AN INDUSTRY IN DISARRAY: THE PLAGUE CALLED

MICROTRANSACTIONS

By

Elvis Velasquez

Fvelasquez34@yahoo.com
FADE IN:
INTRODUCTION
Introduce gaming its history and why It is important to you
INTRO BACKGROUND
DISPLAY: VARIETY OF GAMES,
TRANSITIONING FROM OLDER GAMES TO
NEWER GAMES.
MUSIC: THE JACKSONS – WHO’S LOVING
YOU
DISPLAY: MARIO, POKEMON, BIT GAMES
SUCH AS PONG, ARCADE GAMES

Dialogue: Video games have been around

since the 1950s with the creation of a
game very similar to the classic game
Pong. From there I don’t believe anyone
expected the evolution that would happen
to video games and the incredible
creations of creativity and innovation to
come. One thing is certain, most today
have interacted with video games, whether
it be by playing them or buying them for
someone, the billion dollar industry has
spread throughout the world with no end in
sight.
DISPLAY: DISPLAY MARIO GAMEPLAY
INTO BORDERLANDS
From legendary Nintendo creating the Mario
character who is arguably the most iconic
game character to ever be created with
dozens of games being centered on him and
his world. To series that would uphold
legacies such as Borderlands, a game that
took a scarcely explored genre and molded
a game that would take the world by storm
while setting a bar so high that for the
seven years since its release no other
game has come close to the impact it left.

2
 DISPLAY: DISPLAY CALL OF
DUTY/POKEMON
Other games such as Call of duty
capitalized on online play where players
could play against each other creating
outstanding opportunities when partnered
with platforms such as YouTube. Games like
Pokémon continue their worlds with new
games even today simply because of the
love from its communities.
DISPLAY: CONSOLES – XBOX, PS,
NINTENDO. DISPLAY ICONIC GAMES
FROM THE 2000S
MUSIC: TBD
Breathtaking single player games have the
ability to create emotional connections
with players, something never thought to
be possible. It does not stop there, with
the capability to connect online, games
focusing around competing against others
would take the world by storm hosting
large tournaments with ridiculous prizes
while others remained true to the origin
and were simply lots of fun.
DISPLAY: CURRENT GEN CONSOLES AND
GAMES SUCH AS SMASH BROS, GOD OF
WAR, VR, FORTNITE ETC.

Today, video games have incredible

capabilities with graphics becoming better
at an incredible rate, being able to
provide hours of entertainment and to me,
they have been a source of relief and
comfort since I was five. Growing along
with them has been an incredible journey
yet today they stand on the verge of civil
war between player and developer.

SCENE 2

3
Gaming evolution
VIDEO BACKGROUND
DISPLAY: DEVELOPERS IN ACTION AS
WELL AS HOW GAMES ARE CREATED
There are many different types of games,
from simple 8-bit creations, such as games
that you could see at an arcades. 8 bit
games allow small teams to create
brilliant games made from passionate ideas
at relatively low cost.
DISPLAY: ZELDA BREATH OF THE WILD
AND GTA5 GAMEPLAY
Massive open world adventures are games
that allow you to explore the world
within. Great examples are games such as
Zelda breath of the wild and Grand Theft
Auto 5 that have graphical capabilities
that make certain images appear borderline
lifelike.
DISPLAY: GENRES MENTIONED IN
DIALOGUE
Furthermore, there are a wide arrange of
genres for all gamers including sports,
shooters, looters, MMORPGs, storytelling
and much more which make it possible for
anyone to find a game that suits their
taste. Games have introduced players to
new ideas and concepts, nurtured passion
and are even able to save lives simply by
being an enjoyable experience. That has
always been the concept of video games, to
be enjoyable. Throughout the years the
enjoyment is brought from many concepts
including from content added to massive
video games added initial after release.
DISPLAY: DIFFERENT DLCS SUCH AS
TINY TINAS DRAGON KEEP, SOME DLC
FROM BIOSHOCK, MICROTRANSACTIONS
The method to add content is known as
Downloadable Content or DLC for short.

