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{{short description|Acquiring items in video games}}
{{More footnotes|date=February 2018}}
[[File:Trine 2 - Deadly Dustland Treasure.jpg|thumb|Characters discovering treasure in the game ''[[Trine 2]]'']]
In video games, '''loot''' is the collection of [[Item (gaming)|items]] picked up by the [[player character]] that increase their power or level up their abilities, such as [[In-game currency|currency]], [[magic (gaming)|spells]], equipment and weapons. Loot is meant to reward the player for progressing in the game, and can be of superior quality to items that can be purchased. It can also be part of an upgrade system that permanently increases the player's abilities.<ref name=":0" />
''[[Loot box]]es'' are a particular type of randomized loot system that consists of boxes that can be unlocked through normal play, or by purchasing more via microtransaction.


== Functions ==
'''Looting''' (alternately, {{'}}'''lewting'''{{'}}, from a common misspelling), in video games such as [[role-playing video game]]s, [[massively multiplayer online game]]s (MMOGs) and [[MUD]]s, is the process by which a [[player character]] obtains [[Item (gaming)|items (or loot)]] such as in-game currency, [[magic (gaming)|spells]], equipment, or weapons, often from the corpse of a creature or possibly the corpse of another player in a [[player versus player|PVP]] situation (cf. [[looting]]).<ref name="journal-sentinel">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3LQaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=h0UEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6548,10182803&dq=ninja+looting&hl=en|accessdate=Jan 31, 2010|title='City of Heroes' is a massively entertaining online success|date=August 31, 2004|page=3E|newspaper=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]]}}</ref> These looted items will be placed into the player's own inventory. Loot is considered a reward for killing a creature or other player.
Early computer role-playing games such as [[Strategic Simulations|SSI]]'s ''[[Gold Box]]'' series rewarded player progress with in-game treasure, which was typically preset in the games' programming. Recent games tend to randomly or [[procedural generation|procedurally generate]] loot, with better loot such as more powerful weapons or stronger armor obtained from more difficult challenges. The random nature of loot was established in the [[roguelike]] genre of games and made mainstream through [[Blizzard Entertainment]]'s ''[[Diablo (video game)|Diablo]]'' which was based on roguelike design principles. Fixed items, determined essential for game progress, may also drop alongside random loot.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JoshBycer/20141014/227713/Defining_Loot_Tables_in_ARPG_Game_Design.php | title = Defining Loot Tables in ARPG Game Design | first = Josh | last = Bycer | date = October 14, 2014 | accessdate = April 16, 2021 | work = [[Gamasutra]] | archive-date = April 16, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210416155329/https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JoshBycer/20141014/227713/Defining_Loot_Tables_in_ARPG_Game_Design.php | url-status = live }}</ref>


In single-player games, loot is often obtained as treasure through exploration or [[looted]] from defeated enemies,<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Level up! : the guide to great video game design|last=Rogers|first=Scott|date=2014|publisher=Wiley|isbn=9781118877210|edition= 2nd|location=Hoboken|pages=399|oclc=877770975}}</ref> and loot is considered distinct from items purchased from in-game shops. In multiplayer games, loot may be provided in such a manner that only one player may acquire any given item. "Ninja-looting" is the resulting practice of looting items off enemies defeated by other players.<ref name="journal-sentinel" /> Players may choose to employ a [[loot system]] to distribute their spoils. In a [[player versus player|PVP]] situation, loot may be taken from a defeated player.<ref name="journal-sentinel">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3LQaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=h0UEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6548,10182803&dq=ninja+looting&hl=en|access-date=Jan 31, 2010|title='City of Heroes' is a massively entertaining online success|date=August 31, 2004|page=3E|newspaper=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]]|archive-date=May 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160518212837/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3LQaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=h0UEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6548,10182803&dq=ninja+looting&hl=en|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Ninja looting==
The term "ninja looting", or just "ninja-ing", applies to a number of common looting practices.<ref name="journal-sentinel" /> A player exhibiting any of these behaviors might be labeled a "ninja looter", or simply a "ninja":


