Twitch recently announced that it was going to cut back on the amount of gambling content it allowed on its streaming platform. Some streamers are taking advantage of the news to push their own call for a ban on loot boxes, highlighting how one person spent $9,000 to buy FIFA 23 cards.
The cover of FIFA 23 featuring artistic renderings of soccer stars Mbappé, left, and Sam Kerr. A call for a ban on loot boxes in the game comes from someone who admits to having spent $9,000 to acquire them. (Image: EA Sports)
Just as Pokimane and others campaigned for a gambling ban on Twitch after a fellow streamer revealed he ripped people off to feed his gambling habit, Twitch responded. The streaming platform agreed to remove some types of content, but stopped short of implementing a complete ban.
Just before all of that began, the German Twitch scene rose up against loot boxes ahead of the imminent arrival of FIFA 23. The debate over whether the video game prize mechanisms constitute gambling continues, but popular German streamer Trymacs hasn’t helped quell the battle.
Red Card For Loot Box Overspending
Supported by the host of a local TV show, and using Trymacs opening a pack of FUT (FIFA 22 Ultimate Team) cards as an example, the anti-loot box community came together.
They denounced that the mechanics behind loot boxes and similar in-game bonuses are addictive and could lead people to lose all their money. Loot boxes offer add-ons in video games, such as avatars and power packs. Gamers can purchase the boxes, but rarely know what they will contain.
For FUT cards, the concept is similar. Instead of add-ons, the in-game packs include soccer players the gamers can use in matches.
Trymacs, who has 3.1 million followers on Twitch, participated in the TV broadcast. He admitted that he fully agreed with the criticism, claiming that FIFA was a “kids’ casino” because of the packs.
However, he also asserted that he never promotes the use of the cards on his channel, nor does he advertise for FIFA’s publisher, EA Games. In addition, he said that he supports a ban on loot boxes in Germany.
Two weeks later, Trymacs admitted to having spent €9,300 (US$9,000) on FIFA 23. To him, it was worth it, since he now has one of the top five FUT teams in the world. One of his most recent acquisitions was Mané Garrincha, the late Brazilian soccer phenom and World Cup champion.
The overwhelming logic of the content creator is based on the fact that he doesn’t really invite people to spend money on FIFA or profit from it. However, his antics on his channel do the talking for him.
Backlash Over Madden NFL 23 Loot Boxes
Loot boxes in Madden NFL 23 have come under fire, as well, but for a different reason. Perhaps seeing the power streamers had in getting Twitch to bend, they are now taking similar action.
In this case, however, the streamers and influencers are upset because the loot boxes, in their estimation, have little value. They are complaining that the cards have little “reroll” value and that the player card packs have poor odds.
Reroll value refers to the value of a second item after deciding to reject the first and try for another. This is typically seen in items that have little value to begin with, but the secondary roll isn’t providing a better outcome. This, the streamers say, is not how rerolls work.
As a result of their disgust, the online personalities recently held a “pack strike” in an attempt to get EA Games to change its attitude. They banded together to try to get users not to buy packs, hoping to intimidate the games publisher.
It didn’t work. EA Games says its system is fair and doesn’t foresee making any drastic changes.
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