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Canadian Gaming Deals, Discussion, and Nintendo Item Stock Watch 10

D

Deleted member 126221

Unconfirmed Member
Maddog said:
I could not get the banner to appear. Any tips?
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Yup, I sometimes see a banner about 2 free audiobooks, but nothing about a free physical book... Guess we're too late. :/
 
J

jokkir

Member
How do I change my payment method on Walmart? I'm having issues with my credit card right now and might need to get a new one.
 
ComputerBlue

ComputerBlue

Member
jokkir said:
How do I change my payment method on Walmart? I'm having issues with my credit card right now and might need to get a new one.
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You'll have to call them.

You're going to need to place a new order and they'll cancel the old one. If you've got E3 discounts make sure you mention them before you do it. I had to do the same when my card expired and had to change it to the new one. It was pretty hassle free, they were helpful and applied the discount to the new order without issue.

Stupid that they don't have any simpler options considering they're Walmart, but what can you do.
 
T

terrible

Banned
stan_marsh said:
Holy shit I'm getting my first ever early game from Amazon.

And. It's. South. Fucking. Park.

I needed this.
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Same but with Gran Turismo Sport. Canada Post says it's arriving tomorrow. It shipped from BC and I'm in Toronto, maybe that's why. It's never shipped from there before.
 
N° 2048

N° 2048

Member
YyQLMM3.jpg


giphy.gif
 
O

ohlawd

Member
are you guys Prime tho? would be nice if Amazon decides to give non-Prime a break. BB is screwing me over by refusing to give 20% off the new price even when they're aware of the E3 FAQ
 
C

Conezays

Member
Are you guys pre-ordering Mario Odyssey from Amazon or Best Buy? I see Amazon still isn't guaranteeing release-day shipping, but I imagine that could change.
 
shira

shira

Member
Mr.Mike said:
Over in Canada PoliGAF I've been putting together a petition to the Minister of Justice to call attention to loot boxes in video games and request regulation. If you're a citizen or resident of Canada please check it out. I need more supporters to get it past the first stage of the process.
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Aren't slot machines and lotteries basically loot boxes.

Doesn't stop seniors from throwing down their monthly income cheques for 6/49 or at the Casinos for basically little to chance to win.
 
C

c-murph

Member
shira said:
Aren't slot machines and lotteries basically loot boxes.

Doesn't stop seniors from throwing down their monthly income cheques for 6/49 or at the Casinos for basically little to chance to win.
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Yeah, but aren't they at least regulated?
 
L

Lothars

Member
shira said:
Aren't slot machines and lotteries basically loot boxes.

Doesn't stop seniors from throwing down their monthly income cheques for 6/49 or at the Casinos for basically little to chance to win.
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I don't think they are that similar at all which is why slot machines and lotteries are gambling and are regulated. I don't think loot boxes are gambling and should not be regulated like those are.
 
M

Mr.Mike

Member
jholmes said:
Justice can't figure out how to hire enough judges, so good luck with that.
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Appointments are hard, and the Liberals have made it harder on themselves with promises of non-partisan appointment processes.

I'd imagine it'd be entirely different staff at the Ministry of Justice looking into this. At the very least it'd force a statement by the government on this topic.
 
M

Mr.Mike

Member
Lothars said:
I don't think they are that similar at all which is why slot machines and lotteries are gambling and are regulated. I don't think loot boxes are gambling and should not be regulated like those are.
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The Criminal Code

Definition of slot machine

(3) In subsection (2), slot machine means any automatic machine or slot machine

(a) that is used or intended to be used for any purpose other than vending merchandise or services, or

(b) that is used or intended to be used for the purpose of vending merchandise or services if

(i) the result of one of any number of operations of the machine is a matter of chance or uncertainty to the operator,

(ii) as a result of a given number of successive operations by the operator the machine produces different results, or

(iii) on any operation of the machine it discharges or emits a slug or token,

but does not include an automatic machine or slot machine that dispenses as prizes only one or more free games on that machine.
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The Elite

The Elite

BOSS
Mr.Mike said:
The Criminal Code defines slot machines thus:
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Seems more like a vending machine.

You know those machines that kids put 25cents into to get out a plastic ball with a toy? They don't know what they are going to get but they still get something.

Spending money on loot boxes seems similar to that.

With gambling slots there is potential for zero return a certain percentage of the time.

Canon-PowerShot-SX40-HS-Toy-Machines-640x426-e1375213475186.jpg


Hell. Kids use claw machines and there is the chance for zero return:

599576574_028.jpg
 
L

Luigi87

Member
Proteus said:
Seems more like a vending machine.

You know this machines that kids put 25cents into to get out a plastic ball with a toy? They don't know what they are going to get but they still get something.

Spending money on loot boxes seems similar to that.

With gambling slots there is potential for zero return a certain percentage of the time.

Canon-PowerShot-SX40-HS-Toy-Machines-640x426-e1375213475186.jpg
Click to expand...
You are correct as this is literally what gacha is. I just wish Western companies were required to give exact percentage chance of items like they are in Japan for gacha games.
 
