The loot boxes controversy in gaming

I don't think they should be a part of gaming, I am more a fan of grinding for what you want within a game and earning it yourself.

I think a lot more parents should research family settings etc to prevent their children from buying these and making unwanted purchases but as adults, nobody is forcing them to purchase them.

As to the increase in game prices, we went many years without loot boxes and games weren't as expensive as they are now so it sounds like a cash grab argument more than anything. 

It is the totally random loot/drop boxes that should be banned. They offer no real value and are designed to get you to keep purchasing to try and get that rare item. Also the pay to win defeats what gaming is all about, it's like legalised cheating. I don't believe that the AAA titles would rise in price or suffer for not having them. Those developers that use them all the time have just got used to milking the gaming cow and unfortunately it tends to be children whom suffer, due to peer pressure. As Pandy Yato states, parents need more information, or understanding of how to set up a child account and limit spending and access.

I understand why free to play games have items you buy, as it is how they fund their games. These though tend to be straight forward as you pay X £$ to get X item and are not a form of gambling. Also in most cases you are not paying to win either.

I've spoken about this before on here but I think it bears repeating!  As far as "gameplay altering" (i.e. powerups or items which make you better) I am very much against this as it's often the case that while those rewards can be earned it's more about who's paying to win.  In terms of aesthetics, I'm a little more restrained thinking that we need more to look at the appeal of those and which demographic they appeal to most.

Think about it, I'm here in the UK, we can't advertise candy bars at 3-4pm or sugar laden cereals at 8am because it's a known fact that those are times where children are likely to view and are likely to be unduly influenced by those things into making unhealthy decisions.  (Before anyone jumps in, I know parenting SHOULD circumvent that!)  Yet we're quite OK to allow kids to spend inordinate amounts of money on virtual items because they're limited time items or from a loot box, seems somewhat iffy to me!  I've got no problem with sticking a skin up permanently, which naturally reduces the sense of urgency & along with that the natural instinct to grab it immediately, but when you start limiting it that becomes an issue.

Problem being the situation is so ingrained in the video game sector that it'll be difficult without relevant legislation to remove them!