Can You Really Get Rich in the World's Only "Cash-Based" MMO? 

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"Is your game gambling?" "I fell off my bike"

I can't wait in 2 years to be mining virtual coal in vr for $2 a day

"Is it gambling?" "I can't admit that or we would be legally classed as gambling."

You know what else is a skill-based game? Poker.

Everyone talking about all of the mental gymnastics in that interview but can we mention how he went full force with the questions and didn't hold back at all, I appreciated a lot.

"Is your game gambling?" "Isn't everything a gamble when you think about it?" "So your game is gambling too?" "No."

"Is your game truly a gambling game?" "No, It's more like risking to earn money" "So it's gambling then?" "you keep coming back to that"

"Do you consider Entropia a gambling game?" "No, absolutely not, it's just *legal term extremely relevant to the gambling industry*"

Jesus, this developer interview is so tough to watch. You can really see the cogs turning in his head - "how do I not admit that this is gambling..?"

I liked the interview. Q: "Is the game gambling?" A: "Yesn't."

The developer being interviewed should get a gold medal for mental gymnastics because damn

When I watch developers of these kinds of games talk, all I can hear is, “We’ve handed you a time-bomb, and it’s *your* fault if it goes off.”

"It's not gambling but we changed the minimum age to 18."

My spidey senses went crazy the instant the developers rep came on the screen. I never had a clearer sense that someone is lying in my life. He was tap dancing so hard. He absolutely knows EXACTLY what he's doing. Skirting the laws as close as he possibly can. "Responsible gaming" = responsible gambling.

Gotta love that guy's roundabout way of saying "we only do what the law tells us and, so long as it's profitable, we couldn't care less about the morality or ethics of what we're doing. Oh, and if those laws ever start to turn, you know damn well we're going to use every trick in the lobbyist's handbook to ensure they don't change."

My genuine, most sincere, and greatest respect for going as hard as you did in that developer interview. I could practically hear the whirring of gears as that robot attempted to resolve the inconsistencies of his own argument.

"Is there a gambling element to the game?" "No! Life's a gamble. I fell off my bike."

"Is this gambling?" *"3 weeks ago I broke my collar bone because I took the bike instead of an car so that was a gamble which also means it's a skill"*

"Is your game a gambling game" "You gamble everyday being alive and doing anything" "Does that include playing your game" "No" is probably the best thing I'll ever hear that infuriated me equally as much. Might as well ask the kid with his face covered in chocolate what happened to your chocolate bar.

I have to say that the subtle references to the UK gambling awareness slogans is amazing: "When the fun stops, stop", "Play responsably". It's kinda funny that the developper didn't pick up on those!

At first I was like "this is cool, I bet he's going to softball like every other interviewer" Then I was like "holy shit this madlad is the most savage fucking straight to the point and finding the truth guy I've ever seen"

"Is Entropia Gambling?" "So..this one time i broke my collarbone.."

The interview really shows us how little this ceo thinks about the human beings that they prey upon using their game, it's really just amazing.

The interview was painful to listen to. He describes how the game is gambling in like 10 different ways, just to say “no it’s not gambling”

"Is your game gambling?" David gulps with anxiety. His self-tanning lotion had stained the button-up he had on in the club the night before. He wishes he had gotten some sleep. He began to think he was ill prepared for the occasion... He took a deep breath and said, "Well, life's a gamble really...". There it was. He had done it! crisis averted.

- "Is your game gambling?" - "I am legally obligated to say no"

"My game is gambling." "So your game is gambling?" "No, it isn't."

When he talks about talking to players that are spending too much its exactly what casinos tell you to tell gamblers when you get hired. Its very obvious that this is a gambling game.

"So what do you do for a living?" "I sell virtual mankinis"

"We've been looking into lootboxes." Of course you have, David, of course you have.

mans straight up replied to ‘is this a gambling game’ with ‘society is a gamble’ lmfao

"there's no advantage of us as a company to have people getting them selves into trouble" after the player re-mortgaged their property to spend in your game.

The interview feels like he has a lawyer in the background telling him exactly what to say

why on earth did the dev agree to be basically cross examined lmao

you can really feel the Ace Attorney music kick in at 18:28

I just came back to rewatch the masterful interview at the end of the video - one of the best business-focused interviews I've ever seen from games journalism.

16:00 "Everything has a gambling aspect in it" "So is your game gambling" "No theres no gambling here"

Wow, that guy did not seem ready to be asked any of the obvious questions. Fantastic preparation from Quinns on the questions though, you could tell he anticipated almost every answer and had followups. Nice job folks!

hahha I actually "played" this game 10+ years ago. I remember collecting sweat and then I decided to "invest" $10 to buy a gun so I could hunt some monsters. I bought 2 guns for myself and my IRL friend, and soon realized that I wasn't making any progress in the game, losses were always bigger then gains. eventually stopped playing.

if it looks dead, and feels dead, its probably dead This guy: "absolutely not"

"We do have lawyers" summarized this interview perfectly

This is great games journalism. Asking the actual hard hitting questions and putting the dev on the spot because this really is gambling

15:10 it's amazing seeing a man lobsterize over the course of a minute as he justifies why his online gambling mmo isn't about gambling

We're already playing the most realistic MMO, it's called life.

