| "Lootboxes", "cases", "packs" and other chance-based systems that involve spending real money or an in-game currency that could be obtained by spending real money should be banned completely, all of those systems exploit brain vulnerabilities for profit. Also, prediction markets, sports betting, online casinos, shitcoin exchanges. |
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| ▲ | hofrogs 4 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | Thrill rides? Probably not, I don't think there are many people having their life ruined by their addiction to amusement parks. Alcoholic drinks? History of bans like that suggests that it's not a good idea. However that doesn't mean that nothing can be done. Addictions to alcohol, drugs, smoking, gambling damage both the person suffering from them and the friends/loved ones around that person. It is most likely impossible to drive the harm down to 0, but it can be reduced by denormalizing casual alcohol intake and sitations where people are peer pressured into consuming alcohol to fit in (especially in young adults), etc. People addicted to those substances/behaviors need a safe environment, a society that won't prompt them to relapse over and over because everyone around them is a casual user. Those are my thoughts, but I'm no expert. | | |
| ▲ | lclc 36 minutes ago | parent | next [-] | | > it can be reduced by denormalizing casual alcohol intake This! I find it so strange that, in 2026, they still casually drink whisky in Hollywood movies and TV shows at the office and at home every time they encounter a tough situation. That subtle suggestion that alcohol will somehow help. | | | |
| ▲ | technothrasher 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | Hmm, so why do your perfectly reasonable thoughts on how to reduce alcohol abuse in light of not being able to simply ban it not apply to loot boxes as well? How is it different such that "completely banning", as you suggested, is a good idea there where it isn't for alcohol, drugs, smoking, and gambling (of which loot boxes are clearly a subcategory)? | | |
| ▲ | johannes1234321 2 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | Creating a black market for loot boxes is a lot harder than for liquor or setting up a poker game in the backroom. | |
| ▲ | hofrogs 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | Lootboxes are not entrenched in society yet. They are a new phenomenon that could hopefully be stopped in its tracks (but probably won't since it will impact profits) | |
| ▲ | downsplat 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | Alcohol has been deeply embedded in human culture for thousands+ years, that's why prohibition is a bad idea. Loot boxes are a new invention, if they're deemed too harmful we can just do without them. | | |
| ▲ | alex43578 3 hours ago | parent [-] | | We absolutely could do without alcohol too and it's certainly far more harmful than lootboxes by any metric. | | |
| ▲ | raw_anon_1111 2 hours ago | parent [-] | | Yes because Prohibition worked so well before? | | |
| ▲ | alex43578 an hour ago | parent [-] | | People do plenty of illegal things, but we still outlaw them to reduce the rate of people doing those things. On the contrary, if we accept that people are mature enough to choose to drink, they certainly should be mature enough to spend $20 opening loot boxes. Fewer cases of cirrhosis, drunk driving accidents, and bar fights from loot boxes. | | |
| ▲ | raw_anon_1111 an hour ago | parent [-] | | No we outlaw them to disproportionately put minorities in jail… I would rather not give the government more power. | | |
| ▲ | lo_zamoyski 42 minutes ago | parent [-] | | Too much thumos, not enough nous in this conversation... 1. Alcohol may be consumed in moderation for enjoyment with no frustrating effect on our rational faculties. Even the bad effects on health are often overblown. They tend to be chronic and rooted in habitual consumption. Save for people with a predisposition for alcoholism, people generally do not experience compulsive desires for alcohol. 2. Gambling isn't comparable to alcohol. It is intrinsically irrational and inherently exploitative. It is also an intrinsically social and economic phenomenon. It requires the intentional exploitation of one party by another to work. 3. Loot boxes are intentionally designed to manipulate people psychologically for profit. It habituates bad habits by virtue of its very design. 4. While alcohol can be used that way, it is not designed for that purpose nor is its historical pedigree rooted in such malice. I would also claim that its addictive potential is lower all things considered. So they aren't comparable. It's not enough to say "both A and B can have harmful effects, therefore both A and B are 'the same' for all intents and purposes". | | |
| ▲ | raw_anon_1111 39 minutes ago | parent [-] | | I am responding to the commenter who implied outlawing alcohol wouldn’t be a bad thing > We absolutely could do without alcohol too and it's certainly far more harmful than lootboxes by any metric. |
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| ▲ | NeutralForest 29 minutes ago | parent | prev [-] | | The current generation is already consuming much less alcohol! Just keep taxing and it'll be virtually gone. | | |
| ▲ | nephihaha 26 minutes ago | parent [-] | | You'll just end up creating a black market (high tax has resulted in 1/3 of cigarettes being illegal in the UK) and home production (since anyone can make their own alcohol easily) |
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| ▲ | elAhmo 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | Apples and oranges right there | |
| ▲ | sevenzero 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] | | Yes please ban alcohol/make it hard to get. | | | |
| ▲ | 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | [deleted] |
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