Video Games and Gambling - When Does a Game Cross the Line? - Extra Credits

Casinos and online gambling sites have begun to recognize the potential to use video games as a new source of revenue. With more and more skill-based games being re-purposed for gambling - sometimes legally, sometimes not - it becomes important for developers to look ahead at the features these adaptations may have.
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♪ Intro Music: "Penguin Cap" by CarboHydroM
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♪ “All In” by Sean Schafianski
www.materiacol...

[@gulfgiggleanimations4472]

5:15 so ... guys ... how long do we have to wait until we can buy this on the Extra Credits merch store?

[@ckay11002]

Ditto. I'd buy that shirt in a heartbeat

[@Beremor]

Yeah, that shirt is really funny! Scott really outdid himself there!

[@ianmacfadyen3926]

Alan please add details

[@thibauthanson7670]

I'd buy it too

[@zxb995511]

I need that shirt.

[@DuranmanX]

I want a skin that says "I spent hundreds of dollars on loot boxes and all I got was this lousy shirt."

[@isaacgr7314]

Adrian Duran It would have to be sombra skin so u can't see it most of the time

[@anonymousdratini]

Adrian Duran I would basically never remove it from whatever charcter it was for.

[@friedkeenan]

Reminds me of a Fall Out Boy song

[@nighthawk7050]

Adrian Duran that's basically any ultra rare item that is only obtainable from loot boxes nowadays. I remember Black Ops 3 and it's DLC weapons man.

[@unvergebeneid]

I like how you casually mention that the gambling industry, not the lawmakers, have rewritten gambling legislation.

[@neeneko]

Yeah.. anyone who has even touched on the industry has no delusion about who makes the rules. This is also a cautionary note for companies trying to get into the industry since regulators are usually buddies of incumbent companies. That is why you see so few arcade machines in new jersey.

[@krim7]

Penny Lane Casinos rule the roost when it comes to Gaming Laws. I love I'm Nevada, believe me they wield a lot of power

[@iggyvolz]

And nobody batted an eye...

[@LathosZan]

Penny Lane the tobacco and alcohol industries do this as well. They fuck with taxation rates that way. There was a ballot in like Iowa about taxation rates where they did this.

[@commode7x]

Much of the time, it goes further than advice, and they end up just writing laws and provisions and sending them to the capital, whose legislators just copy and paste it into the final draft that gets passed.

[@Hugh.Manatee]

I'm pretty sure Gabe Newell doesn't sign legal letters from Valve with 'Gab3'... There is no '3' on his keyboard.

[@Anastas1786]

Wait. But if _Gabe_ didn't put the 3 in there then _that_ means... _OH MY _*_GOOOOOOOOOOOD_*_... !_ His secretary's a real lifesaver!

[@kopjjipj5743]

read his ama he did recently on reddit, he typed the number 3.

[@SteelsCrow]

Anastas1786 You are a youtube commenting genius. lol

[@dylanflynn1895]

wouldn't it be gab11, sorry I'll show myself out

[@warlink4]

Da fuq is a thhhh-rree?

[@nashew7732]

"Note to self: Hire more Dans" lol

[@bagandtag4391]

Where does it say that? lmao Edit: Nevermind just found it.

[@nashew7732]

1:51

[@blunderbus2695]

"I need James! And Dan! And Dan! And... Dan... and... Dan? And all the other... Dans...

[@jeremyleyland1047]

So if I make a gambling game about hunting deer, am I making a Game Gaming Game?

[@DreadCore_]

Pin this. Now.

[@Underworlder5]

ever had that moment where you think of a word so often it suddenly no longer sounds like a word? i just had that moment trying to understand your comment

[@jeremyleyland1047]

very mad guy No but I am game to try.

[@jigley9higley]

Tastes gamy.

[@bryonyamada2620]

Its already out. Deer Hunter has a Slot Machine were the bonus round is you shooting as many deer as accurately as possible.

[@danilooliveira6580]

casino industry ? you mean like Konami ?

[@MrDUneven]

HIT THE LEVER!