"Responsible Gaming" are you actually kidding me. That is literally the motto for Gambling, "Responsible Gambling"

“Is this gambling” “It’s skill based” “But there is some gambling that still uses skill” “Yea it’s skill based”

That "developer" doesn't look like the kind of person who is using any ethics. He just wants a high income lifestyle to spend on vanity and ego.

I have to tell ya a story, I wasn't around when you made this. I used to run a newspaper that sold for 0.05 ped. I figured out the original mining system and figured out how to tell where motherloads would be. I told a newspaper in game that gave where certain resources would be mainly located. And accepted donations of resources if someone hit it big. I kept those resources until they finally changed the mining system. Then of course, resources became more scarce, so I sold them high. And purchased the "stocks" in different aspects of the game. And simply make small amounts of cash each month with those stocks which lets me play without adding money into the game. I haven't really hit it big, but it lets me play for free.

"But it's skill-based" "Right, but poker is skill-based and also gambling so could your game not be both?" "No, it's skill-based"

oh man, what a blast from the past. I played this game maybe 15 years ago (!!) and I still remember mining the sweat off those ugly pig looking mobs in the starting zone, literally scraping the sweat off of a pig to sell. you really start at rock bottom in that game edit: just saw that you still do that to this day, lol

"is your game gambling" "My name is Yoshikage Kira. I'm 33 years old. My house is in the northeast section of Morioh, where all the villas are, and I am not married. I work as an employee for the Kame Yu department stores, and I get home every day by 8 PM at the latest. I don't smoke, but I occasionally drink. I'm in bed by 11 PM, and make sure I get eight hours of sleep, no matter what. After having a glass of warm milk and doing about twenty minutes of stretches before going to bed, I usually have no problems sleeping until morning. Just like a baby, I wake up without any fatigue or stress in the morning. I was told there were no issues at my last check-up. I'm trying to explain that I'm a person who wishes to live a very quiet life. I take care not to trouble myself with any enemies, like winning and losing, that would cause me to lose sleep at night. That is how I deal with society, and I know that is what brings me happiness. Although, if I were to fight I wouldn't lose to anyone."

my man giving the devs some hardball questions and not holding back, I absolutely love it

"It's not gambling" "But remember to game responsibly"

Quinns: _asks difficult question_ The Dev: _deafening tongue-click of annoyance_

My favorite part was the Freudian slip when he said they have lawyers that help them determine what they can and can't do. He straight up said to your face that they go out of their way to tow the line of legality.

Is it gambling? When you go to school, you’re taking a gamble that school will be helpful later in life But is Entropia gambling? *sorry I’ve got a business call we’ll have to postpone this interview*

“Is the game gambling?” “Its more like a lucky draw which takes skill to pull the lever”

"So if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, is it probably a duck?" "Pffft no, absolutely not! That's.. it's such a narrow-minded, uh, ridiculous, to me, statement."

Watching this and especially the interview, makes me glad I haven't actually committed to my urge to go back to this game. One big thing I didn't know till now, my character, and therfore all the time and money I put into the game are gone. That would have hurt a lot more to find out while logging back in with the expectation of starting off where I was before.

Politicians be like: isn’t life itself just a gamble when you think about it

- "Is your game gambling?" - "No, not at all" - "But it's all about paying money for something and hoping to get a higher return" - "No and let me tell you why. I fell off my bike and hurt my shoulder" - "Okay, but this doesn't answer the question" - "It does. If you buy a bar of chocolate and sell that bar of chocolate for the same money you've not bought or sold anything" - "The players even say it's 100% gambling" - "I've already told you I fell off my bike..." - *face palm*

As someone who worked in the gambling industry, you're absolutely spot on about "self exclusion". We were told catagorically that we were not allowed to approach someone who was a problem gambler and ask them to consider self exclusion. A gambler had to come to us and ask to self exclude and for how long. During one staff training meeting, a description of someone who was a gambling addict was given to us, and the trainer jokingly referred to them as sounding "like our ideal customers, and they are! But these are gambling addicts" and went on to talk about Gamcare and the legislation in place to protect them and how we could get around it.

Absolutely masterful how the interviewer led him into the "responsible gaming"

The interview went like this: "Is your game gambling?" "Real life is gambling as well." "Yeah so you mean it is gambling but so is real life?" "No." And repeat. People can't possible be crazier than this.

“How do you keep people from paying to much money?” “We have them contact us if they feel they spend to much” Hmmm, kinda sounds like a gambling hotline????

