Loot boxes are a hugely controversial element of modern video games, dividing opinion between those who like the fun of opening a random drop of skins, items, or new weapons, and those who hate not knowing what they’re getting. Of course, they often come hand-in-hand with microtransactions, too, which divide opinion in a similar way.
We decided to sit down and have a lighthearted but passionate debate about whether loot boxes are the devil’s tool or if they’re a welcome addition to video games in the modern age. Fighting for loot crates and alpha packs is Will Potter, who has spent far too much money on Overwatch loot boxes since the game’s 2016 launch. Fighting against them is Oscar Dayus, who hates loot boxes in everything except FIFA Ultimate Team, because he’s a hypocrite.
Watch the video above to see how the debate turned out. The discussion begins with the pair talking about the pros and cons of loot boxes in general, before they go on to talk about two shining (or egregious) examples of the random containers. Alongside the serious analysis from each side, there’s also some friendly fun-making and jokes at each other’s expense. Be sure to watch till the end to see the quickfire round, which gets a little goofy.
Last week we put two legendary shooter series against one another: Doom vs Wolfenstein. In that episode, Jean-Luc’s Doom argument defeated Kallie’s case for Wolfenstein. Make sure to get your voice heard this week by voting for who you think won the debate on YouTube or by commenting down below. Check back next week for another episode of Versus; new episodes drop every Wednesday at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET / 2 PM BST / 11 PM AET on GameSpot.com and YouTube.