N° 2048

N° 2048

Member
SP got here early. Thanks Amazon even though you usually fuck things up.

What a hate-love relationship we have.
 
L

Lothars

Member
Proteus said:
Seems more like a vending machine.

You know those machines that kids put 25cents into to get out a plastic ball with a toy? They don't know what they are going to get but they still get something.

Spending money on loot boxes seems similar to that.

With gambling slots there is potential for zero return a certain percentage of the time.

Hell. Kids use claw machines and there is the chance for zero return:
Click to expand...
Exactly. It's akin to those more than anything else.
 
M

Mr.Mike

Member
ReddishGUI said:
1420757288509
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How Loot Boxes Don’t Resemble Trading Cards

Where this immediately loses ground is when looking at a game like Magic the Gathering. Yes, the consumer can buy a wide range of random card packs, whether it’s buying three packs for fifteen dollars or a hundred-dollar box with 36 packs of cards. The difference is MTG players know that depending on what they’re buying, they’ll get a random outcome most likely with something they don’t need or when buying more packs they could make their money back with whatever is inside. Knowing that each card has a set monetary value based on what’s in play for the season or just being an exceptional card (MTG uses a season system which is how they keep making new cards.)

This leads to a second point regarding loot as cards. Buyers of cards can sell cards back for a market price or even trade cards in for something that they can then use for personal play. Say an MTG player is building a brand-new deck; the first thing they will think is what tier they’ll be playing at: Standard, Modern or Legacy play. This gives MTG players structure for what cards can be in what deck. Now that they’ve figured out what they are playing, it’s time to buy cards. Using Standard, for example, the player will know they can only buy cards that are coming out for the season and some from last season, ensuring players don’t always have the best cards and are buying new cards. As they build their deck it means figuring out what deck they are playing, then finding the cards the best suit the deck. The beauty is, even if they are solely buying card packs, that’s not the only option. MTG players can also buy cards individually from retail online or local stores. Although this method is more expensive, it means picking and choosing individual cards for their deck, hence, the player is deciding what they get. Loot boxes do not have this option, which is where the balloon completely deflates.
Click to expand...
 
M

Mr.Mike

Member
Proteus said:
Seems more like a vending machine.

You know those machines that kids put 25cents into to get out a plastic ball with a toy? They don't know what they are going to get but they still get something.

Spending money on loot boxes seems similar to that.

With gambling slots there is potential for zero return a certain percentage of the time.

Hell. Kids use claw machines and there is the chance for zero return:
Click to expand...

I'd consider these machines a form of gambling. But it's a really small form of gambling no one really worries about.

With loot boxes people can easily spend a lot more money, and they can be much more effective at exploiting people.

Loot Boxes Are Designed To Exploit Us

Loot boxes in video games are digital goods that allow players the chance to obtain special items. It's a bit like opening a mystery box. You might get something really cool or you might get a ton of garbage. They made inroads in gaming in Japan, where games with random loot mechanics earned the label ”gacha," referring to ”gachapon" toy vending machines. Gacha became a cornerstone of mobile game design and now seems to be popular everywhere.

Gacha systems, chief among them loot boxes, are now a ubiquitous mechanic of mobile games around the world, and they've spread in recent years to AAA titles such as Overwatch or League of Legends. In many of these games, loot boxes can be earned by playing the game or purchased with special currencies gained through completing tasks, but they are also often available for purchase with real world money. That last method is how many game makers hope their customers will obtain loot boxes. The boxes are a temptation and a snare. They are a devious economic trap, designed to take players' money. You're not expected to resist them forever.

...

Given the chance to always get crates if they put in enough time and effort and given the chance to get a reward, players are then also teased with the opportunity to overcome the math against them and just buy a loot box at will, should they have the cash (or, more to the point and more dangerously, the credit). Purchasing crates allows players to speed up this schedule. This design also applies to in-game currencies. Loot boxes and in-game currencies are designed to control when you receive rewards and offer alluring shortcuts to your next legendary skin or weapon.

On top of this, loot systems are designed to maximize use through carefully crafted audio and visual design. In interviews with my colleague Cecilia D'Anastasio earlier this year, the designers from games like Overwatch and Duelyst explain how their crates are designed to be a pleasurable experience.

”When you start opening a loot box, we want to build anticipation," an Overwatch developer said. ”We do this in a lot of ways—animations, camera work, spinning plates, and sounds. We even build a little anticipation with the glow that emits from a loot box's cracks before you open it."

Moment for moment, loot boxes are engineered to capture attention with a mixture of spectacle and psychological trickery not unlike what you might find at a slot machine.

...

I still play my gacha games. I still play Overwatch. I write about those games here. I think they're fun. But we need to acknowledge what loot boxes are. They're slot machines in everything but name, meticulously crafted to encourage player spending and keep them on the hook.

The problem isn't just that games cost more to make or that loot boxes might affect multiplayer balance. The problem is that I can't delete these games. The problem is that I'm not the only one. And that's exactly what publishers are counting on.
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Anyway, I'd hate to derail this thread too much. Maybe we can carry on in the Canada PoliGAF thread?
 
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