"Making Money from Probability-Based Items for Bonus Parties?"... Uncomfortable Views on Salary Increases in the Gaming Industry

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] The competition for salary increases within the gaming industry is drawing uncomfortable reactions from gamers as it coincides with controversies surrounding 'probability-based items.'

According to the gaming industry on the 14th, the competition for salary hikes among game companies appears to be entering its final stage after NCSoft set developers' salaries at the industry's highest level on the 11th.

Within the industry, the salary increases are being seen as a positive development, with expectations that the treatment of developers who have suffered from harsh working conditions such as 'crunch mode' will improve, and their status will be elevated.

However, gamers' perspectives are not so favorable. This is because the main revenue model for game companies, which encourages excessive spending by users, the 'probability-based items,' is considered the driving force behind the salary increases.

Nexon, which raised all employees' salaries by 8 million KRW, is currently facing backlash over the probability manipulation controversy in its game 'MapleStory.' Previously, Nexon announced an update to 'MapleStory' stating that "all types of additional options that can be applied to items will be assigned with the same probability," which sparked controversy.

Users strongly opposed this, questioning whether the probabilities had not been equal all along. Challenges such as the zero KRW spending challenge and truck protests ensued, and some users even migrated to other games like Smilegate's 'Lost Ark.'

Subsequently, Nexon took steps to evolve by fully disclosing the probabilities of paid probability-based items, revealing the detailed probabilities of the cash item 'Cube' in MapleStory. However, it was revealed that some potential ability options could only be set up to a maximum of two out of three, which further enraged users.

NCSoft is also not free from the probability-based item controversy. The main revenue model of Lineage, which accounts for 80% of NCSoft's annual sales, is also probability-based items.

NCSoft recently released the 'Mythical Weapon' in Lineage 2M. Previously, the 'Legendary Weapon' was the highest grade, but now the top-tier 'Mythical' grade has been added. The Mythical Weapon is crafted using a 'Mythical Crafting Recipe,' and NCSoft has only disclosed the probability of the first stage in the two-step probability-based item drawing process to obtain this recipe.

The item acquisition probabilities are close to 'extremely harsh.' For example, when drawing a recipe from the Growth Material Box, the probability of obtaining a Rare Crafting Recipe is 2%, the probability of obtaining a Heroic Crafting Recipe is 0.5%, and the probability of drawing one 'Recipe Fragment' for the Legendary Crafting Recipe is 0.25%. Ten fragments must be collected to create the Legendary Recipe.

One gamer criticized, "They are raising their own salaries and throwing performance bonus parties with the money earned from probability-based items," adding, "They are so focused on feeding their own that there is no sign of self-regulation efforts to alleviate users' discomfort."

In response to ongoing criticism from users regarding probability-based items, the political sphere is also moving swiftly. Lee Sang-heon, a member of the Democratic Party, has proposed a full revision of the 'Game Industry Promotion Act' in consultation with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which would require the display of information such as the types of probability-based items and the supply probabilities for each type.

In addition to Lee, Democratic Party members Yoo Jung-joo and Yoo Dong-soo have also proposed similar bills. On the 5th, Yoo Dong-soo proposed an amendment to the Game Act that would ban double or triple-layered probability-based items, where multiple items are collected to complete another item.

Notably, Ha Tae-kyung of the People Power Party has designated NCSoft's Lineage (M, 2M, etc.), Nexon's MapleStory, Dungeon & Fighter, Mabinogi, and Netmarble's Everybody's Marble as the 'Five Great Evils of Probability Gambling Games,' and plans to propose additional legislation to regulate probability-based items in these games.

Ha stated, "While corporate profit activities should be legally protected, some game companies are deceiving probabilities through loopholes or indirect methods to make money, hiding behind the pretext of industry protection and obscuring the essence. The National Assembly must foster healthy games to protect the industry."