While this is likely(as the guy in the vid below says) a move to prevent laws from making their profits shrink even more and gain good PR, it's good to see a move in the right direction with regards to lootboxes....or 'surprise mechanics' as they call them nowadays.

The vid here shows TheQuartering talking about it & he makes some good points.

Companies taking part include EA/Activision/Blizzard/Ubisoft/Nintendo/MS/Sony/Take Two/Wizards of the Coast.

Those not taking part/those who haven't decided yet to commit to this plan/goal includeL: Deep Silver/Disney Games/Capcom/Sega/Square Enix/Gearbox/Konami

So what do you guys think? Is this effort any good and/or will it help alleviate the problem with lootbox overindulgence by some?

They all should get the same treatment that physical casinos get.

cant wait to see those Overwatch drop rates...

This is probably a better outcome than the incompetent administrations stepping in.

Well that would be more preferable than what treatment casino VISITORS(losers...and also winners) usually get.

And here is the big reveal: generic stuff: 90%, better than generic 9.999999%, legendary or what is called stuff: 0.000001%. Are you peeps happy now?

I think it's as some have said: People sort of "know" the true odds but as long as they are out of sight and not brought up as much people ignore them. With this maybe some will not ignore such so easily and rethink some purchases, and maybe some ignorant of those odds will become better informed.

At least here's hoping that all happens.

I think it's only a token gesture. Empty words meant to assuage the politicians and governments.
Wouldn't be surprised if some people fell for it as well.
I really hope this doesn't act as an end-point and curtail the real measures needed.

Still doesn't change the predatory manner in which they're operating. Why not just let people buy the items they want? Oh yeah, you can't rip them off that way. I don't like random mechanics, and when I found out they were not just optional, but part of the regular gameplay loop with WWE2K19 I refunded it instantly. Sure, there's no real money going into it, but the thought of loot boxes overall is so distasteful to me I couldn't stand not being able to buy the gear I wanted for my character.

Imagine walking to WalMart and saying I want that shirt. "Well, you can't directly buy that shirt, but for $6 we'll give you a chance to get it"
No way. Never. Why do people think this is ok?

Blind Box toys are a better example to be fair, which is why even EA used to them as an example. Do Walmart sell nice shirts though?

I think you missed my point. It is a simple fact that if I want an item, I WANT THAT ITEM, I don't want to pay for a slot machine or roulette for a chance to win that item. I have money, you have the item. You want the money, I want the item. Let's trade. Stop trying to rip me off.

This was already a law in China. i also notice Valve isn't on the list.

For example sake, would you be happy purchasing directly as a microtransaction? Even in a paid-for title e.g. Rainbow Six siege? I'm just curious to see people's thoughts on in-items both loot boxed and stand alone

Depends on the price and the item. I'm not crazy about mtx on premium games, but I'm not entirely against it either. I don't think it should be more than a few cents to a dollar for anything if I paid for the game already.

The best thing to do as a consumer is support niche markets in hope that your hobby can live on through them. These companies will stop at nothing to keep their second-rate casino games going. It appears to me that across gaming, there is also no shortage of paid shills, unpaid shills (company fanboys), and "it couldn't happen here" blissfully ignorant folks. The push in gaming is very obviously towards "no ownership, and constant access fees". Lootboxes and microtransactions are a symptom of this. Imo, no amount of (supposed) goodwill gestures of the companies listing drop rates, or consumers praying to big daddy government to deliver them from evil, is going to change these toxic companies from trying to exploit consumers. The companies would just find new ways.

It is not like they are going to say "my bad, we abandon lootboxes and microtransactions, now here's an epic singleplayer RPG". Can you imagine Zynga (Farmville) doing something like that? Even if they did make a singleplayer RPG, I would bet (heh) that they use it as a vehicle to try and get people onto the game the company really wants them to be playing on (hence my objections to Thronebreaker being packaged with "bonus" GWENT content, but that's another topic). The best thing to do as a consumer who wants no part of their practices, is to stay far away. "Voting with your wallet" will not get rid of those practices in the mainstream, but can sustain a niche market where those practices aren't present.

I think the microtransactions are also awful. Many people make the argument that microtransactions should just be for cosmetic items and it's no big deal as long as "gameplay" is kept free of them. Leaving aside that publishers would obviously be incorporating mtx into gameplay once they become more normalized, I would also argue that cosmetics are part of the gameplay experience. Players customize characters in order to become more immersed. The current state of fighting games is a good example of my point. What used to be considered standard content is now locked behind paywalls, oh, but the "gameplay" is intact...