An Australian Senate inquiry into “loot boxes” has found a link between the popular game feature and problem gambling among gamers.
The study, titled “Loot box spending in video games is linked to problem gambling severity,” surveyed 7,422 gamers through a paid online survey. It was conducted by David Zendle and Paul Cairns from York St John University and the University of York and presented at a public hearing in Australia’s Capital Territory on Monday.
“These results support the position of academics who claim that loot boxes are psychologically akin to gambling,” said the academics in their study. “Spending large amounts of money on loot boxes was associated with problematic levels of spending on other forms of gambling.”
The study also found that loot boxes were simultaneously acting as “a gateway to problem gambling among gamers," as well as allowing developers to “exploit gambling disorders among their customers.”
To this extent, the two academics have supported prior calls for loot boxes to be specified within the video gaming classification system, including a descriptor noting the presence of “in-game gambling content.”
Source: Asia Gaming Brief