In [[role-playing video games]] or [[Loot shooter|loot shooters]], loot often forms the core economy of the game, in which the player fights to obtain loot and then uses it to purchase other items.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Advanced game design : a systems approach|last=Sellers|first=Michael|year=2017|isbn=9780134668185|location=Boston|oclc=1012108932}}</ref> Loot is often assigned to tiers of rarity, with the rarer items being more powerful and more difficult to obtain. The various tiers of rarity are often indicated by particular colors that allow a player to quickly recognize the quality of their loot. The concept of color-coded loot rarity was initially popularized with the 1996 game ''[[Diablo (video game)|Diablo]]'' and its 2000 sequel ''[[Diablo II]]'', whose designer, [[David Brevik]], took the idea from the [[roguelike]] video game ''[[Angband (video game)|Angband]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Hanson |first1=Ben |title=GI Show – Rage 2, Final Fantasy VII, David Brevik Interview |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/video-podcast/the-game-informer-show/2019/05/16/gi-show-rage-2-final-fantasy-vii-david-brevik |access-date=19 May 2019 |magazine=Game Informer |date=16 May 2019 |location=At 2:37:05 |language=en |archive-date=19 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190519180832/https://www.gameinformer.com/video-podcast/the-game-informer-show/2019/05/16/gi-show-rage-2-final-fantasy-vii-david-brevik |url-status=dead }}</ref> In ''Diablo'', equippable items were either white (normal), blue (magic) or gold (unique), and ''Diablo II'' expanded on this with either grey (inferior), white (common), blue (magic), yellow (rare), orange (unique) or green (set). Blizzard Entertainment later re-used the system for the 2004 game [[World of Warcraft]], where items were either grey (poor), white (common), green (uncommon), blue (rare), purple (epic) or orange (legendary). Following ''World of Warcraft'''s popularity, most loot-driven games have since based their own system off this same color-coding hierarchy,<ref>{{cite web |last=Grayson |first=Nathan |date=April 16, 2021 |title=Why Video Game Loot Is So Addictive, According To The Creators Of Diablo |url=https://kotaku.com/why-video-game-loot-is-so-addictive-according-to-the-c-1846695147 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/KIZLs |archive-date=December 18, 2024 |accessdate=April 16, 2021 |work=[[Kotaku]]}}</ref> (e.g. ''[[Titan Quest]]'', ''[[Borderlands (video game)|Borderlands]]'', ''[[Overwatch]]'', ''[[Torchlight]]'', ''[[Destiny (video game)|Destiny]]'', and ''[[Fortnite]]'').<ref>{{cite web |last=Wright |first=Steven |date=January 20, 2020 |title=How Color-Coded Loot Conquered Gaming |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-color-coded-loot-conquered-gaming/1100-6473027/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.ph/AzlfM |archive-date=December 18, 2024 |accessdate=October 20, 2022 |work=[[GameSpot]]}}</ref> The quality of loot often scales with the tiers but not always, and higher tier loot can sometimes only be found in later stages of the game.
*Looting treasure off enemies that a party other than his own has defeated but not yet looted.<ref>http://mmohuts.com/editorials/mmorpg-etiquette 'MMORPG Etiquette – Do’s and Dont’s of MMORPGs'</ref>


== Loot boxes ==
:This situation could arise in a number of ways. The killing party could still be involved in a protracted battle with additional enemies, or that party could be having difficulty deciding among themselves who should loot the item, or they may have decided it should go to a friend's or [[Clan (computer gaming)|guild]]mate's character who is not in that party and are awaiting his arrival from elsewhere in the game. (The latter two cases are particular to MMOGs where powerful and important items typically become permanently bound to the first player who picks them up. Otherwise, the item could be looted by anyone and redistributed to the proper individual later.) Similarly, at times there may be a physically accessible treasure that is being guarded (e.g., a treasure chest), such that any attempt to loot it will provoke the guardians into attacking; a player who waits near such a treasure for another player to engage the guardians – and then loots it himself while the other player is occupied in combat – is considered a ninja looter (effortlessly acquiring a treasure at someone else's risk and expense).
{{Main|Loot box}}

