IceForce]

I'm so confused. What the hell has a slot machine, a pinball machine, and a roulette wheel got to do with basketball?

 

[Lufia Erim]

I mean, isn't it better that they show these things upfront rather than hide it? At least this way no one will be blindsighted by the gambling mechanics.

Also Look at any game you own. Look at the rating. It always says " online interactions are not rated by the ESRB". As far as i am aware, you cannot access Microtransactions/lootboxes offline.

Also 3 year olds don't own credit cards. Unless you are a complete oblivious parent, your 3 , 5 even 10 year old shouldn't be able to even access these things. If your 13 or 15 year old is using your credit card against your will, you have failed as a parent.

If you are an adult, well get your shit together.

Having said all of that, the entire sports genre has been completely ruined by microtransactions and it is bleeding into other genres. But the old guard have been warning people of this since horse armor. I literally remember then threads about horse armor on this very website. So, i mean,i'm too old and tired to care anymore. No one listened to the warnings and here we are. Gamers deserve this.

 

[Red Sentinel]

Also 3 year olds don't own credit cards.

You're missing the point. It's not like no credit card = only good wholesome basketball with no gambling.

Games with mechanics like these usually give you a few free lootboxes, a few free pulls of the slot lever, and a few free spins of the roulette wheel. That's how they get you hooked.

A 3 year old is obviously going to be trying out a few of these freebies, credit card or not, which means 3 year olds are going to be experiencing some of the mechanics that a casino would normally offer ...without actually going to a casino.

And there's something very wrong about that.

 

[Lufia Erim]

Also 3 year olds don't own credit cards.

You're missing the point. It's not like no credit card = only good wholesome basketball with no gambling.

Games with mechanics like these usually give you a few free lootboxes, a few free pulls of the slot lever, and a few free spins of the roulette wheel. That's how they get you hooked.

A 3 year old is obviously going to be trying out a few of these freebies, credit card or not, which means 3 year olds are going to be experiencing some of the mechanics that a casino would normally offer ...without actually going to a casino.

And there's something very wrong about that.

Except, this whole lootbox controversy nonsense would never had been an issue, if they weren't tied to microtransactions and real world money being spent in game..

The removing the money element completely changes the issue.

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

Games with these mechanics should get an "Adults Only" rating, regardless of their actual content. Actuallh, games like these shouldn't be allowed on the first place

 

[Lufia Erim]

Games with these mechanics should get an "Adults Only" rating, regardless of their actual content. Actuallh, games like these shouldn't be allowed on the first place

How is going AO going to help at all? Whales aren't children. They'd still make a bucketload of money. Better yet, Kids play Call of Duty , which is rated M, and Activision still make bucketloads of money.

Everyone has these kneejerk reactions they don't think through.

What NEEDS to happen, is inform people, and for people to stop actually buying these games/microtransactions.

But gamers are a fickle bunch. They can't see further than their noses, which is why we are in this situation to begin with.

We have lost this war Years ago, the new gen thinks this is normal, and the old guard " have family and responsibilities". Too little too late.

 

[SckizoBoy]

What's this basketball shenanigans doing in my casino simulator game?!

EA: How dumb can 2K be?!
2K: Not as dumb as the suckers who're gonna buy it anyway! *thumbs up*

 

[Meximagician]

So, slot machines are self-explanatory, but I was wondering what to call the other two games.

The ball drop / Plinko[sup]TM[/sup] game doesn't seem to have a generic name, though it looks a lot like early pinball or early pachinko, both of which had gambling variants. Gambling variants that are banned in various countries, by the way.

The wheel game is called The Big Six Wheel, or Wheel of Fortune, and is notorious for having one of the biggest house advantage of common casino games.

So not only did 2K recreate three gambling games, one of them is banned (in it's gambling form) and another is known for being the worst in terms of payout. Neat.

Who wants to start a betting pool on how long before the really scary Asian gambling rules get this treatment? Lost by five points in a game of Go-Stop? Hope you can cover five times your original wager!