Anyone who says “we follow the rules and regulations” when asked about the ethical concerns of their product is suspicious at best

I had tried this years ago. Did the sweat farming thing for a day, then tried hunting with free items. I always wondered why the other planets were so different and weird.

18:30 This sigh right here is the penultimate moment in this interview imo. He finally cans the recursive slippery logic and seems to actually have to think about your question. Phenomenal interview, very well done

Props to Quintin for asking the hard questions no matter how uncomfortable they could be.

What I expected: "Hey guys! Check out this game review video that isn't explicitly and ad but I'm going to be very forgiving and charitable to the game! What I got: *Hardcore investigative journalism* Earned a subscriber for sure.

“Is it gambling?” “No. It is spending money with a chance of making or losing some”

This man spent so long to never answer a question and we all know what that means when someone does that; an honest answer wont make you look good and you don't want to be caught in a lie so you instead never answer the question and deflect, deflect, deflect. I would have had a lot more respect for him if he had just outright said that "Yes, there is a gambling aspect to it but-" and then went on about how it was more skill based and so on. If they are already "following the laws about gambling" then...why not just outright say your game is gambling? If it isn't then why are you so worried about those laws? I had been considering playing the game, putting in some money and trying my luck but this man taking so much time to not answer the question about "Is it gambling" makes me not to bother with it. Thanks for the video Quinns.

Imagine your at a rich party and someone asks you how you got rich, and you respond with "I had a Mankini baded empire in an online game."

17:34 It is important to point out that although "Right, OK" in the rest of the world means "I understand what you are saying", in Britain it actually means "You are a lunatic and I am a polite, restrained person, who will move on from this regrettable moment".

"Everything is a gamble." "So your game is gambling?" ".....No." 🤣

The interview made me go from "What a novel way of making a subscription service" to "You're a casino shark and you should present yourself as such". I think actually, that business model CAN be ethical. IF the players were well informed and informed early about how it's financed. The statistics gods of MMO-profits can probably still make money reliably but average players shouldn't be mislead into thinking profit is the inevitable endgame if it isn't.

You could see the landmine explode in that developer's face with the question about self-exclusion. Oh Quinns, and the rest of the PMG team, you guys do have teeth, don't you! Love it!

"You can't make money from playing Entropia, but you CAN make money from the players" Ah, the old adage of "During the gold rush, you don't go digging for gold. You sell pickaxes"

"Is there a gambling aspect to Entropia?" "Well there's a gambling aspect to everything." "So there is a gambling aspect to Entropia?" "No."

this is so class to listen to in the background while actually working on my game project. your folk's channel is amazing

You went HARD on that interview. I really appreciate that.

"Is Entropia a gambling game?" "Everything is a gamble. I gambled taking my bike instead of a car and broke a bone." "So Entropia has a gambling aspect?" "No" *Closes tab*

I love how his last words were "responsible gaming". I wonder where I've heard that term before.

Subbed just for the interview at the end there. Need more people out on the front lines confronting the “corpos”, heh. Good work

Fantastic work.

“Is there a gambling element in your game?” *“But my collarbone though...”*

Some incredible journalism here. As a lot of people have already mentioned in the comments, massive respect to you for the interview and asking very difficult but fair questions

I think the guy would have had a stronger argument in the interview if he responded to the gambling questions with "our game is intended to be skill based and uses players investments into improving their experiences." or something along the lines of explaining that the game is an investment and similar to the housing or economic system where individuals involve their finances to make an advantage

Drinking game: Take a shot every time MindArk guy says "skill based".

"Responsible gaming" the executive says. Odd how thats a slogan you hear a lot in casino commercials.

great work on the video! loves the question that got him to stop and think hard about what to say.

So it's a casino turned pyramid scheme, with some cool ornamentation. Nice! Interesting video

"Is your game gambling?" "So i fell of my bike the other day"

"We contact people who spend too much." So you check on them like a casino employee and (I hope) refer them to gambling addiction resources. How is the game itself not gambling?

I was expecting this interview to be just like other kinds of interviews by contemporary journalists where they're just placating the interviewee, asking only the questions they want to hear and accepting answers unquestionably. Glad that I was wrong. Thank you for having a spine.

18:28 - [Annoyed noises] LOL. Love the subtitles.

That CEO's entire lexicon in that interview sounded exactly like conversations at a gambling software studio I worked for. Every single response of his was based on removing focus from the specificity of the question and trying to reduce it to a personal responsibility that for some reason, the people at gambling companies are not also subject to. Gambling companies only profit if you lose more than you win - so in order to entice you in they need to obfuscate the nature of the game as much as possible. That means telling you to "Game Responsibly", like it's a reasonable assumption that playing too much of ANY game will result in you losing your goddamn house. That guy's a fuckin slimeball.

It's amazing that after working on a dairy farm all day shoveling manure, I can escape it all to start picking up turds on a fantasy game.

Society: this is gambling Wall st bets: This is strategy