4
 There are also microtransactions which can
be categorized as smaller DLC.
DISPLAY: EDDIE MAKUCH ARTICLE INTO
DIFFERENT DLCS

Eddie Makuch explains them in his online

article “Microtransactions, Explained:
Here's What You Need To Know.” as anything
you pay extra for in a video game outside
of the initial purchase. General DLC can
add on to a story mode or new maps to play
on. Microtransactions consist of items
that be costumes for a character,
customizations for a gun or suit, or items
that can change little bits of a game to a
player’s preference. Both can be good but
how they are used today is a major point
of contention.
SCENE 3
The good DLC/Microtransactions
VIDEO/PICTURE BACKGROUND
DISPLAY: DIFFERENT FORMS OF DLC
INCLUDE DLC FOR BORDERLANDS, CALL
OF DUTY, AND TRAILERS OF DLC
MUSIC: SANDOSUR FROM BENSOUND
WEBSITE
DLC is simply extra content that can be
added to a video game after its initial
release. DLC grew immensely in popularity
with games such as World of Warcraft which
is an MMORPG game that has a linear
storyline in which a player can progress
their characters level and become
stronger. World of Warcraft created a cult
following of fans even while their game
had an end. While players are still
capable of playing for new items or
continue to level their characters, more
content can satisfy both the player and
the developer.

5
 DISPLAY: STORY BASED GAMES SUCH AS
WOW, BIOSHOCK, RDR2
DLC can come in the form of story
expansions which act as a new chapter for
the game adding a new story, items, levels
and in general more to play. DLC’s such as
Tiny Tina’s Dragon Keep for Borderlands 2
or BioShock’s burial at sea are examples
of amazing DLC that show incredible
amounts of work, passion, and creativity
which in turn provide the player with
amazing experiences making it worth the
extra price of purchase. The extra cost is
easily justified with the content added.
Tiny Tina’s Attack on Dragon Keep added
well over two hours of story that could be
extended even further if the player
decided to play the new chapter in a
nonlinear method such as playing the side
missions or searching for rare items
hidden throughout the new areas of
exploration.
DISPLAY: MICROTRANSACTION STORES!!
Microtransactions are a little different,
they can be considered DLC but on a much
smaller scale. Microtransactions usually
consist of small items that purchased
within in a video game such as weapons,
armors, pets and much more. Another
popular and controversial form of
microtransactions is loot boxes. Loot
boxes are purchasable items that contain
random weapons and generally award a
couple of items once they are open. The
best way to describe them is an in-game
slot machine. Just like slot machines, the
rewards are random and minimal with very
small chances of striking gold. Many good
DLC’s exist, however, developers today see
DLC as simply a way to make money instead
of adding worthwhile content to finished
products.
SCENE 4

6
The Bad DLC/Microtransactions
VIDEO/PICTURE BACKGROUND
DIFFERENT FORMS OF DLC
In the end, video game developers are in a
business which means they have a priority
to make money.
DISPLAY: MAJOR GAME INDUSTRY
LEADERS SUCH AS SONY, NINTENDO,
MICROSOFT THEN DEVELOPERS.
Before DLC was even an idea, game
developers trusted that creativity, fun
and all-around amazing games would be able
to bring in profit simply because of its
prestige. Once DLC became a capability,
income was no longer streaming from one
major source. DLC’s have the capability to
produce unimaginable amounts of profit
with ridiculous prices on items as simple
as an outfit for your in-game character.
DISPLAY: EXAMPLES OF MEDIA TODAY:
CNN/NYT
Microtransactions are a problem that
receives little attention from media
outlets because of the limited demographic
they affect, however, microtransactions
should not be ignored as they do have very
detrimental effects. The greatest culprit
of all is Loot boxes. A purchasable item
in the game that, once bought, provide the
buyer with random items from the game,
almost a slot machine of the sort.
DISPLAY: LOOT BOXES FROM VARIOUS
GAMES
Research from the study “Video game loot
boxes are linked to problem gambling
conducted” by David Zendle and Paul Cairns
showed that problem gamblers were more
likely to buy loot boxes and fuel their
addiction. Furthermore, they noticed that
non-problem gamblers were less likely to
buy microtransactions such as loot boxes

