German Language Stack Exchange is a bilingual question and answer site for speakers of all levels who want to share and increase their knowledge of the German language. It's 100% free, no registration required.
Sign up to join this community
There is quite some debate about loot boxes in computer games. In German this term if often not translated. This leads to considerable confusion amongst people who do not play video games where this term always has to be further explained.
I heard of Beutekiste but from what I know they really are more something along the line of a Wundertüte (but this term will not be accepted by my teenage boy).
Does anybody have a better idea?
I would suggest
Schatzkiste
which is completely unspecific, in which respect the content is to be considered as Schatz, but already conveys the idea, that the Schatz is already contained in it.
Beutekiste lacks in that respect, it could (as e.g. Wäschekorb) just be an empty box to fill loot into as soon something is caught.
You probably have to explain it anyways, as this is something new so you have several options:
Just use "Lootbox" it´s essentially the same as using the word "Computer" made it into the German language for something that had do be explained at that time anyways. At least the young ones will understand you right away.
Find a suitable German term, explain what you mean by it as it will always have other meanings. Wundertüte or Schatzkiste both seem fine to me, although the concept of the Wundertüte I know from my youth seems fitting.
Use the same German word, but put a Digital- in front of it, so people will not confuse it with some physical good.
"Schatzkiste" translates to "treasure chest" which quite doesn't have the same connotation as "Lootbox" has. With "treasure chest" people do think of a buried chest which is there to find, but "Lootbox" carries the meaning that you had to buy or open it using real-world currency, exactly that process which was/is deemed touching (at least) laws and regulations concerning gambling in countries all over the world.
The term "Lootbox" already made its entry into German vernacular. You can use said word, and Germans even just passingly familiar to gaming would understand it and make the distinction, especially after the discussion around lootboxes (in German it is written capitalized, as nouns are), in Star Wars Battlefront made it front lines even there.
This Google Search underlines this, and shows that the 'established' plural form in German would be "Lootboxen".
When we play online games we simply refer to "Kiste" short for "Schatzkiste", which makes the previous answers correct.
In German this term if often not translated.
In Germany in many fields of technology and engineering (not only computing) you use English terms without translating them.
When you translate the term into German many people will not understand.
If you use the word "Lootbox" most persons (being familiar with online games) will know what you are talking about.
If you are using any kind of translation no one will understand what you are talking about.
Is there a German "Loot Box"?
When talking about newly created words or foreign words I often read the question: "Is this a valid German word at all?"
The answer I nearly always read was: "If a lot of German native speakers understand this word then it is a valid German word; otherwise it is not."
Because there is no word or expression for "Lootbox" which is understood by many native speakers I would say that there is no valid German word which means "loot box".