Loot boxes are a particular type of randomized loot system that consists of boxes that can be unlocked through normal play, or by purchasing more via [[microtransaction]]. They originated in massively multiplayer online role-playing games and mobile games, but have since been adopted by many [[AAA (video game industry)|AAA console games]] in recent years. The system has garnered a great deal of controversy for being too similar to [[gambling]], along with giving players a means to circumvent normal progression through additional monetary transactions.<ref>Van Voorhis, Scott (April 21, 2023). [https://archive.ph/3GUHL "The $15 Billion Question: Have Loot Boxes Turned Video Gaming into Gambling?"]. ''[[Harvard Business School]]''. Archived from [https://froggy.skin/en/blog/cs2-cases-how-did-the-first-skins-come-about/ the original] on December 18, 2024. Retrieved December 19, 2024.</ref> Games that allow for certain players to have unfair advantages over other players via paid loot boxes are referred to as "pay-to-win" by critics.
*Looting specific items off enemies that the player's own party defeated before the party has formally decided who should do so or in direct contradiction to a decision that someone else should loot; in games in which players can activate an "autoloot" option (intended for convenience when fighting solo), this practice often occurs accidentally when a player forgets to disable autoloot and is tolerated as long as the looting party (usually the one who strikes the final blow) immediately transfers the item as agreed upon, either directly to a person designated in advance to receive it or, if no such designation occurred, by conducting a [[Dice#Application in role-playing games|dieroll]] (''cf.'' the ancient practice of [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+19%3A23-24&version=RSV "casting lots" for non-divisible items]) to select a recipient.
*Consistently looting all defeated enemies at the earliest possible moment, thus precluding any other party member from receiving any treasure, even when nothing special is to be had. (This is also known as "loot whoring" when not followed by distribution in accordance with previous plans [see discussion of "autoloot" above].)
*Looting items that the player did not have the high roll for and/or cannot use for the sole purpose of selling or trading it. Sometimes this may be discovered after the fact if that same item (through an in-game trade system, such as the Auction House in ''[[World of Warcraft]]'') is later found to be for sale by the player who lied about needing it. This may also occur by misuse of the in-game loot distribution system, by misleading or confusing loot rules, or simply by a lack of established loot rules. Taking advantage of these last two situations is often thought of as a mild offense and may be overlooked as carelessness or poor planning.

Many MMOGs have various loot distribution systems built into the game that attempt to take fairness into account; [[World of Warcraft]], for example, features a time-limited 'trading period' in which any loot can be given to someone else before it's locked to the holder. Some MMOs offer no such 'loot protection', or only offer a very basic system; according, 'loot etiquette' varies from game to game, as does the prevailing attitude toward (and tolerance of) ninja looters.

In games that don't have a loot-protection system in place, ninja looters often earn a negative reputation, particularly in games where a 'group effort' provides the greater reward; chronic and unrepentant ninja looters are frequently 'named-and-shamed' in online communities for disrupting a group by effectively 'stealing' loot that was intended for someone else.

==Scavenging==
{{Unreferenced section|date=February 2010}}
The term "scavenging" is used when referring to the process of acquiring loot other players have not picked up, often purposely so, without actually helping them defeat the enemies. By means of scavenging, players may acquire gear they would not have access to by means of their own prowess. Players known to scavenge are called [[scavenger]]s. Scavenging may be seen as a nuisance by some players, yet the scavenger is normally tolerated if he lets the active players pick their loot first, but this can also turn against them as most loot left behind is useless, "low gold" (low in-game value) items. For example, in ''[[RuneScape]]'', the bones of a slain monster are normally left behind, which most other people are welcome to take when they become visible.

Scavenging often occurs in levels where risk is minimal (e. g. the level has been cleared already and there will be no [[Spawning (computer gaming)|respawns]]) and lots of neglected loot can be obtained, a practice prefigured in literature by ''Les Miserables''' [[Thénardiers#Part Three: Marius|Thénardier]]. A prime example for this is the secret "cow" level in ''[[Diablo II]]'', where low level players will often come in to scavenge after the level has been cleared by high level players. The neglected loot is often weak or worthless to the players who cleared it but extremely powerful and valuable to starting players.


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.gamespy.com/articles/665/665716p1.html Onlife #32: Good game ninja loot] at GameSpy
*[http://www.mmofringe.com/component/content/article/29-editorials/general-gaming/242-mmo-bits-and-pieces-looting MMO Bits and Pieces: Looting] at MMOFringe
*[http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/1228943-Northern-Cloth-Scavenging-in-MoP Scavenging in MoP] at MMO Champion


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[[Category:MUD terminology]]
[[Category:MUD terminology]]
[[Category:Video game terminology]]
[[Category:Video game terminology]]
[[Category:Video game culture]]

Revision as of 10:31, 19 December 2024

Characters discovering treasure in the game Trine 2

In video games, loot is the collection of items picked up by the player character that increase their power or level up their abilities, such as currency, spells, equipment and weapons. Loot is meant to reward the player for progressing in the game, and can be of superior quality to items that can be purchased. It can also be part of an upgrade system that permanently increases the player's abilities.[1] Loot boxes are a particular type of randomized loot system that consists of boxes that can be unlocked through normal play, or by purchasing more via microtransaction.