7
as compared to problem gamblers.
Developing companies see the capability of
these sales and have gone full speed ahead
knocking anything and everything that
stands in their path. Kelly baker provided
good examples in his articles “The Problem
With Microtransactions” including Star-
Wars: Battlefront II and others like NBA
2K18, Call of Duty WWII, Middle Earth:
Shadow of War, Overwatch, Madden 19,
Uncharted 4 and many others. All have
purchasable items that can be decent, they
are items that can be easily purchased and
add to the experience, all is well, right?
DISPLAY: COMPLETE GAMES SIDE BY
SIDE WITH MICROTRANSACTION
INFESTED GAMES
Not really, when put into the grand
context of gaming history, all these items
are content that before were readily
available for the player in a game,
however, they would have to play to earn
these items. DLC’s such as loot boxes
strip a game of content to be sold after
as extra even with the possibility to be
harmful to consumers. Loot boxes are the
most insulting form of microtransactions
in the history of gaming as they make
content exclusive to the box while making
the chances to acquire the most wanted
items extremely low, sometimes even
forcing players to shell out hundreds if
not thousands of dollars.
DISPLAY: STATISTICAL EVIDENCE
PROVIDED BY DAVID ZENDLE
There is a clear connection between loot
boxes and problem gambling as they
stimulate the same senses that slot
machines or other forms of gambling
stimulate. While video games companies are
fully aware of this, they continue to
implement them at an increasingly drastic
rate with no end in sight.

8
SCENE 5
My Stance
VIDEO/PICTURE BACKGROUND
VIDEO GAMES THROUGH THE YEARS
MUSIC: POUND CAKE INSTRUMENTAL
Developers today tend to push out games
that are far from complete having issues
such as glitches, crashes or missing large
amounts of content.
DISPLAY: BIGGEST CONTENDERS LAST
GENERATION: MARIO/SMASH BROS,
HALO/CALL OF DUTY, GTA/RDR
This is a sharp contrast from the past
where games needed to be complete and fun
in order to shine in between many games
that also strived to be the best. Even
while selling incomplete products,
developers are fast to put DLC and
microtransactions in video games for quick
profit, examples of this include games
such as Destiny 2, Anthem and Star Wars
Battlefront 2. Being witness to both sides
of the spectrum, I am open to DLC and
Microtransactions. While personally I
would never purchase any form
microtransactions since they usually
consist of content stripped from the game
before launch. DLC’s have a history of
being welcome additions to complete games
by adding hours of fun and depth to video
games. I am open to them however I do
believe they must be regulated. First and
foremost, loot boxes should not exist,
they are predatory by nature as they
promise the possibility of incredible
returns but usually gift meager or
unreasonable rewards.
DISPLAY: IN GAME STORES
I believe consumers have the right to know
what they are spending on before going
through with the purchase. This is a

9
 simple fix too; many games have a store
where items are put for sale for certain
prices yet loot boxes are commonly found
and entice buyers with false promises that
can be detrimental to health. Knowing what
you are paying for is a lot safer and much
less harmful than playing the stakes in
hopes of a rush. In addition, content
should always be available through playing
the game not locked behind a paywall. The
current state of gaming is shaky because
of issues such as this, however,
circumstances today show some hope for
change.
SCENE 6
Finale
VIDEO/PICTURE BACKGROUND
FUTURE GAME DEVELOPMENT
Certain legislative bodies are aware of
the predatory actions taken by big
companies in search of never-ending
revenue and have acted to counteract or
control these actions. One example of this
is Belgium, the Belgian gaming commission
decided that loot boxes which return
random rewards in exchange for real money
are a form of gambling. This would cause a
chain reaction in which the Netherlands
shortly followed. Somehow the U.S
legislative bodies deemed loot boxes to
not be a form of gambling, however, some
states have acted to thoroughly
investigate them. For now, gaming
companies hold their ground without any
sign of giving way as greed has overtaken
almost all passion and morals.
DISPLAY: GOD OF WAR, SPIDERMAN
PS4, BASE RDR2, SMASH BROS,
ODESSEY
While most of the gaming industry now
seeks the unrealistic dream of endless
growth, there are special moments where a

10
game released is filled with passion,
creativity and actual care instead of just
microtransactions. Games such God of war
or classics such as Borderlands or Dragon
Age defies the industry norm by staying
true to their passions, not their pockets.
The present is rather shaky, but consumers
have seen the harmful effects leading to
rebellion and protest. While today
developers will stop at nothing to milk
the player base the war of consumer vs
developer may be leading to a revolution
and a new era of gaming.

FADE OUT:

THE END

11