[@sherwinparvizian2414]

#FUCKKONAMI

[@krim7]

Konami makes slot machines and a TCG with abusive chances to get good cards. Konami lives gambling, lom

[@thefrogger6507]

krim7 Actually the odds of pulling good cards have been raised recently and they've been reprinting a lot of good cards

[@ashleycarvell7221]

Danilo Oliveira Hit the lever!!

[@portugal4everybody]

I still miss the Casino in the new Pokémon games :(

[@DuranmanX]

They are still there in Dragon Quest

[@JustinKoenigSilica]

which one? DQ9 Didn't have a casino, neither did DQMJ1 and 2 or Rocketslime. I know of DQ8 and 7 which have it, but no other games i can think of rn

[@MaJuV]

Well, if GameFreak would make an M-rated Pokémon game, the casino would probably return :-D That's all it takes.

[@miguelpereira9859]

portugal4everybody lol it wasn't enough for 10 year olders to miss school, go around their region alone and catch deadly monsters, but they also gamble on casinos. LOL

[@miguelpereira9859]

portugal4everybody BTW do onde é que és? :D

[@Mitochondria281]

Tmartn: "I don't support gambling, I don't own this website."

[@ianamburn3151]

haha, perfect.

[@miguelpereira9859]

Richard B SO I JUST FOUND THIS WEBSITE CALLED CSGO LOTTO

[@cpMetis]

That's a nice alternative fact you got there.

[@TehBananaBread]

Love how the "community" stood up agianst those youtubers, but half a year later everyone has forgotten it and his youtube account is doing better than ever. Hypocrit fanbase :')

[@bobby8012]

+BananaBread thats with every fanbase look at keemstar

[@daegan_ftw]

An episode about gambling using Casino Night Zone as the outro remix, that's what I call clever. Well played Exta Credits.

[@Booksds]

An excellent discussion on the two gaming industries, but also the art was REALLY GOOD in this one

[@steampunkerella]

ethical and legal are not the same thing

[@whylife5339]

Morality is subjective

[@ashleycarvell7221]

Ever pre-ordered a game? ... then you're a gambler

[@Darches]

Only non-Nintendo brands, I've learned.

[@TheDragonhide]

With the E3 presentation compared to sold product, i say he might be correct about that, its actually a reason why i never preorder games.

[@Orange_Swirl]

+Ashley Carvell Oh no! I didn't think I *had* a gambling addiction! What can I do to cure it!?

[@Geninacra]

This is a shout out to the drawings at each and every episode. Magnificent, funny and clear. Great job

[@bagandtag4391]

I think loot boxes and stuff like that is inherently unethical and ideally shouldn't be included in any game as it's just gambling but with another reward slapped into it. I don't get why people defend stuff like CS:GO, TF2 and Overwatch's crates and loot boxes. Why does people hate RNG from a game design perspective but are totally ok with it when microtransactions are involved? I'm not the type of people that puts skill in a pedestal above everything else but betting real money on yourself instead of a glorified random wardrobe seems like a really good idea.

[@dotXyore]

Combinemon Some people like the feeling of opening some sort of mystery box/bag in hopes of getting something they want, which was purchased using hard-earned currency.

[@hi-i-am-atan]

You're going to have to explain why being rewarded for your play time suddenly become unethical when RNG's involved, especially when you consider that random item drops from mobs is the _exact_ same thing. Except, usually, _far more necessary_ if you want to play the game.

[@rodentRoundup]

I agree, it's totally reprehensible. A morally loose person will spend hard-earned money on games of chance, but it takes a person with no morals whatsoever to see that and take advantage of it. At this point, Counter Strike, even WITHOUT the third party sites, is just a gambling app that makes Valve millions (according to Valve) in key, crate, and skin sales, with a minigame inside that lets you shoot at people with your prizes (of course the weapon examination feature is key in this), though it doesn't really matter because the stages all get reset after a while because if you spend too much time playing, you're not spending enough time gambling, in their eyes.

[@hi-i-am-atan]

Ah, the _microtransactions are the devil's sperm!!!!_ people, carry on.

