Time to Bring Out Mom’s Credit Card
The question of gambling in video games has been center stage for the past view years within the industry. There has been a multitude of critics that have condemned the practice of “loot boxes.” The people who have been critical of loot boxes have equated them to a form of gambling. Some countries and certain states within America have gone as far as to ban them entirely. However, NBA 2K has not gotten the memo and just doubled down on microtransactions and other shunned practices. This year in NBA 2K20, actual slot machines will be available for players to use.
Not exactly the most subtle approach, NBA 2K20 has added casino games into their MyTeam mode. MyTeam is a game mode that allows players to form their dream team buy competing for or purchasing certain NBA player’s cards. Each one of these cards has an overall along with different attributes. These cards are obtained through a bunch of different ways. The online market is the most notable method. This is where players can try and auction off their cards on the online market. Other real-life people will then make bids on the card with in-game currency.
2K as a franchise has faced a ton of backlash due to these sorts of business practices. But that has not stopped them one bit. The fans of 2K might complain or make some negative remarks, but they will still buy the game. And that is because there is no other option. There is no other viable basketball video game out there. NBA Live, the EA basketball series is mostly a punchline at this point.
It will be interesting to see how these casino-style additions will impact the debate about video games and gambling.