Functions

Early computer role-playing games such as SSI's Gold Box series rewarded player progress with in-game treasure, which was typically preset in the games' programming. Recent games tend to randomly or procedurally generate loot, with better loot such as more powerful weapons or stronger armor obtained from more difficult challenges. The random nature of loot was established in the roguelike genre of games and made mainstream through Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo which was based on roguelike design principles. Fixed items, determined essential for game progress, may also drop alongside random loot.[2]

In single-player games, loot is often obtained as treasure through exploration or looted from defeated enemies,[1] and loot is considered distinct from items purchased from in-game shops. In multiplayer games, loot may be provided in such a manner that only one player may acquire any given item. "Ninja-looting" is the resulting practice of looting items off enemies defeated by other players.[3] Players may choose to employ a loot system to distribute their spoils. In a PVP situation, loot may be taken from a defeated player.[3]

In role-playing video games or loot shooters, loot often forms the core economy of the game, in which the player fights to obtain loot and then uses it to purchase other items.[4] Loot is often assigned to tiers of rarity, with the rarer items being more powerful and more difficult to obtain. The various tiers of rarity are often indicated by particular colors that allow a player to quickly recognize the quality of their loot. The concept of color-coded loot rarity was initially popularized with the 1996 game Diablo and its 2000 sequel Diablo II, whose designer, David Brevik, took the idea from the roguelike video game Angband.[5] In Diablo, equippable items were either white (normal), blue (magic) or gold (unique), and Diablo II expanded on this with either grey (inferior), white (common), blue (magic), yellow (rare), orange (unique) or green (set). Blizzard Entertainment later re-used the system for the 2004 game World of Warcraft, where items were either grey (poor), white (common), green (uncommon), blue (rare), purple (epic) or orange (legendary). Following World of Warcraft's popularity, most loot-driven games have since based their own system off this same color-coding hierarchy,[6] (e.g. Titan Quest, Borderlands, Overwatch, Torchlight, Destiny, and Fortnite).[7] The quality of loot often scales with the tiers but not always, and higher tier loot can sometimes only be found in later stages of the game.

Loot boxes

Main article: Loot box

Loot boxes are a particular type of randomized loot system that consists of boxes that can be unlocked through normal play, or by purchasing more via microtransaction. They originated in massively multiplayer online role-playing games and mobile games, but have since been adopted by many AAA console games in recent years. The system has garnered a great deal of controversy for being too similar to gambling, along with giving players a means to circumvent normal progression through additional monetary transactions.[8] Games that allow for certain players to have unfair advantages over other players via paid loot boxes are referred to as "pay-to-win" by critics.

References

  1. ^ a b Rogers, Scott (2014). Level up! : the guide to great video game design (2nd ed.). Hoboken: Wiley. p. 399. ISBN 9781118877210. OCLC 877770975.
  2. ^ Bycer, Josh (October 14, 2014). "Defining Loot Tables in ARPG Game Design". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "'City of Heroes' is a massively entertaining online success". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. August 31, 2004. p. 3E. Archived from the original on May 18, 2016. Retrieved Jan 31, 2010.
  4. ^ Sellers, Michael (2017). Advanced game design : a systems approach. Boston. ISBN 9780134668185. OCLC 1012108932.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ^ Hanson, Ben (16 May 2019). "GI Show – Rage 2, Final Fantasy VII, David Brevik Interview". Game Informer. At 2:37:05. Archived from the original on 19 May 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2019.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  6. ^ Grayson, Nathan (April 16, 2021). "Why Video Game Loot Is So Addictive, According To The Creators Of Diablo". Kotaku. Archived from the original on December 18, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  7. ^ Wright, Steven (January 20, 2020). "How Color-Coded Loot Conquered Gaming". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 18, 2024. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  8. ^ Van Voorhis, Scott (April 21, 2023). "The $15 Billion Question: Have Loot Boxes Turned Video Gaming into Gambling?". Harvard Business School. Archived from the original on December 18, 2024. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
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