[@SneakyBadAssOG]

Yeah, that feeling is called addiction to stimulus.

[@CompleteAnimation]

Best part of the video: Note to self: Hire more Dans.

[@alexandredesouza3692]

When was this?

[@emilydioptase]

Alexandre de Souza 1:51

[@alexandredesouza3692]

Watplr Wraith Ahh.. heh.

[@deamon6681]

How many dans are there already? Like, four?

[@alexandredesouza3692]

Jürgen Hans I've only seen 3

[@Qwerasd]

Can you please do an episode on racing game design, cause it's surprisingly interesting and complex.

[@AWizardsKiss]

Overwatch. Overwatch is when it crosses the line.

[@michaelsted1500]

A Wizards Kiss there's much worse. Look at any gachapon game.

[@miguelpereira9859]

A Wizards Kiss lol Valve games are even worse

[@michaelsted1500]

webbezim you just described every gachapon game ever.

[@Illien0]

overwatch isn't gambling... theres nothing you can do with skins except wear them bruh

[@Underworlder5]

...except nothing is wrong with how overwatch does it. you can do it for free if you put enough time in it and all loot is purely cosmetic

[@7DaltonDoms7]

The 'casino industry' is incentivized to make inhumane games however, like their current games. Even if making such a game is possible they will construct an inhumane one to maximize profits.

[@Olivman7]

Yeah, the first part episode mostly talks about making gambling games as if there were developers deciding between making evil addictive game or nice compelling-but-money-eating games. But in a worldwide industry, decisions aren't up to developers or even CEOs, they're up to incentive systems.

[@Slash-XVI]

However if the constructed game becomes too inhumane, it will most likely not be as successful. Of course this does come down to the individual designs used, but if you wwanted to just maximise profit, reducing the chances of actually winning would be one way to do it, but this might reduce the overall enjoyment of the title and thus have less people actually playing it, thus making less money overall.

[@georgelaidlaw3748]

This is clearly false Slash. Slot machines are not inherently entertaining, except for the exploitation of biological reward systems and the pleasure derived from 'succeeding' in a risky endevour, and they are inherently inhumane both in their design and in the procedures casinos use to keep 'big spenders' happy and gambling away. These machines, whilst regulated to not be too outrageously rigged (though the gambling industry is a powerful lobby in most countries), are still rigged in the house's favour and designed to extract money from punters. Slot machines are in every way designed and operated in a manner that maximises profit yet they were, and still are to a lesser degree, a staple of gambling industry with countless players. Now take that same Skinner Box incentive system and place it within a fun, engaging game that is bright and colourful with skill-based elements to alleviate the concerns people have that they are rubes (they still are BTW). Remember gambling against the house requires rigged games to be profitable so this game will be rigged in the house's favour in some manner unless the house only role is to facilitate the game between players. You have the gambling game from hell that will destroy lives yet its players will be begging to play more. Poorly designed video games can already cause addiction in a certain, IMHO valid, sense of the word unintentionally and that can be very damaging. You can go look up James' story of his own struggle with addiction, or equally obsession, to video games and his discussion of the topic. As well as the videos on humane design Dan linked in the video. You seem to misunderstand the potential threat. It is profitable for the gambling industry to get players addicted to their products (same as with tobacco and alcohol). Video games can be a highly addictive medium. Gambling games are a highly addictive medium. Combining the two without careful thought and extensive regulation is a receipe for a sharp rise in gambling and by extension gambling addiction. Worse, the industry is moving ahead of existing regulations and thus these games would potentially be sitting in a legal grey area with significantly fewer protections for players and obligations on the casinos to at least attempt to tackle blatent addiction.

[@Johnny-Joseph]

SlashXVI Have you seen slot machines? They are the powerhouses of casinos and are the most inhumane devices in the industry

[@alexfriedman8670]

thanks dude, point i wanted to make

[@dstarr3]

4:47 "...bad actors." I was anticipating a Gary Busey doodle here.

[@imveryangryitsnotbutter]

Regarding the new video-game tie-in machines, Chuck E. Cheese beat the casino industry to this idea by about three decades. Sure, it's tokens and tickets, but they still have fixed values based on the token pricing rate and the prizes you can buy. It's basically skill-based gambling with surrogate money.

