Exposing Predatory Video Game Practices: The Players Alliance Ranks Diablo Immortal, NBA 2K, and Fortnite
Predatory video game practices are becoming more common—and more accepted—than ever before. If you’ve ever felt like a game was designed less to entertain and more to extract money from your wallet, you’re not imagining things.
Enter The Players Alliance—a growing movement of gamers, creators, and industry advocates working together to highlight how some of our favorite titles are using manipulative monetization systems. Their mission isn’t to cancel games. It’s to educate, empower, and unite players who are tired of feeling taken advantage of.
At Blerd, we’re not The Players Alliance—but we proudly stand with them. We believe in building bridges between communities and helping spotlight efforts that make the gaming world fairer and more transparent.
What Are Predatory Video Game Practices?
Predatory video game practices are design choices that push players to spend more money than they intended—often through manipulation, pressure, or obfuscation. These tactics are especially common in free-to-play games, but they’re also popping up in full-priced titles.
Some common practices include:
- Loot boxes that function like slot machines
- Pay-to-win mechanics that give spenders an unfair advantage
- Premium currency systems that hide real-world costs
- Time-limited battle passes and cosmetics that trigger FOMO
- Always-online requirements that restrict how and when you can play
The Players Alliance created a simple, evolving rating system to help players understand how games stack up in terms of fairness. Each game starts with 100 points and loses points for every exploitative system it includes.
Rating Predatory Video Game Practices: Three Popular Games Reviewed
🔥 Diablo Immortal – F Tier (Score: 25)
Blizzard’s mobile spin-off looks polished, but beneath the surface, it’s one of the most aggressively monetized games in recent memory.
- Loot boxes gate critical progression –15
- Core gameplay incentivizes real-money power-ups –15
- Frequent in-game ads and bundles –5
- FOMO cosmetics and bundles –5
- Always-online DRM –5
- Obscured premium currency pricing –10
- Time-limited battle pass and DRM overlap –10
Final Score: 25.
This game doesn’t just include predatory video game practices—it basically runs on them.
🏀 NBA 2K Series – D Tier (Score: 60)
NBA 2K has long been criticized for its monetization model, and recent entries haven’t improved much.
- MyTeam loot packs push gambling mechanics –15
- Attribute upgrades require VC or long grinding –15
- VC (Virtual Currency) system confuses real prices –10
Most of 2K’s revenue comes not from game sales—but from player spending inside the game.
Final Score: 60.
The game is still playable and popular, but success often hinges on how much you’re willing to spend.
🎮 Fortnite – B Tier (Score: 80)
Fortnite is often held up as a “better” example of free-to-play done right. And to be fair, it scores higher—but still uses techniques that deserve a second look.
- V-Bucks system targets younger players –10
- Time-limited battle passes require constant grinding –5
- Limited-time cosmetics trigger FOMO spending –5
On average, Fortnite players spend over $100/year. That’s not exploitative on its face—but it adds up over time.
Final Score: 80.
Better than most, but still built on recurring purchases and artificial urgency.
Why The Players Alliance Matters
The Players Alliance is still new, and their rating system is evolving—but the idea is powerful. Rather than just complain, they’re giving players a tool to recognize and rate predatory video game practices in the games they play every day.
Their work isn’t about guilt-tripping players or shaming devs—it’s about making sure we all understand the systems we’re engaging with. And maybe, just maybe, pushing the industry to do better.
Blerd.com supports their efforts because transparency, fairness, and community matter. Especially in a space where Black and marginalized gamers have already fought hard for inclusion—we shouldn’t have to fight again just to be treated fairly as consumers.
Final Thoughts: Recognizing Predatory Video Game Practices Is the First Step
Predatory video game practices aren’t always obvious—but once you learn how to spot them, you’ll start noticing how common they’ve become. That’s exactly what The Players Alliance is trying to address: not with outrage, but with accountability.
If you’ve ever felt pressured to spend, confused by in-game currency, or frustrated by a system that favors payers over players, this is your chance to join a larger conversation. Not to complain—to build power together.
Want to see another game rated? Got one that left you feeling short-changed?
Drop a title—and get involved.
🎮 Join The Players Alliance on Discord: discord.gg/7EUWUUEQJ7
📸 Follow on Instagram: @playersalliancehq
🎵 Follow on TikTok: @playersalliancehq
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