‘You mean like cereal boxes with the prize on the front’
I’m about to make a statement that everyone probably already knows. GameStop really likes loot boxes. Why wouldn’t the United States’ largest video game retailer love a predatory tactic meant to agitate consumers into acceptance? How do I know this? Well, one particular employee on the company’s Facebook page has been handing out a serving of sass to people bold enough to voice their distaste.
Some users on Twitter have been pointing out how GameStop isn’t content with hearing customers voice their concern over what loot boxes may be doing to the video game industry. I wasn’t sure if any of this was true (since anything on the internet can be easily photoshopped or faked). Not wishing to rely solely on secondhand accounts, I took a trip over to the page myself and grabbed these screens before GameStop’s PR steps in.
As you can see, according to the company representative, the idea of loot boxes falling from the sky is “a very smart tactic.” Loot boxes are also comparable to Cracker Jacks, crane games, carnivals, and Coca-Cola’s manipulative marketing from the 1920s. I’m not sure how those first three fit into the equation, but wouldn’t the last one kind of prove the point that loot boxes are bad?
In a bizarre turn, the employee then goes on to berate how Cracker Jacks kind of sucked for tricking you into buying more boxes to get the toy you wanted. Putting aside how Cracker Jacks are a tangible object that you can eat and how you are guaranteed a physical item, why would you champion a sales tactic that you then turn around and detest? I think someone over at the social media department is just very confused and frustrated, which is certainly something I felt when I worked for GameStop.
The main thing to take from all of this is how GameStop is responding to its potential customers. Clearly the company doesn’t care about your well being and would rather you fall for insidious marketing schemes. I can’t say I’m surprised, but it is a little shocking to see the company be so open about it.
Nick Verge [Twitter]