[@Orange_Swirl]

+I'm Very Angry It's Not Butter!! So when can we expect new remixes from you?

[@gh8078]

5:16 The best quick text dump in a ~0.25 sec. span I've seen in a video.

[@brockmckelvey7327]

5:15 I love Scott so much!

[@Xray_Mike]

Everytime Dan says "Bad Actor" I keep seeing Nicholas Cage flash on the screen. I'm amazed they had the restraint not to make a reference joke.

[@seqka711]

I've been watching a lot of old episodes lately, and dang, the art has come a LONG way. Almost a million subscribers does quite a bit for your budget I suppose.

[@stoltheds7698]

I saw your - probably old re-diffusion - intro at the Global Game Jam, It was great and very inspiring! I really felt it made this weekend a lot better, thanks!

[@selatorepico5975]

Where can I buy the tshirt from 5:16?

[@Underworlder5]

you need to get it from a lootbox

[@johncargille7722]

Please unpause. Dan is still talking. That made me laugh so hard xD

[@deatheater3716]

I think they should sell it in their store on dftba

[@Tolinar]

I'll be honest, I'm addicted. I just can't stop. I paused at 5:15. Every time they sneak something in, I find myself backing up and pausing the video again...

[@ryanmurray5973]

5:17 is the best moment in all of extra credits.

[@morthasa]

That mad scientist at 2:33 is to die for!

[@SeriusSim]

This was a very interesting essay. I understand it's very difficult to cover such a broad topic in such a short time, but I think your analysis leaves Valve (and other studios) role out of the picture. In short I think that merely selling keys for real money, and tying those keys to random chances at digital goods is nothing else than a gambling activity, which should be regulated as such. Even if a player can't resell a "loot", as long as there's a value (and in this case the value is exactly how much money that player was willing to pay for a chance at that item) there's a gamble. Crates are, in my opinion, glorified slot machines, they act as money sink with a random element, only difference is the jackpot is a knife instead of real money. I think games should stay clear of such monetization mechanics, unless there's a way to properly enforce age check : look up at any CSGO in game chat and see that some players are obviously underaged. One could argue it's a matter of parental authority, I would respond that IRL casionos aren't supposed to let children in, even if their parents are ok with it. Edit : fixed grammar

[@cutecommie]

1:43 "Gambling is legal, therefore it is ethical." I'm pretty sure that's a logical fallacy.

[@At0mix]

I know this gets posted a lot, but I just want to say I absolutely love the drawings, they're so colorful and vibrant and exaggerated. It's awesome.

[@shadowsun69]

1:50 The note on the desk XD

[@wezza668]

1:53 great easteregg! Whoever the Dan is that made this, love your skills man!

[@MaxArceus]

I participated in the global game jam! It was such a cool surprise to see you do the intro!

[@ShiniKatz]

Hear, hear!

[@Rossy167]

Yeah like Valve's CSGO gambling economy was created by "accident". They knew what they were doing and what was going on, they only started cracking down on it because they got called out on it.

[@SneakyBadAssOG]

Glove boxes was just spit in the face, at this point.

[@AgentTasmania]

Because it was happening where they didn't get a cut*

[@Rossy167]

Colin Gamagami I am actually, comes with being a socially outward student who likes to drink. How could you tell from a comment about CSGO gambling though?

[@MrMarinus18]

They didn't plan on it and they are not going to accuse something they made of being something bad.

[@playcasinoworld]

😏5 years later and this is still a great and informative video...

[@bigz4349]

Hybrid skill/luck? Oh you mean pokemon! "Scraggy use Focus Blast until it hits!"

[@haydenhyde9395]

Big Z A special attacking Scrafty?

[@Thraim.]

This is a perfect illustration of virtually every attack above 100 strength. My biggest reason to dislike the battle tree. You go up against dozens of opponents. Sooner or later one of them is destined to get a hitting streak with strong but unreliable attacks and knock you out.

