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This Week in Videogames - TWIV
@thisweekinvideogames.com

Balatro. Clover Pit. Raccoin. Gambling-themed roguelikes have been helping indie devs hit the jackpot in recent years. But what does the blurring line between gaming and gambling say about modern game design? We asked a bunch of experts, including the developer who arguably started the whole trend.

thisweekinvideogames.comAre Indie Games Developing a Gambling Problem?What does the increasingly blurry line between gaming and gambling say about modern game design? We ask developer, publisher, and academic experts to find out.

54 reposts222 likes

Daiz
@daiz.moe

Indie games are not developing a gambling problem, because notably, none of these games feature any actual gambling. Focusing on aesthetics is extremely asinine when gaming has a very real actual gambling problem due to the proliferation of lootbox gambling monetization in both AAA and mobile space

Qualbert.com
@qualbert.com

Including CloverPit in this article is some strange irony. Yes, the game is played using a slot machine and on face value has many gambling elements to hook players. But the entire game is satirical commentary and a warning on the addictive and harmful nature of gambling.

Francisco Dominguez
@dominguezf.bsky.social

I find it interesting how they're creating a grey area. Many of these games are excellent, made by thoughtful, conscientious developers. But the appeal still capitalises on gambling elements. It was cut for space but Paul mentioned the Starship Troopers problem: satire feeding what it comments on.

Francisco Dominguez
@dominguezf.bsky.social

That's a good point. I grew up in England where collapsing high street businesses were often replaced by betting shops, I know it's just as visible in Aus with pokie machines. It definitely colours how you see light-hearted reinterpetations of gambling.

Stacey Borg
@drcurlytek.bsky.social

All of these games are maths games, with a gambling facade. None of them are gambling games, because gambling requires risking your money for the possibility of gaining more money. There’s more gambling in loot boxes than any of these games.

frenzied acvid
@genacvid.net

Gambling requires actual monetary risk to be considered gambling. Otherwise it's just simulated gambling. Like simulated murder. It's not real. The only reason it's being conflated here is for clicks and attention lol. If you put like 2 seconds of thought into this, it makes no sense.

Daiz
@daiz.moe

Yeah, let's focus on the thematics and slap an 18+ rating on a math game like Balatro while games with actual digital gambling (lootboxes) get a 3+ rating because they don't look like "traditional gambling" Gambling regulation should be based on whether actual gambling is happening and nothing else

Stacey Borg
@drcurlytek.bsky.social

Yeah, I get it. But to me these rogue-like number sims are so clearly separate from any form of actual gambling that I don’t understand the problem. I played Questron growing up, and that had gambling mechanics where you’d play roulette or other games of chance to increase your in game money.

Stacey Borg
@drcurlytek.bsky.social

And those simple Questron gambling mechanics had WAY MORE in common with real world gambling than Balatro ever will. Clover Pit is easier to make a correlation with, but hell, if I could take lucky charms with known effects with me to the casino maybe I’d become a professional gambler.

Krunchie 🐓
@foxyvalli.bsky.social

Gambling themed roguelikes SLAP. I also don't think gambling games blur the line between real gambling. That's sorta like saying shooters blur the lines with actually shooting.

Jason Imms
@jasonimms.bsky.social

The Australian scene is also affected by the fact that none of the state and federal agencies will put grant funding behind any project that contains gambling, or gambling-adjacent mechanics.