Hearthstone

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Hearthstone

"Hearthstone Cover retrieved from Giantbomb.com" [1] Type Video Game Launch Date March 11, 2014 Status Active Product Line product Platform Microsoft Windows, macOS, iOS, Android Website https://www.playhearthstone.com/en-us/

Hearthstone is a strategy card video game created by Blizzard Entertainment. Hearthstone is based on the lore of World of Warcraft and uses the same characters and items. The game was released in March 2014 for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It was later released in April 2014 on iOS and December 2014 on Android. Hearthstone features cross-platform play which allows players to play with or against players regardless of which platform they play on.

Hearthstone is a turn-based game where two players face head to head using preconstructed decks made of 30 cards. Players also get to select one of 10 heroes which offers them a unique ability in addition to the cards in their deck. Turns go back and forth, in which players can use mana to summon minions or cast spells with the goal of defeating the enemy hero. Winning games can offer players rewards which can be used to get new cards for their decks, which can also be bought through in-game microtransactions.

Gameplay

Players are able to compete in various game modes. Either using a preconstructed deck provided by the game, or by battling with a deck which they create using 30 cards from their collection. In addition to choosing or creating a deck, players also choose one of 10 playable heroes who offer a unique ability.

Players start each game with a coin flip determining which player goes first. Each player starts with 1 mana crystal, 30 health, and are shown 3 cards (4 if you are the second player) to choose to start with and are able to reroll any number of the cards for a random card. Each turn players are able to spend mana to play cards of different types. At the start of each turn players gain one mana crystal (up to a max of 10) and continue to play cards and attack with minions until the other player hits 0 life.

Heros

Hearthstone Playable Heros
Garrosh	Guldan	Thrall	Valeera	Anduin
Garrosh.png	Guldan.png	Thrall.png	Valeera.png	Anduin.png
Uther	Jaina	Rexxar	Malfurion	Illidan
Uther.png	Jaina.png	Rexxar.png	Malfurion.png	Illidan.png

Game Modes

• Standard

Standard format limits players' decks to only cards in their collections from the Basic, Classic, and the most recent card sets.

• Classic

Classic format limits players to create decks limited to the 240 cards which were present when the game first launched in 2014. This gives players the opportunity to compete with each other in an environment similar to when the game was first released.

• Wild

Wild format is similar to Standard Format, but has no restrictions on deck building allowing players to use 30 cards from any card set which has been released.

• Arena

Arena mode allows players to buy a ticket and draft a deck one card at a time. After finishing drafting players are able to play this deck against other players until they lose three times, after which they gain rewards based on the number of wins they have acquired.

• Tavern Brawls

Tavern brawl is a gamemode which implements various rule-bending changes that allow players to face off using unique decks and combos which aren’t possible in other gamemodes. The rules or special changes in Tavern Brawl rotate every week offer players a new experience every week. Additionally, the first win each week grants players one card pack as a reward.

• Solo Adventures

Solo adventures allow players to use either pre-constructed or player-made decks to test their skills against computer controlled characters. These characters each have different abilities or challenges, and allow players to work through unique challenges and puzzles, all while competing in story-driven battles.

• Duels

Duels mode has players choose a unique hero, hero ability, and a small selection of cards to face head to head against other players. After each round players are then able to choose between other cards, abilities, and treasures to add to their decks to become as strong as possible. After three loses players receive rewards based on the number of wins they acquired.

• Battlegrounds

Battlegrounds mode puts the player against 7 other players, where each player picks from a selection of characters from hearthstone's history to play as. Players are granted coins, increasing as rounds go on, which they are able to use to make their board stronger. Coins are able to be used to buy minions, refresh the minions available for purchase, or improve their tavern tier leading to stronger minions appearing. After the tavern round has ended the player's minions face off against another player’s minions, and the loser takes damage based on the minions remaining. The player is then returned to the tavern where they are able to continue to make their board stronger. This cycle repeats until only one player is left alive.

Ethical Concerns

Freemium

Hearthstone is a free to play game where there is no cost to download, but does offer in-game purchases for expansions and packs which grant 5 random cards. Due to regulations in China requiring game companies to reveal the odds of randomized purchases such as card packs or loot boxes, the odds of receiving a certain rarity of card from a card pack was revealed and the most powerful drops are received roughly every 20 packs opened . In the standard format of hearthstone only the most recent sets are playable resulting in the need to acquire new cards to stay relevant. Daniel Friedman ran a study to analyze the drop rates of the packs and their cost and determined that to keep up a complete collection of cards it would cost the player around $400 per year. . Friedman also notes that having every card from a new expansion isn’t needed to be competitive in ranked play. In game rewards are able to be used to craft essential cards to a deck which a player wishes to make to stay competitive.

Sexual Harrasment and Discrimination

On July 21, 2021 the State of California’s Department of Fair Employment & Housing sued Activision Blizzard, inc. (the creator of popular video games, such as Hearthstone, World of Warcraft, and the Call of Duty Franchise) “for Equal Pay Violations, Sex Discrimination, and Sexual Harassment”. . DFEH alleged that Activision Blizzard fostered a sexist culture in which female employees were paid at lower rate than male employees, promoted them a lower rate, and fired women at a higher rate than their male counterparts. DFEH also alleged that woman employees were subject to constant groping, comments, and unwanted advances, and the executives and human resource departments of the company knew of the complaints and failed to prevent the harassment and retaliated against woman employees who complained.

On September 27th, 2021, Activision Blizzard, inc. agreed to a $18,000,000 settlement for the workplace harassment lawsuit filed by DFEH. The $18,000,000 settlement compensated eligible employees who were victims of harrasment or discrimination. In a press release following the settlement CEO Bobby Kotick stated "There is no place anywhere at our company for discrimination, harassment, or unequal treatment of any kind, and I am grateful to the employees who bravely shared their experiences. I am sorry that anyone had to experience inappropriate conduct, and I remain unwavering in my commitment to make Activision Blizzard one of the world's most inclusive, respected, and respectful workplaces." . In the court documents Activision Blizzard inc. denied any wrongdoing.

Following the settlement of the DFEH allegations, California’s Civil Rights Agency sued the company for alleged gender discrimination and sexual harassment. Additionally, Activision Blizzard, inc. was subpoenaed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission based on the handling of harassment complaints, Communication Workers of America filed a complaint reporting violation of federal labor laws, and shareholders filed a lawsuit alleging that the company failed to inform investors that the company was under investigation for legal issues as a result of workplace culture.

References

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