[@bigz4349]

AdalRoderick Sheer Cold Walrein is the worst

[@Thraim.]

@Big Z Haven't encountered one yet, but from the looks of it you buff Walrein's defences up, hope for a 1H-KO and heal back otherwise. Maybe throw in a quick-claw for extra annoyance. Does that sound right?

[@bigz4349]

AdalRoderick Yup :|

[@MindSawProductions]

I swear that serious shot @ 1:17 is strait a play off Teen Titans GO... and I love it :D

[@TheRedCap]

Casino Night 2-Player at the end... clever!

[@Anonymous-zu7dh]

somehow seeing the car go on one wheel on the side of the clossed side made me laugh. good job Extra Credits.

[@Pikflowerdude]

Kinda funny that the outro music of this episode is Casino Night Zone. Good choice, EC

[@flibbernodgets7018]

Easy solution: Don't gamble. You'll never lose money.

[@Darches]

And if you have no choice? Want the best CoD guns? Hearthstone cards? Destiny armor? Get gamblin'.

[@HeadsFullOfEyeballs]

Darches: Well, you could practice restraint and not participate in bullshit exploitative game development practices just to get an item in a video game. You always have the choice to refrain -- it's just an entertainment product, a toy. It's not like they're selling bread or drinking water.

[@shropshirec]

Darches Don't play CoD, Hearthstone, or Destiny. Very easy solution.

[@flibbernodgets7018]

There's always a choice. Not caring is a choice. That's my solution most of the time. I do like hearthstone, but the fact that I get good cards only rarely make them that much more special. I don't need all the legendaries.

[@Darches]

I don't participate in "bullshit exploitive game development" when I see it. But may people are unaware it even exists. My point is that the gambling is unavoidable and people don't even know they're doing it!

[@onyxtay7246]

5:17 Fine. I'll unpause, but you should see about doing more Fanboyz comics. You got me hooked when you did your episode, and I've already read through them all. Twice.

[@Shovlaxnet]

Candyland, man... that was my first foray... *smokes a cigar*

[@AegixDrakan]

I see you over there, James, with your "Hire More Dans" notepad!

[@Inlelendri]

That placeholder shirt - well, done, Scott, well done. I shall now unpause to continue listening to Dan :D

[@BeeryGamer]

Aww, and here I was hoping to gear a Goldenrod game corner remix at the end of the video! The only reason I was so addicted to playing those slots in the first place, was the music!

[@alexandredesouza3692]

The easter eggs in this videos are on point.

[@YugureDarkwolf]

Saw y'all in the key notes to Global Game Jam! Was awesome! Thanks y'all and keep up the good work!

[@mintce2238]

One of my favorite videos of this channel in a long time.

[@jaredsmith6495]

the art and character facial expressions were (especially) on point in this one. goo job guys

[@VarianAlastair]

Scott, you silly little troll :] 5:14 - just wow. I haven't laughed quite so much in a while, thank you for that!

[@OfficialDanHalo]

Your video for the global games jam was very inspiring

[@PabloDonkeyBong2009]

u guys deserve more views and subs.

[@ArturBriones]

sometimes i still cry at night about not being able to reach netflix in other countries, the library over here sucks

[@pedroscoponi4905]

5:16 I love you Scott. We all do. So much.

[@fingerless6568]

That bad rats reference killed me.

[@General_Nothing]

Wait! Wait! Wait! There's no wheel in Candyland! Candyland is played by drawing cards! I thought you guys were gamers. -_-

[@Ghiaman1334]

Jeez, watching this video now makes me feel old, like a veteran of a fiscal war. Granted, I never actually gambled on sites like that and have bought few lootboxes, but still, the evolution from game devs cracking down on third-party gambling to essentially condoning first-party gambling is a stark and humbling transition to observe.

[@lrgogo1517]

It wasn't until I saw the name of the remix at the end that i realized how fitting it was.

[@MuriloMielke]

6:00 Dat power player LMAO

[@AngelScolarus]

In a lot of free to play MMOs (not naming specifics), gambling often plays a large role in how a game is monetized. Cash only prize boxes with game breaking items/equipment thrown in with common trinkets will entice players into rolling the RNG dice in hopes of earning the top prize or risk walk away with a handful of junk they could have already found in-game.

