Full stop right there. It's alright if people like the system. Liking something is a subjective choice. However, I think denying that the system does use some serious psychological influences to maximize sales is beating around the bush. F2P games with item shops are built around psychological concepts to maximize sales in the most efficient manner. There is a reason why gambling addiction is a serious thing. Some people do have addictive personalities, and that's a given. I agree that someone shouldn't be harassed for spending money on a game he likes, but don't deny that MMO developers use tricks to make people "fall" for their sale tactics.

I think the accusation is heavy, that you're implying. Any accusation that is that grandiose will hopefully come with grandiose evidence. This is simply conjecture, at this point. It is a given option and people enjoy gambling. The only thing that's axiomatic here is that the company knows people like/enjoy/favor/insert synonym here gambling.

Yes, some marketing employs the study of consumer psychology. This does not mean it is being abused. There is a legitimate difference.

Even then, I'm not sure where I denied anything. I said they don't use trickery, which is not what it is. There's no "trap" that people fall into. I do completely deny that. I am critical of corporations and some of the sly shit they can pull but this implies every corporation and everything they do is like this. It's a broad stroke and it's why I dismiss it.

Almost nobody wants random. People aren't programmed to just say: "I will throw so much money at the system, and I'm fine if I receive only bronze in return. That's the way it is. I love only getting the cheapest stuff."

This is absolutely untrue. You are just stating people are not programmed as such, which means little. It is why people take certain enjoyment from gambling. There is a suspense and anticipation to not knowing. The investment is an unknown and people enjoy that factor, I believe. People often either think they can nab something huge in return or receive a larger investment than what they put in, based on a factor of probability.

Let's face it: Most people buy those packs for the gold and platinum items. Or the safe credits from selling those packs on the GTN - $ to credit conversion. Nobody would buy a hypercrate for a random chance at only bronze/low-quality stuff. They want a specific item. They want the price.

Yes, and the specific item they might want might not be the most expensive one on the market. People often buy them for aesthetics and what people prefer is not always the most expensive item. Not everyone who purchases these packs is looking for that unbound Unstable Arbiter's Lightsaber to make millions of credits. Some people might like to roll it and get that as a bonus, either to use or sell, during trying to get something else.