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: What is your passion? Is what you

are in college for? Maybe its fashion,
sports, music. I have many passions but one
stands out from the rest, I love video
games. 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, games today have affected the
lives of millions, 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 create
legendary experiences such as Borderlands,

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a game that took the scarcely explored
genre of looter shooter and molded a game
that would take the world by storm. We have
seen few cases where games have an effect
that changes the landscape of a genre or of
gaming itself. Fortnite, for example,
popularized the Battle Royale Genre and
there have been few other games that set
precedent in their respective genres.
Borderlands 2 set a bar so high that for
seven years since its release no other game
has come close to the impact it left.
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 built from millions of
people around the world.
DISPLAY: CONSOLES – XBOX, PS,
NINTENDO. DISPLAY ICONIC GAMES
FROM THE 2000S
MUSIC: TBD
Breathtaking single player games, which are
games based on storytelling and played
alone, have the ability to create emotional
connections with the player. It does not
stop there, with the capability to connect
online, games focusing on competing against
others would take the world by storm
hosting large tournaments with incredible
prizes while other games remained true to
the origin of games which is to simply be
fun.
DISPLAY: CURRENT GEN CONSOLES AND
GAMES SUCH AS SMASH BROS, GOD OF
WAR, VR, FORTNITE ETC.

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 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 developer and consumer stand on
opposite ends battling for the path games
should take.

SCENE 2
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 nearly lifelike.
DISPLAY: GENRES MENTIONED IN
DIALOGUE
Furthermore, there are a wide range of
genres for all gamers including sports,
shooters in which a player is equipped with

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weapons to travel the world with, looters
where a player scavenges for resources to
survive, 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 have even helped people’s lives
with examples such as Pokémon go helping
people overcome anxiety and depression. The
concept of video games has remained the
same since the beginning which is to simply
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.
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 such as Borderlands
2 DLC adding new story through the Captain
Scarlett and Her Pirate’s Booty DLC, or new
maps to play on. Microtransactions consist
of items that can be costumes for a
character, customizations for a gun, or
items that can change little bits of a game
to a player’s preference. Both DLC and
microtransactions can be good but how they
are used today is a major point of

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 contention on whether they should be
regulated or not.
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 grew immensely in popularity with games
such as World of Warcraft which is an
Massive multiplayer online role playing
game, MMORPG for short, game that has a
linear storyline in which a player can
progress their characters level and become
stronger. Progressing through levels means
to improve your character by completing
actions available to you in game. There is
usually a level cap which is based on the
game you play and can be from one to a cap
set by the creators. As you level up you
become stronger, have access to more in
game items and can complete the game once
you are strong enough to defeat anything on
your path to the end. 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.
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

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 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. Story
DLC’s are common and add a continuation to
the story told in the original game. 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 are purchased
within in a video game such as weapons,
armors, pets and much more. Another popular
and controversial form of microtransactions
are 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 such as getting an item categorized as
legendary or that has a high selling price
in the in-game store. 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
The Bad DLC/Microtransactions
VIDEO/PICTURE BACKGROUND

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 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 online digital distribution
became a capability, income was no longer
streaming from one major source.
Microtransactions, a smaller form of DLC,
have the capability to produce unimaginable
amounts of profit with ridiculous prices
ranging from a dollar up to over hundreds
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.
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.

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Developing companies see the capability of
these sales and have gone full speed ahead
knocking anything and everything that
stands in their path including consumer
anger and even legislative action. Kelly
baker provided good examples in his article
“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 at launch without
extra cost apart from the purchase price
for the game which can range from a dollar
to hundreds but generally stick to the 60
dollar range. However, they would have to
play the game to earn these items. DLC’s
such as loot boxes strip a game of content
to be sold after as extra content even with
the possibility to be harmful to consumers.
With problem gamblers, loot boxes feed the
stimulation that gamblers struggle to
resist by delivering a rush of dopamine
once a loot box. If the rewards aren’t what
they wanted, problem gamblers are likely to
continue to buy loot boxes which usually
cost around a dollar at the least and could
take hundreds before hitting the jackpot.
For adults with no addiction this is less
of an issue as they have suitable control
over their desire to buy and tend not
purchase any at all. Loot boxes are also
available to kids as soon as they can pick
up a phone and play games. Loot boxes are

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 predatory items that promise a chance of
great rewards, for children this can seem
especially enticing as the items could be
highly wanted. As such, children are being
introduced to gambling habits at a very
young age. 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. It begins with the action
pulling the lever on the slot machine or
pressing a button to open the loot box, its
followed by a brief moment where the person
has a rush, a moment of suspense followed
by the answer. It ends with grave
disappointment or absolute joy, the
excitement of the moment is what keeps a
person truly addicted. Nir Eyal explains
the hooked model in his book Hooked, the
triggers and actions that keep a person
coming back for more are similar between
slot machines and loot boxes. While video
game companies are fully aware of this,
they continue to implement them at an
increasingly drastic rate.
SCENE 5
My Stance
VIDEO/PICTURE BACKGROUND
VIDEO GAMES THROUGH THE YEARS
MUSIC: POUND CAKE INSTRUMENTAL

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Developers today tend to push out games
that are far from complete having issues
such as glitches, crashes or missing large
amounts of content. When buying a product
you are investing in its value. A games
value is based on the entertainment it can
deliver. For decades games have delivered
complete experiences in which the price tag
is justifiable. Due to greedy practices
today games are often rushed out in order
to make quick revenue, this usually brings
many problems. A complete game will have
very little glitches, maybe a stray stroke
of color, perhaps a loading screen takes a
little long. These issues were easy to
understand as they can be easily missed but
had little to no effect on the rest of the
game. In contrast, some games today are
shipped with a variety of problems such as
multiple image issues, controls simply not
working, game crashes which means that a
game stops working while playing and you’ll
have to reset it, and in rare cases a game
could even damage the console you play it
on, a console you payed hundreds for
damaged by an issue that should not exist.
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 which locked an undisclosed
amount of content behind loot boxes or a
pay wall, many of these items are more
desirable because they provided better
advantages than other items you could
receive for free in the game. Being witness
to both sides of the spectrum, I am open to

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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 do believe DLC, including
microtransactions and loot boxes, 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 such as a sticker
in the game versus the suit of armor it
could possibly give you. Furthermore, they
remove value from the original package a
consumer purchases. There are many with the
same love for games as me,
microtransactions are an effort from
developers to make more money, however, the
execution strips a game down, encourages
unfair or illegal practices, and most
importantly place fear on the oncoming
future.
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 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 by encouraging
addictive habits, leading to expenses that
could be life threatening and much more.
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,
main 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,

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 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 caused 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 for gaming 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 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 dull, but consumers have
seen the harmful effects leading to
rebellion and protest through boycotting
games and being highly vocal through

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outlets such as YouTube and Reddit. My
perfect vision is a world of unity between
gamer and consumer in which innovation and
fun hold importance over endless sums of
money. In my vision DLC and
microtransactions do exist. DLC is always
welcome as it can add great content to a
game you love. With microtransactions,
there is no item that can’t be earned
instead of purchased and loot boxes have
ceased to exist. 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

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