[@jonathangibson3609]

Thank you Scott for making me chuckle at the shirt, made the video for me.

[@mcs_drinkwater]

I remember playing poker with Luigi on New Super Mario Bros. Good times.

[@jimmyc.491]

5:16 We appreciate your honesty, Scott. X D

[@jamalcolmson]

I've been waiting for this video for years.

[@bryonyamada2620]

Ive seen this happening in Vegas. Galaga and Centipede are being used as Bonus rounds on some slot machines. There is even word about a 1st person shooter with a PS/Xbox type controller and your probable kills determine how much you will win in relationship on how much you bet.

[@marcpuzon]

With the rise of the lootbox controversy in the past few weeks, this episode's a pretty interesting look back at it.

[@doryu1742]

5:15 I love scott man

[@VodShod]

2 ideas: Lock the bots from trading out items - - Found bots can trade with someone without sending them an item, but they cannot add items to a trade. - Bounties on bots. Lose a bet and want to get back at the gambling site. Report the bot and get a random card from a game you own. Of course if it isn't a bot you could lower their steam experience level.

[@neeneko]

It might not be worth a follow up, but I highly recommend looking into the history of companies like Midway, JVL, Games Warehouse, and Merit Industries/AMI: companies that straddled between the game and casino industries for decades, and hashed through a lot of these questions.

[@TheGreatLKHS]

I hope the employment initative to "Hire More Dans" goes well. :-D

[@anja8595]

I think this is an important topic and I'm really glad you made a video covering it.

[@lathyrusloon]

my love of gambling games as a child has actually made me less likely to spend a lot if money at real casinos. I can have the same fun playing games with gambling features, where I can't lose money at all. just time and items.

[@MerlynCooper]

I want to listen to "3 Dans and a James" as a podcast discussing a gaming aspect as they play a co-op game.

[@jamestown8398]

"Also, please unpause. Dan is still talking!"

[@Thano]

this topic should be revisited now with what has been going on with EA

[@shieldgenerator7]

Ever since they used a remix of a song from "Ori and the Blind Forest" I always check the end music credits to see if it's a remixed version of a videogame song I recognize.

[@tn2286]

Not sure if there already is a video about it. But if you guys get the time, should discuss the reason why gold farming/selling is viable in the industry, the problems that occur because of it, some of the positives and negatives, how devs combat it, and the reasons why people buy gold from these sites. It'd be a great topic to delve into imo.

[@Nyahahameha]

Am I the only one who saw the title of this video and was immediately reminded of Egoraptor's crippling gambling addiction in that Dead or Alive beach babes game?

[@drakan4769]

"when does a game become gambling?" easy: when konami gets involved

[@canasnewell3089]

Or any 3rd party. CS:GO is pretty bad with this. These sites are frequent sponsors for youtubers making them get a lot of attention. Now, the government has asked Valve to crack down on these sites. Kids are now gambling with there parents money! 1 scam(talked about in the video) advertised his own site without saying it was his site and made it seem really easy. And you could argue that Valve didn't plan that.

[@Ginormous76]

There is no wheel in Candyland. You draw cards.

[@edr8054]

Ginormous76 geez, what a fake board gamer boy :^)

[@t_t5222]

6:50 Now this is what *I* want on a shirt

[@steveneiman2158]

Note to self: Hire more Dans. Priceless.

[@araknidude]

1:52 "Note to self: Hire more Dans"

[@mochure]

"How do I turn on a book?" Priceless

[@JessNxtDoor]

Not to split hairs, but there is no spinner in Candy Land. (2:23 in the video) You draw cards to see which square you move to.

[@Oakesyrules]

Loved James' note :P

[@paulkingtiger]

In the UK SKill With Prize machines (usually quiz and trivia games) have been around for years. They are separate to Amusement with Prize machines (such as slot machines) and there are (were, I've been out of the industry for a while) laws regarding them. In the UK it's common to see low jackpot slots (we call them fruit machines) in pubs, bars, even in fish and chip shops, and it's the same story with Skill with Prize machines. Gambling laws are might tighter in the US, but for the industry as a whole, it's nothing new.