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

Is this rising trend of certain publishers throwing off all restraint with manipulative coercion to profit specifically from people with problematic spending compulsions some sort of panicked death rattle in the face of looming regulation to make as much quick unethical profits as possible before their sweet free cash-monies-for-fuck-all-effort gets taken away? Maybe they're taking all they can whilst they still can. And what better game genre than the sports for a less-informed customer base. Who needs morals when you're too big to fail and the free money off the vulnerable is so lucrative. Who needs good PR when the world is going to such shit while sizable demographics are fine pretending otherwise anyway?

 

[Silvanus]

How is going AO going to help at all? Whales aren't children. They'd still make a bucketload of money. Better yet, Kids play Call of Duty , which is rated M, and Activision still make bucketloads of money.

Adults aren't always going to be aware that the games they buy for their children contain heavy microtransactions. An Adults-Only rating would flag it to the parent. Whether the kids are "whales" or not isn't relevant (although some children absolutely will be huge spenders, undeniably).

Everyone has these kneejerk reactions they don't think through.

What NEEDS to happen, is inform people, and for people to stop actually buying these games/microtransactions.

What, information is enough, and with sufficient information everyone will just make healthy choices?

Bollocks. Gambling preys on those with compulsive tendencies or addictive predispositions, and it does not help those people to just be informed. They need to not be handed the manipulative, self-destructive tools in the first place.

We have lost this war Years ago, the new gen thinks this is normal, and the old guard " have family and responsibilities". Too little too late.

What, so we should... just not complain or raise objection at all? That's guaranteed to make it even worse.

Public pressure has had an impact. A muted impact, and not nearly enough, but it's there.

 

[SckizoBoy]

Good to know the ratings organisation is terrifically responsible, huh...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roddqD3Xqs0

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

Don't mind me, just dry heaving over here

Christ.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

Good to know the ratings organisation is terrifically responsible, huh...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roddqD3Xqs0

Good GOD that's shameful.

Pokemon Red: To get the Coin Case so you can gamble, you need to get it from a guy who says he's giving up on gambling because he "blew all his money" on the slot machines, providing a warning to the player that you can totally lose all your money by gambling. And the Casino turns out to LITERALLY be part of the story, since it's run by an actual criminal gang, thus being even more of a cautionary tale telling you not to trust casinos.

Pegi: Oof this is virtual gambling, age 12 and up.

NBA 2K20: Not only are there random card packs that you have to spend literal money on, but you can also gain actual cards/power/pay-to-win by doing Pachinko, Roulette, and a literal slot machine. Also, if you pay for random cards and get lots of good ones, you can win more often and get more spins of the wheel. Also, we glorify those rare wins by having those over the top "YESSSSSS!!!!!!1" reactions, and never show that the overwhelming majority of the time you will lose.

Pegi: Not gambling! Not even virtual gambling! Suitable for ages 3 and up! You can't judge a game off a single trailer despite the fact that we just did, and think it's fine for 3 year olds!

Yeah, this makes COMPLETE sense. /sarcasm

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Imagine the uproar if a casino was caught luring pre-teen children in with free spins on slot machines. People would be getting hauled in front of government committees for that.

What NEEDS to happen, is inform people, and for people to stop actually buying these games/microtransactions.

Except that now some companies are patching in microtransactions after the fact. I guess people should just be able to see into the future.

 

[TopazFusion]

I'm just wondering how many 3-year-old 'whales' there are.

 

[FakeSympathy]

Imagine the uproar if a casino was caught luring pre-teen children in with free spins on slot machines. People would be getting hauled in front of government committees for that.

What NEEDS to happen, is inform people, and for people to stop actually buying these games/microtransactions.

Except that now some companies are patching in microtransactions after the fact. I guess people should just be able to see into the future.

So really...do those responsible for implementing such shady practices need to be strung up by their ankles naked and caned within an inch of their degenerate lives on live television as an example of what happens to predatory executives? Because it seems quite possible it will literally take something that extreme to shock the general populous out of its morbid stupidity and apathetic attitude towards modern day business practices. It isn?t limited to the video game industry by any means either.

The sad problem however, is ?the people? might just be that powerless in the face of the powerful who have money to be able get anything done constructively, in a way that will shake people to their core and have the message sink in.