UPDATE (March 25, 2025): We've made some progress, although nothing too significant yet. Here's how.
UPDATE (March 12, 2025): Team Gimkit has chosen to not listen to the community and implement Packs anyways. Here's what you can do about it.
Dear Team Gimkit,
We recently noticed the following announcement that you have published:
Hey everybody, Josh from Gimkit here!
3 years ago, we launched Rewards, bringing cosmetics into Gimkit. In March, along with the start of 2025 Season 3, we’ll introduce a brand new rewards system.
Rather than making purchases from the Item Shop, you’ll use your GimBucks to open packs. Packs contain themed combinations of Gims, Trails, and Stickers. You never know what you’re going to get!
Item Shops as you know them are coming to an end! To celebrate all of the cosmetics we released over the years, we’re rotating Item Shops daily until Season 3. Each day, check the Shop for a random set of 15 different cosmetics. Have fun shopping!
What you are proposing is a form of loot box. Loot boxes are a game mechanic where the player spends in-game (or real-world) currency to purchase an in-game item which then gives the player one or more randomly chosen items.
This is deeply concerning. While adding loot boxes to an educational game is not an unprecedented move, we believe that it is highly unethical and poses a serious safety risk to students of all ages.
It is especially concerning that this change was announced given your previously stated stance of not allowing forms of gambling within community-made Gimkit Creative maps:
Do not include gambling or casino-style games.
It is well-known that loot boxes pose serious psychological risk. According to a report by the Federal Trade Commission:
Several panelists and comments submitted to the public docket criticized loot box monetization techniques that they say mask the real costs to players, because the details of the offer are confusing or because the games may use visual or other tactics to keep players psychologically and financially invested in gameplay.
While packs in Gimkit may not involve real-world currency, it is still highly highly dangerous regardless. Even if it only involves in-game currency, the packs system will result in many students getting addicted to it, posing a serious risk of acting as a gateway into far worse forms of gambling.
Additionally, as the limit for experience points and thus GimBucks can be increased by purchasing the Season Ticket with real-world currency, there is an aspect of financial loss to it, although it is not as much as of a problem as it could be due to the low price of the season ticket combined with the fact that it lasts for multiple months.
We are also aware that you have confirmed this:
It’s the same as today though. Season Ticket allows you to earn more GimBucks which allows you to purchase more cosmetics. Now you’ll earn more GimBucks to open more packs.
– Josh Feinsilber (via Discord)
Many community members have spoken out against the packs system. We asked several of them to describe their opinion in detail. Here is what they have to say:
The lootboxes, in a nutshell, are gambling. Gimkit is making a way where you can spend in game money, and by extension, real world money to get a chance to earn a cosmetic. The fact that Gimkit is primarily targeted towards schoolchildren, with some members of the targeted audience being only 6 years old, seems incredibly predatory and unethical, which is why I feel that lootboxes in Gimkit would not be a good thing
– @whoami_721 (Discord)
Three years ago, I was depressed. Every day followed the same pattern, with the ‘highlights’, as they were, playing video games. The cycle I’d gotten into was a cycle of addiction. Specifically, an addiction to Blooket. Out of [curiosity], I checked my Blooket account this morning, which had sat unopened for the last two years. My statistics suggest that I spent over 100 hours of my childhood grinding for worthless 130x130 pixel squares, and I don’t even have close to a full collection. By contrast, even the most expensive cosmetic in Gimkit can be obtained in 67 minutes, and without any luck, or even any skill. Gimkit is (currently) also free of the one of most addictive game elements: the daily reward. I never feel any obligation to sign in every day, or even every week, just to collect a reward to gamble away. The proposed change to the season ticket that grants a daily reward, is thus distasteful to me, even without factoring in the real money spent. I highly doubt any parents will support buying their child the ability to open a ‘free’ pack every day; from the reaction so far, the community probably won’t buy many tickets either.
– @cassiusdoomlorde (Discord)
I have played Gimkit, for the last 5 years. and in all the time of playing, the thing that keeps me here is how unique the game is. games such as kahoot, or Blooket lose their magic by either having either no changes for a long time, or not being interesting. Gimkit has come with something interesting that lingers well, such as 2d game modes. Gimkit may lose its magic for me. when the 2d game mode capture the flag came out, my teacher jumped right into it, sneaking her review questions in a kit that was supposed to be easy, and playing with us too. and cosmetics were a big thing. we all would play in our free time to get the most recent cosmetic. Gimkit has been different because you know what your getting. and you wont waste your time trying to get the “ultra legendary”.
– @jackoid_94057 (Discord)
I think this is an overall negative change with lootboxes. I think if they are added they should be in addition to the normal shop since then you don’t have to gamble and end up not getting the cosmetic you want.
– @snoipuh (Discord)
Gimkit is one of the most unique “quiz gamification” games ever, especially with all the extra modes they’ve been adding.
Their marketing makes it clear that it started as a high school hobby project, and that it was supposed to be “the kind of game I’d want to play in class.” It’s a quirky independently-produced game that places fun first, and—implicitly—doesn’t have corporate traps and Evil Big Business tactics.
Lootboxes are a betrayal of that idea. I feel sick.
– @tertle950@kitty.social (Fediverse)
Packs are a harsh concept to grasp, they break the tradition of the primary form of receiving items in Gimkit and makes the platform look like it’s peering towards being alike to Blooket, what is usually viewed as a Competitor.
The concept of randomization in games for cosmetic reward has hurt the minds of people just about world wide- and I feel Gimkit would be no different. The labor of love that was the manually hand crafted weeks of the item shop are no [hefty] work among the developers (Josh) as they’ve been running said service for 3 years now. Now is not the time to give up in the name of automation.
