Four-sided banditA DECADE ago the idea of paying real money for virtual items was unusual and exotic. These days many video-game publishers build their commerce models around it. Some of the worlds biggest games,such as “League of Legends”, cost nothing to buy. Instead they rely for their revenue on players buying things for spend in the game, or such as current characters to play with or costumes to put them in.
A current twist on that model has been attracting the attention of regulators in recent weeks. “Loot boxes” are yet another type of in-game” item that gamers buy with currency. Unlike the usual sort of purchase,however, players do not know in advance what they are buying, and for the contents of a loot box are generated randomly. Sometimes they might be desirable,and therefore valuable; prized items include current gestures or “emotes” for a character, or a pearl handle for an automatic weapon. whether less alluring, and well,players can pay a bit more money...
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Source: economist.com