[@1928tommygun]

I completely disagree with your third point. "Why millennials hate slot machines is that they aren't inherently fun to play." These "glorified random number generators" are games in the 'video games industry' sense and do provide value -- even without the exchange of money. Proof is on the App Store where there exist dozens of popular slot machines, none of which allow users to cash out, yet many players are still entertained. Furthermore, rogue like games such as FTL or XCOM2 boil down to random number generators when the player plays optimally. You cannot claim slot machines are inherently unfun. I love Extra Creditz and have watched every episode, so thanks guys for doing this. This is a great topic, and I'm surprised to learn we have different views.

[@krim7]

Adam Thompson I live in Reno and can confirm, young people do not love slots the way older people do. Young people gravitate towards games that require skill, that order an experience above and beyond random chance.

[@1928tommygun]

That sounds a lot like the casinos up here, in Vancouver, Canada. You will still see young people at the blackjack and craps tables though, and those are random number generators too -- just as much as slot machines are.

[@suicune2001]

I had never gambled at a casino until a couple years ago. I REALLY wanted to try the slot machine. I wanted to pull the handle and everything to get the full experience....and I hated it. It was loud, smokey and bright. I only thought I was having fun until I realized the most I could win at that machine at one time was $40. Once I realized that, I was bored out of my mind and wanted to leave. I tried some of the other "games" they had but I couldn't understand it at all and it was still random chance. However, I would enjoy the gambling more in Pokémon Red / Blue and buy my rare pokemon. lol

[@1928tommygun]

I've never been a big fan of slot machines, but I too also put some time into Pokemon's gambling machines -- and enjoyed it more than the casinos. Clearly, EC has misspoken.

[@K7O9W13]

i would love to discuss about the fgc... evo at las vegas on the gambling matter... this deserve a part 2 friendo...

[@dylancharles1151]

A perfect early example of gambling in games is RuneScape, around 2010-2013. RuneScape implemented "dice" into the gane, allowing players to wager money on the game amongst eachother. The winner would double their money, and the loser would lose it all. This became such an addictive sensation in the community, that players would focus all of their attention on dice and would avoid the other aspects of the game. Eventually the developers had to address this issue, so they banned dice from the game. Quickly after, a new form of gambling appeared in an unlikely place, flowers. Also known as Hot & Cold, a player or "dealer" would take a bet, the gambler would say either Hot or Cold, and the dealer would plant flowers. If the flowers came out red, it was hot, if they came out blue, it was cold. If the dealer won, he would keep the money, if the gambler won, he would get double. This was a SENSATION. I personally became addicted to this game, spending all my time & money playing it. As time went on, the developers needed to crack down on this new problem. They banned any chat relating to how the game was played. The gambling crisis was over, and I learned that I'm a gambling addict without evrr spending any real money. This experience helped me stay out of casinos later in life.

[@cesargonzalez6242]

This explains the videogame like slot machines in Las Vegas. At Casino Royale in Las Vegas there is a videogame fishing slot machine

[@leoschue8071]

My friend got an Australium Rocket Launcher from TF2 once and sold it to buy the first two Borderlands games (complete with DLC) for both of us. We spent a lot of time playing those. Done well, item trading can be a wonderful thing.

[@thebreakfastmegapowers3525]

Id love a charity system with bonus perks to the players who give away additional drops that they don't need. Like if someone grinds out additional cosmetics within a distinguishly human rate of achievement they can just throw the item to the wind and a random player will obtain it courtesy of the overleveled player, and the reciever can choose from an array of celebration or bonus perks to make it a livelier exchange for both. Or to trade doubles back for an equivalent loot to reroll the drop instead.

[@otimo144]

4:14 I was ready to drop some real dough for that Mercy Skin but then BOOM first box I opened.

[@audreyrasmussen540]

That's the first time I heard "cease and desist" used in a way that I thought was good.