Personal Responsibility. (Destiny)

by squidnh3, Thursday, October 17, 2019, 12:58 (1871 days ago) @ Ragashingo

I think the part that actually annoys me most is that it feels like Bungie, or casinos, are handed most or all the responsibility for someone buying Eververse items or gambling. Things like, “ It’s like telling a gambling addict to just stop gambling, as if that’s easy.” get thrown around.

I disagree with that.

I think the player or gambler should shoulder most of the responsibility. In exchange for generally not telling them how to live their life or spend their money, I pretty much expect them not to blame others if they make choices that they know will harm their health or finances.

I post this every time someone compares this stuff to gambling, but it's usually from the other perspective. Gambling addiction is especially insidious, because there's always a chance (no matter how slight) you can get your money back. This feature tends to make it specifically affect those who can afford it the least (e.g., state lotteries are a tax on poor people).

What Bungie is selling with Eververse are high-end luxury goods with no resale value. If you buy something through Eververse, it is 100% clear and obvious that the money you spend will never return to you. The so-called "FOMO" aspect to it is absolutely necessary for selling these kind of goods - a significant portion of the reason people buy them at all is because other people won't have them. For me, it's hard to see how selling such a good in nearly any form could be predatory.