#Gamba

1 messages Ā· Page 1 of 1 (latest)

edgy cosmos
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šŸ§µ

stark vault
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I am not gambling money on the game so I donā€™t think it would classify without that

edgy cosmos
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I am of two minds about it. It doesn't have real money gambling mechanics, but does have elements of risk, depictions of gambling and themes of other gambling games. I could see either way

stark vault
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I donā€™t think the game even contains gambling as a theme

ocean warren
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Apart from being themed around poker, I wouldn't say anything in the game is anything related to gambling in the traditional sense

stark vault
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There is no indication in game that you are risking money in game to play

honest cape
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you're overthunking this one, no gambling to worry about

stark vault
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If ā€œrisk/rewardā€ mechanics are enough to make a game a gambling game then the category wouldnā€™t really mean much cuz basically every game would fit šŸ˜…

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Any game with lootboxes is way more of a gambling game than Balatro by a long shot lol

edgy cosmos
nimble fern
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I think it would be defined as a gambling game if there was in game currencies involved, such that youā€™d bet a certain amount on a run and youā€™d gain/lose that currency based on the results of your run.
But this game doesnt have any of that so i wouldnā€™t categorize it as a gambling game.

edgy cosmos
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Not that it's correct, or that I agree with it. But it being related to poker/using dollars in game might push it to 'gambling' for some people

nimble fern
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yeah having a game with a poker theme and money involved might make it look like a gambling game

honest cape
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i see your point but slots and your LBAL game i would suggest is more directly associated with gambling. where'as Bala doesn't actually even pose as a poker game in some ways

digital bloom
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I think LBAL is definitely more explicitly gambling than Balatro, since the main mechanic is a slot machine, personally balatro feels a lot more like a strategy game

honest cape
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equally though, some countries are very strict..

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@digital bloom agreed

unique spire
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It's not a gambling game it's a chance game.

vivid bobcat
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Nothing about poker is inherently gambling

ocean warren
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i think that on the outside the game can be seen as a gambling game, it really depends on how you see it first i guess. i first heard of this game from a friend as a poker-themed roguelike so i had an idea of how the game would be.

stark vault
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I played poker with my friends without money and I wouldnā€™t call that gambling

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People can gamble on any game

edgy cosmos
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This is more of a question on optics than mechanics I suppose, you all understand how a game themed around poker might be considered related to gambling

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Dan is anti gambling for example and his game has nothing to do with it

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So am I

vivid bobcat
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It uses dollars as a currency, but like

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So do a lot of games lmao

unique spire
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Yeah but since you don't bet anything I wouldn't say it's about gambling

stark vault
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Some stuck up people that donā€™t understand games or nuance could call Balatro a gambling game, sure

edgy cosmos
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Oh did I not mention you can now buy Gems for $2.99 for more hands?
[SARCASM]

unique spire
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If you used the dollars you have to bet then I'd say its more of a gambling game but since you always win money even if you don't bet anything yourself then I'd argue its not necessarily gambling

edgy cosmos
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What about Wheel of Fortune?

frozen tapir
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that's guaranteed to miss and you know it

edgy cosmos
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Y'all still buy it šŸ™‚

digital bloom
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WoF is like, the closest thing to gambling the game has

stark vault
unique spire
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Oh yeah Wheel of Fortune is what separates cold blooded strategic players with true sigma gamblers

digital bloom
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But even then itā€™s consigned to a single tarot and has an effect separate from the ā€œmainā€ gameplay loop

unique spire
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99% of Balatro players don't waste their last 3 dollars on wheel of fortune just when they're about to get 1.5 mult joker

digital bloom
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Itā€™s entirely possible you wonā€™t even see it once in a run

edgy cosmos
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What about the reroll button?

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That's kinda like a slot machine in a way, hoping for a hit

unique spire
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To be fair I don't use it unless I have more than 25 dollars

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I always think I can get something else in the next shop

edgy cosmos
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I do it until I'm in financial ruin

ocean warren
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i see that as a very general game mechanics i wouldnt see that and call it gambling

stark vault
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Isaac has literal slot machines but I donā€™t think people would call it a gambling game

ocean warren
unique spire
edgy cosmos
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Look I'm playing devil's advocate

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I think there are some arguments to calling it a gambling game

unique spire
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Btw @edgy cosmos can I ask you to really important lore related question here even if it isn't related to the theme of this thread?

digital bloom
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Also I like your pfp pizzacat :)

ocean warren
edgy cosmos
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Ask away

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(don't need to ask if you can ask a question)

unique spire
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Are Odd Tod and Even Steven friends? They look like they would be the bestest of friends.

edgy cosmos
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They are best friends yes šŸ™‚

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Opposites attract

unique spire
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My week just got a thousand times better.

frozen tapir
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in my mind, the thing that separates gambling from simple risk-taking is that gambling is designed to be destructive while risk-taking is meant to be constructive

ocean warren
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overall i think most of the gambling game accusations are just going to come up caus its poker themed

edgy cosmos
unique spire
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Like whenever I get even Steven or Odd Tod I always think about getting the other so they are together and they can enjoy some quality bro time together.

bleak belfry
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I donā€™t think strategy + luck = gambling.

unique spire
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In my mind risk taking means that if you take a risk, you might come out worse but you'll probably end up better off if you win. And gambling is a small chance of getting something but you'll probably just get nothing.

stiff prawn
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Not a gambling game but I do find myself saying....okay just one more šŸ˜†

rose lantern
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It's about as much of a gambling game as Kirby: Planet Robobot is (they depicted a casino games!!!!)

tidal surge
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I don't think this game is any more of a gamble than a run of the mill roguelike

real saffron
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Is it gambling? No - by definition gambling needs money in.
Is it a depiction of gambling? That's a more complicated questionn, and I personally would lean towards yes

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Poker is (legally) gambling, and the game is a depiction of a fantasy version of poker. It doesn't feature gambling but depicts gambling and gambling themes, even if you can't gamble in the game itself

stark vault
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Poker is legally gambling? According to whom?

oblique fjord
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There is a literal casino in early Pokemon games. Nobody considers them gambling games.

stark vault
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If you do not spend money on Poker how is it gambling

oblique fjord
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I can see how it could be at least aesthetically themed around gambling. Poker cards, chips, $$$, Wheel of Fortune, etc...

