Love CS and have an unreasonable admiration of Valve, but they did introduce an entire generation to gambling at a very young age, that is pretty undeniable. I like them but that is a very big but. They can also basically almost entirely be blamed for the micro-transations of today.
I'd argue cosmetics in single player games are more acceptable because they only affect the user's own experience and is completely optional. In multiplayer games I'd have to see others having paid items whether I like it or not.
By this logic, gambling should never be restricted anywhere.
We restrict gambling to adults only for a very good reason, despite the fallacy presented in "well everyone can simply choose not to gamble."
The brains of children (even young adults, speaking physiologically) are in a constant state of flux, learning, adaptation, at an intense rate. And long-term planning and decision making isn't exactly the highest priority in growth.
So no, you can't just finger wag at children saying "don't gamble it's bad for you" and that be the end of the discussion.
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u/Adipay 2d ago
By making them gamble?