Valve was accused in a lawsuit last week of operating a system that too closely resembled gambling, violating Washington state law.
The company, founded by former Microsoft employees in the 1990s, developed the platform Steam, a marketplace for PC games. Valve also publishes video games, including popular franchises like Counter-Strike, which is at the heart of the lawsuit filed in federal court in Seattle.
Valve sells loot box keys for games like Counter-Strike, which allow players, for $2.49, to open a virtual loot box that holds items that can be used in the game. But the outcome of those loot boxes is random. And many times, that “loot” is worth less than the $2.49 charge for the key, according to the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs’ attorneys say in the lawsuit that odds are often stacked against the user. Citing an analysis, they claim that roughly 96% of the items awarded in Counter-Strike loot boxes are worth less than the key used to open the case.
“But on rare occasions, a player wins an item worth hundreds or even
thousands of dollars. … It is this possibility — remote but tantalizing — that
drives players to keep buying keys and opening loot boxes,” the attorneys said in the lawsuit.
It’s not just the loot box system that the plaintiffs say mimics gambling, but the aesthetics as well. The process to open loot boxes is designed to resemble a slot machine, with images of possible prizes spinning across the screen before one is slowly picked, according to the lawsuit.
https://www.seattletimes.com/business/local-business/bellevue-based-gaming-giant-valve-accused-of-fostering-loot-gambling/