Being DRM free isn't the only thing GOG does that makes it create. I'm yet to find a single game on this site that uses microtransactions and loot boxes. In this day and age, I think that is something both CD Project Red and GOG should be proud of. More over I think it's something they should consider applying in their marketing. Gambling mechanics ah I mean "SURPRISE MECHANICS" are a hot topic and a promise that such nonsense will never appear on a store front might help persuade more people to join our little community.

What do you guys think?

You're not looking hard enough

You gotta be kidding. What did I miss?

I would think Gwent a CCG (not too unlike Hearthstone) might be one that has micro-transactions.

Or when you consider some game DLCs have 'booster packs'.

There have been a few. Gwent is the only one at the top of my head that abuses these strategies (and why I don't own it). But there wqere a few others that either removed the stuff, or have been removed from the store for other reasons.

Gwent really has one of the fairest implementations of the system I've seen. With most games with microtransactions, it becomes pretty clear in the first 30 minutes, that it is impossible to play them any further without any money, whereas Gwent is very playable even without any money used to it thanks to how many cards you get.

I think their matchmaking system might actually take in consideration if you have used any money or not. Not that I have plated it that much, but I've never had a challenge in it that would have felt somehow unfair.

I'd love to see no lootboxes or microtransactions as one of GOG's principles.

DLC like that might be a bit shitty, but no I do not consider DLC to be the same thing as loot boxes or microtransactions. Especially in a single player game. This is a downer but a long way off from the likes of EA, Actervision and Ubisoft. Not that I would like anything on GOG to be compared to the likes of those.

Sorry, Any implementation of lootboxes is a fail for me. It's why I refunded WWE 2K19 right after I bought it. And the lootbaxes are sold for ingame currency. If I wanted random shit, I'd buy random shit. I want to buy the items I want. I don't do gambling in my video games unless I'm playing a casino game.

I'm not into card games so I didn't play Gwent. Can you pelase tell me more about the gambling in it.

You buy packs of random cards for a premium currency, puchasable with real money and able to be earned in game. You open packs and fet the "ooh ahh" effects of your cards. Granted I remember this all from the original BETA release, since I haven't touched it with their lootboxes -- sorry, surprise mechanics,

Depends on how you consider it implemented in regards to Pay to win mechanics; Some as DLC giving you seemingly overpowered weapons to remove some of the grind of the game (like pay to win mechanics) . On the up side you can re-use the DLC advantages over and over again rather than one time, and it won't bug you with 'Say you can speed this hour long wait period by paying $1' on phones.

It wouldn't be too hard to enforce lootbox-like mechanics as DLC, it would have to phone home and ask if the box had been opened or not, and if it had simply a)not work b)give you a few items of low level junk c) refuse to work until you uninstalled the DLC because it is no longer valid.

Though it's still far more honest than what Bungie/EA/Ubisoft/Activision do, that's for sure. Though intentionally making it super grindy so you buy a DLC to make it less grindy, literally creating a problem and selling you the solution. Remember, everything starts small. It's certainly harder to prevent hacks and get more microtransactions in a game when it's live and all the data is on the server side, which they could delete your data without you being told ahead of time.

I suppose you could but I really don't see gog allowing that to happen.

Not necessarily, there's a lot of DLC that sell you better weapons and stuff that change the balance of the game. Which means that either the DLC is bad or the game was bad. While you shouldn't be willing fixes for games as DLC. This isn't the same thing as a loot box or microtransactions that are designed to make you spend money perpetually. Not in one of boosters for your single player campaign. A little shitty but not ban worthy IMHO

How would you know unless it's months or years later when you re-install the DLC and it refuses to work? Long after you've given them your money? Or someone tries to run it on a machine not connected to the internet and it refuses to work?

Create a problem and sell you the solution. That's how most of them work. Or 'pay to win' which it matches both. Big difference is how often you need to pay the devs/publishers for the privilege...

I'm suddenly reminded of paid mods with Bethesda and Steam...

Yes and no. I do not really consider these disgusting and amoral exploitative mechanics that introduces kids to serious gambling issues in any form as DRM. But to exploit the most out of it it benefits these game-like services to be connected 24/7 which I consider to be a DRM for singleplayer games; even if unintentional since these titles are usually designed around online play and add the competitive multiplayer aspect to increase the feeling of "need" to participate in the lottery.

I'm not sure if most of these game would actually work as entertaining games if left to their own merits; meaning being completely offline and having their microtransactions and gambling removed without being majorly overhauled. I guess a lot of them do not even manage to be an entertaining game with this stuff in.

About microtransactions specifically it depends a bit on what it is I guess. I mean one mans MTX it another ones DLC. Just because i.e. Dying Light has no ingame store of which I'm aware of (the existence of such a thing alone in a game already stains a games quality; IMHO of course) does not mean that this is not a typical microtransaction item. Although I personally put these types of DLC type MTX in higher regard because it makes the game/devs/publisher look far less desperate and leg-humping then the very same thing in an ingame store.