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Honestly, every 'roguelite' could be considered in some way a gamble, cuz every run could be a success or a loss.

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You can do what sports gambling sites do and say its "A Game of Skill"

wary burrow
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IRL poker is gambling (if youā€™re playing for money). Balatro is poker-themed but itā€™s not really poker, the only real similarities are the hands and the ability to discard. Thereā€™s no betting.

The closest things to gambling are wheel of fortune and skipping blinds for a chance at shop items, which only affect the current run.

stark vault
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anything is gambling if you risk money based on the outcome

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you can gamble on sports or horse racing. That does not mean sports or horse racing are inherently gambling

real saffron
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The tldr is poker is gambling because you bet money in it

stark vault
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so no money = not gambling

real saffron
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By that metric Balantro isn't gambling (as there's no real or between-runs money or currency involved) but it does feature gambing themes (poker)

stark vault
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which was my point

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poker is not gambling, gambling on poker is gambling

real saffron
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I suppose but like, at that point you could say blackjack isn't gambling and that gambling on blackjack is gambling

stark vault
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yes

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gamble: play games of chance for money; bet.

real saffron
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But yes, we agree the game isn't gambling

nova beacon
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a weird poll to make mr thunk, i doubt that people there would say that its a gambling game, but that doesnt help with the reason you are making this poll anyway

remote verge
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my friends say I have a gambling addiction with this game but my 56.4 hours of playtime would disagree. im perfectly normal in comparison to most of you guys.

spice scroll
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so if you saying this game is a gambling machine is equivalent to saying Uno is a gambling game (yes/s)
firm believer that the poker aspect of the game is not portray like real poker and use it as a vessel to enhance the roguelike aspects of the game than actual poker itself

viscid dune
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It's a "push your luck" game, not really gambling. To me, gambling is trying to win something of value. The chips disappear the second you win, you're not really winning the chips. To be honest, the shop money you win after doesn't even have much to do with the gambling itself imo

cobalt geode
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The closest thing to gambling is the Wheel of Fortune tarot card imho

real saffron
proven bramble
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to the 4 people who voted "yes"

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:huh:

proven bramble
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make that 5

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bro who

proud mesa
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Changed my vote, Balatro is definitely a gambling game. You can gamble everywhere, gamble on getting a better hand, gamble on your packs, gamble on the shop having a 1/5 chance of a negative joker, gamble on your lucky cards.

stark vault
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gamble is betting money

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you do not bet real life money in balatro

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chance is not gambling, otherwise every game ever that has any randomness is gambling

proven bramble
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fukc

proven bramble
proud mesa
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Gambling is just choosing to bet no? If you bet on an outcome thatā€™s gambling. I bet that wheel of fortune is gonna be worth it, I bet that Iā€™m not gonna need to win this blind and instead Iā€™m gonna get 15 after beating the boss blind. Itā€™s not chance because you make a choice to bet on an outcome.
Thereā€™s the also the risk-reward of gambling. If I bet on a horse to win in a horse race, Iā€™m gambling. Same in Balatro, Iā€™m betting that what I get out of skipping a blind is worth it

stark vault
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so every single game with any chance is gambling?

proven bramble
proud mesa
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No chance is just a factor. The choice to bet is the gambling

stark vault
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you are using "bet" very losely

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I don't bet money on anything in balatro

proud mesa
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I mean you donā€™t have to bet money to gamble. In a dumb example Iā€™ve bet candy on an outcome in a game cause I had no money

stark vault
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you can phrase "betting on something" on anything in chance in other games
"I'm betting this property will pay off in the long run in Monopoly, so it is a gambling game."
"I'm betting building that building infrastructure will pay off in the long run in Civ, so Civ is a gambling game"

stark vault
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unless you count "spending an ingame resource" as "betting" in which case, you would have to agree with my previous examples

proud mesa
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I mean life is a gamble, thatā€™s a common phrase Iā€™ve heard many times. You gamble with your life when you drive a car. Itā€™s a gamble in civ when you chose to prioritize iron over pottery

stark vault
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if you use that definition of gamble, then literally every game is a gambling game, so that is not a useful definition to use

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it has no meaning to ask whether balatro is a gambling game if you consider any game where you can have any input to be a gambling game

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it is the same as asking if balatro is a game

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That is not the gambling that is meant by the question

proud mesa
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The other aspect of why is the art style of Balatro. Like itā€™s designed to look like a casino, so it falls into gambling.
Also I just thought of this but Balatro has predetermined outcomes- if you pick the same seed and the same jokers youā€™ll get the same cards drawn. Thatā€™s the same thing thatā€™s on slot machines, outcomes are predetermined, and you can see what the chances of the payout is on the machine

stark vault
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well arguing that the aesthetic makes it a gambling game by theming is a completely different line of reasoning, and is much more reasonable

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however the seed argument is not one I would use. I would not consider all games with seeds to be gambling at all. In fact, predetermining the outcome is the antithesis of gamling. If you know what is going to happen, you aren't gambling anymore

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it has really nothing to do with slot machines

keen cosmos
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gamble my in-game money away for a chance at a good card