I Miss Buying Microtransactions

Microtransactions are not something everyone likes, but when used properly for cosmetic purposes or side bonuses that don't directly influence gameplay I find them fine. What I don't like is that they've evolved into what I'd definitely consider to be a gambling system in almost every game.

Instead of being able to see what I'm buying such as a special set of gun skins or a new character, I'm now buying the chance to unlock them. Personally, I've never purchased any of these trading card packages or loot boxes as I'm not paying for a chance at getting something though I know these are hugely popular now.

This system is better for companies as people are more likely to repeat their purchases, yet just absolutely terrible for the consumer as you shouldn't have to gamble for in-game items. I like the concept of working to earn items and I suppose if others want to spend money on them that's their business, it's the gamble concept that I'm against.

I used to love buying the gun skins in Gears of War knowing that I'm getting a wide range of colors or designs to use and I've also purchased Call of Duty gun skins in the past as well to decorate my weapon. I'll never buy the chance of unlocking items as it's a complete gamble and I've heard the horrible stories of garbage items.

This was particularly evident in Gears of War 4 as the crates would often give duplicates of horrible items over and over. I find that unacceptable and have noticed in general that the packages in Gears are too expensive.

The recent UIR pack that was brought for a limited time and will return later came out as 4400 credits in-game. I purely play the Escalation mode in Gears and only earn at a maximum, 180 credits per match which is around 20-30 minutes so earning 4400 for five random cards that could contain duplicates is the worst thing ever.

This system has also been integrated into other games such as Call of Duty with special weapons that grant an advantage being available only in these crates. It's taken away the sense of accomplishment and locks it behind a game of chance which does feel somewhat like a pay to win option.

Once again I'm quite fine with things being cosmetic like in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered, but I know with that the first wave is just the start. I mean, just look at the Call of Duty series in general now. Looking at another example with Halo 5: Guardians, I felt that was the most fair way of doing it so far as Gold packs (the only pack of worth) took a few games to unlock which was not a big deal.

The weapons/vehicles were also just for a fun mode instead of competitive while also giving out cosmetic items. I personally still hate the whole luck based collecting and even just the waiting to see what you get, but it's a fair compromise.


I do miss just buying microtransactions and seeing what I'm purchasing. With the sad trend of loot boxes or supply drops taking the industry by storm they're only going to grow.

It was nice to see an item I wanted and spend a bit of extra cash on it to add some value to my games and now I just grind to collect special boxes that can also be limited in availability for the odd chance of getting a special item.

Most of the time I get crap I could care less about and it's a very demoralizing system, I couldn't imagine spending money to get items I'll never use. That aside I can see why this is addictive to some as gambling can be and I'll always mention that you don't have to buy supply drops, the option to grind for them is there.

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