While change is hard; I have to give into the fact no amount of persuasion will change their minds from the horde of backlash already given towards Gimkit for this already made. I hope it’s at least worth my time…
– @scriptshy (Discord)
Packs are an idea that could be good if it is executed properly. I generally don’t like the idea of randomness in a store. When I want an item, I would like that item upfront, not a spinning wheel with an obscure chance of getting it. There are also so many things that I’m confused about, execution-wise. The introduction of Packs raises concerns about duplicate Gims and Cosmetics, which could complicate the system unnecessarily. I can see how this is lower maintenance for Gimkit, but it also has a negative outcome overall for older and newer players. Older players will inevitably have their collections devalued or have a greater headstart with the older shop being more prevalent during their time in the community, while new players will have a much more different system and might not have all the Gims that they would’ve had if they joined before the Pack change.
– @tjcyan (Discord)
This takes a step away from the model I feel has always attracted me to Gimkit so much, that being it’s differences from other platforms in morals. Gimkit has always stood out to me as a site that doesn’t run ads or sell user data, respects it’s users, and works with the knowledge that it had an audience that approximately stretches from ages 6 and up. Packs/lootboxes push away from this, and it really makes me sad to see gimkit is considering going in this direction. Child gambling is no joke.
I’ve played Gimkit for almost over 5 years now, and I have about 188,000 gimbucks worth of skins, trails, and gims in my locker. Despite this… the gim I use a random gray gim I got in the second week of the shop.
– @blackhole927 (Discord)
There’s zero logistic reason for change this other then maybe two reasons, one being they don’t have enough money to pay jose anymore, which would be very, very upsetting, or two, that they think that incorporating child gambling would boost how popular the website is. And while that would work, hard maybe, it’s very literally just selling out. If the second one is the case, team gimkit are selling out. They’re sellouts.
And frankly, something tells me the first one just isn’t the case.
– @_unstable. (Discord)
As a relatively recent newcomer, I haven’t really formed strong opinions about any changes yet. Except for this. Even if you ignore all the scientific and well-though-out arguments that make their point with reason, then, at least in my opinion, it makes the game feel like a clone. It would feel unoriginal and uninspired. This [change] could make playing for fun almost non-existent, as getting the gims you want would be a grind, instead of a couple fun games. I very strongly feel that this “feature” would make the game an uninspired copy-and-paste game, as well as losing all fun of playing for leisure.
– @airplanelover66 (Discord)
Promoting gambling is NOT okay. It’s horrible how even the smallest influences could change a kids life. The smallest push could lead them to a crippling addiction that could ruin them mentally. It’s a horrible idea to add packs because it’s basically gambling. And the factor of paying REAL MONEY to get the season ticket so they can get more exp so they can participate in this darn system even more, which ends up pushing them down a path of crippling addiction anyways is NOT okay. It’s sick if you ask me.
– @y0url0calweirdian (Discord)
It is very clear that many people in the Gimkit community do not want packs to be added, and even those who do not oppose it have made it clear that it can only be done if there is no possible way for real-world currency to affect it.
We recognize that you have stated that the packs system is designed to make obtaining and publishing cosmetics easier:
[…] This new system may have some downsides, but it will also make Cosmetics collection easier and more accessible for more players.
– Jeff Osborn (via Discord)
As Jeff mentioned, the weekly shop is more work for us to maintain. Currently, I’m the only one that can plan shops and so when I get busy with other projects/things, it can be stressful to always get a shop out in time. […] Ability to keep cosmetics open over the summer (currently we shut down the shop over the summer) […] The ability to make some cosmetics more unique/exciting with their rareness
– Josh Feinsilber (via Discord)
However, the issues you bring up are entirely solvable problems.
For example, you could improve the existing item shop by:
Or, if you want to introduce an entirely new system, you could:
While we do agree that the mentioned problems with the item shop are indeed real, introducing a form of loot box is not the solution.
The danger posed by loot boxes is real, and it is significant. It would be highly unethical to add loot boxes in any form, and this especially comes as a surprise to us given your history of doing amazing things for teachers and students alike.
We ask that you immediately halt all efforts to add packs to Gimkit and announce that you will no longer continue doing so.
Signed,
– @hexaheximal (Discord)
– @riptideatlantic (Discord)
– @xyz_27_ (Discord)
– @cassiusdoomlorde (Discord)
– @orangle5654 (Discord)
– @cwedraws (Discord)
– @snoipuh (Discord)
– @elyk233 (Discord)
– @rootbeer91 (Discord)
– @bjc95 (Discord)
– @jamie_58941 (Discord)
– @lookiethe7 (Discord)
– @.you_dont_know_me. (Discord)
– @akat (Gimkit Creative Wix)
– @scriptshy (Discord)
– @itaintworking (Discord)
– @weggo (Discord)
– @crim4972 (Discord)
– @slim625 (Discord)
– @sirwywy (Discord)
– @ashwagandhae (Discord)
– @thebrassmonke. (Discord)
– @oneandonlybarrett (Discord)
– @y0url0calweirdian (Discord)
– @tertle950@kitty.social (Fediverse)
– @airplanelover66 (Discord)
– @sgvidsplayzyt (Discord)
– @blackhole927 (Discord)
– @thrico. (Discord)
– @myuserisunknown (Discord)
– @ohioian_70483 (Discord)
– @anonymouspirson (Discord)
– @tjcyan (Discord)
– @whoami_721 (Discord)
– @wendover (Discord)
– @maeve.mkf (Discord)
– @._constance. (Discord)