An easy way to avoid a loss
I’m going to stray from poker for this piece to talk about a minor controversy going on in the video game world. Why? Because, frankly, it’s interesting, plus there is a tangential connection to gambling. On Tuesday, Electronic Arts (EA) suspended over 30,000 player accounts that “consistently” exploited a glitch in the popular FIFA 22 soccer game, giving themselves a massive competitive advantage. Fortunately for the players, the bans are temporary and the accounts will be reinstated in a week.
The glitch was called a “no loss” glitch, allowing players to bail from a game against another competitor without recording a loss. This helped those who took advantage of the exploit to qualify for this weekend’s FUT Champions Finals.
The glitch initially made its rounds on the internet via a TikTok video posted by “apexskills.” Normally, if one were to disconnect from an online player-versus-player (PVP) game or simply quit, FIFA 22 would record that as a loss on their record. The video’s creator showed that rather than quitting the game or disconnecting, though, he was able to simply go to the PlayStation’s home menu, sit there idle for about 30 seconds, and then get kicked out automatically by the game.
But despite exiting the match early – normally a forfeit loss – FIFA 22 never counted it as a completed match, leaving the player’s record unblemished. The player could then try again, confident that he would eventually be guaranteed a win (well, ok, maybe not guaranteed if they were bad enough).
Naturally, this was no good. FUT Champions qualification was based on one’s win-loss record, so players who took advantage of the exploit could advance in the competition without actually being good enough.
As EA pointed out in a tweet, this violated the company’s Positive Play Charter:
Among the clauses in the Positive Player Charter is one that states that players may not, “Use exploits, cheats, undocumented features, design errors, bugs or problems to get a leg up on others.”
Pretty straightforward.
EA has fixed the error in the game and the no loss loophole is now closed.
Player packs are integral to the game
Where this tangentially relates to gambling is in the loot box mechanics employed in FIFA. Players build their teams for FUT Champions through the acquisition of player cards, which they then use to create their squad. Cards can be found in packs, which can be purchased in the game’s online store.
This mechanic – employed by EA and many other video game companies – has come under fire in recent years for being akin to gambling. A player wants better players, better in-game items, what-have-you, and they buy packs/loot boxes/etc. now knowing exactly what they will receive. Then they buy another and another and another, hoping to get that elusive legendary item.
EA did add what it calls “Preview Packs” to FIFA 21 and has brought them back in FIFA 22 as a partial answer to this criticism. These packs allow players to see their contents before buying, but these specific packs are on a 24-hour countdown timer, so the contents remain the same for a full day. It’s not a complete revamp of the pack system, but it at least gives players a non-gambling option.
