In Magic, booster packs are actually useful for drafting. Adults in the MtG community constantly stress that you shouldn't buy booster packs for yourself--they're made for draft play.
In pretty much all video games that have them, you can't draft with loot boxes, or it wouldn't make any sense. I played Destiny 2 recently and had a good amount of fun, but much of the game felt so artificial and designed around a boardroom-brainstormed economic strategy. It seems this has just resulted in chaos in the fan community. I strongly recommend Monster Hunter World instead. Loot-based, grindy action game, without loot boxes.
Also: I hereby regret that I didn't make contact with adult CCG communities when I was ~10-13 and into Magic and other games; with my cousin, we've spent plenty of our pocket money buying booster packs...
Ah, by draft we are referring to a mode of play in modern CCGs: one where players gather around a table, passing packs around and picking cards from them for the purpose of making a deck on the spot, and then playing with that deck in the subsequent tournament.
With drafting, having a randomized pack actually serves a purpose other than gambling, in that the unknown nature of the contents of the pack means that the people sitting at the table picking cards for their deck don't know what will be coming and what others have picked (which makes the act of this drafting itself an interesting skill and entertaining experience separate from merely "opening a pack hoping for a good card")
I agree, that is an important distinguishing point between trading card packs and loot boxes and I am glad that you mentioned it. Looking at trading card packs in isolation of drafting, I would call the two the same. But drafting does create a situation where trading card packs actually have an entertainment use beyond the gambling-like mechanic that exists when the pack is looked at in isolation.
It does for most formats, but drafting is $15 or less for a night of in-person gaming, potential prizes if you win (making your money back in packs is possible), and some cards you can keep for deckbuilding/trading later (of which only a few may be actually worth more than pennies, but still)
There are many of $15 indie games and board games (see: Star Realms) that offer many nights of fun, though...
In pretty much all video games that have them, you can't draft with loot boxes, or it wouldn't make any sense. I played Destiny 2 recently and had a good amount of fun, but much of the game felt so artificial and designed around a boardroom-brainstormed economic strategy. It seems this has just resulted in chaos in the fan community. I strongly recommend Monster Hunter World instead. Loot-based, grindy action game, without loot boxes.