from the if-you're-gonna-play-the-Game-Boy-you-gotta-learn-to-play-it-right dept.
The lines between gaming and gambling have begun to blur, state researchers:
Gamers who buy 'loot boxes' are up to two times more likely to gamble, shows new research published today in the peer-reviewed journal Addiction Research & Theory.
They are also more likely to have a gambling problem compared with the gamers who don't purchase these 'virtual' treasure chests, according to the findings based on more than 1,600 adults in Canada.
The authors say the results cast doubt on the theory that psychological factors create the link between gambling and loot boxes – banned by some countries including Belgium and discussed for legislation in many others worldwide.
Their study demonstrates that the association between these video game features and gambling exists even when childhood neglect, depression and other known risk factors for gambling are taken into account.
[...] "Findings indicate that loot box purchasing represents an important marker of risk for gambling and problem gambling among people who play video games," says Sophie Coelho, a PhD student at York University, Toronto.
"The persistent associations we observed between loot box purchasing and gambling may provide preliminary support for the role of loot boxes as a 'gateway' to gambling and eventually problem gambling.
Journal Reference:
Sophie G. Coelho et al., Loot box purchasing is associated with gambling and problem gambling when controlling for known psychological risk factors of gambling [open], Addict Res Theory, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/16066359.2022.2141717
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 09, @02:40PM
Opening a loot box as opposed to just buying an item, even though you end up with the same thing on average.
(Score: 4, Funny) by Immerman on Monday January 09, @03:39PM (2 children)
You mean spending real money to gamble for "worthwhile" video game loot correlates with gambling for money?
I'm shocked! Shocked I tell you!
Remind me again why spending real money to gamble in video games isn't legally considered gambling?
I wonder if there's a similar correlation with gambling in the form of real-world "loot boxes" like Magic card packs.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by mth on Monday January 09, @05:01PM (1 child)
Gamers already knew this, being on the receiving end. Game publishers already knew this, making lots of money off it. But this research is still useful: it will make it much harder for publishers to deflect regulatory attention by claiming that loot boxes are not gambling just because they don't fall under the current legal definition of gambling in most countries, even though from a psychological point of view they are very similar.
(Score: 2) by MIRV888 on Monday January 09, @09:34PM
It's not gambling. It's trying to get a leg up on the other gamers by paying real money for random fantasy equipment.
They used to sell swampland in Louisiana that way.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday January 09, @04:16PM (10 children)
In other words, there are unknown risk factors for gambling. I would not consider gambling behavior in video games as a new risk factor because it's circular - gambling behavior is a risk factor for gambling behavior.
(Score: 2) by tekk on Monday January 09, @04:55PM (4 children)
> I would not consider gambling behavior in video games as a new risk factor because it's circular - gambling behavior is a risk factor for gambling behavior.
Yeah, but the point of this is that the games companies swear up and down that loot boxes absolutely aren't gambling, that any comparison with gambling is a complete misrepresentation on the part of the person making the claim, etc. It's just data to back the obvious which they *know* but refuse to admit for legal reasons: loot boxes light up the same bits of brain as gambling. I believe the official excuse is "It's not gambling because we don't assign a monetary value to the things in the box, we never say 'you can win a skin worth $1,000!'"
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday January 09, @05:22PM (3 children)
But they have such honest faces!
I'm perfectly fine with that bald-faced lie winning the field. No government should be meddling in gambling. And if that's what it takes for government to buzz off, then I'm fine with it.
Show us where in the law code that criteria is.
(Score: 2) by tekk on Monday January 09, @05:50PM (1 child)
I figure it's mostly down to a letter/spirit thing. If gambling should be regulated, then *why* should it be regulated?
Strictly speaking loot boxes are worse than gambling: at least a gambler has some minuscule chance of winning their money back. Loot boxes abuse the reward system without any chance of a payout on the money you put in :D
(Score: 2) by tekk on Monday January 09, @05:52PM
To be clear: I get that your position is that gambling should be totally unregulated, I was just talking from the mainstream point of view that it's worth regulating, which is the world in which we live right now.
(Score: 2) by MIRV888 on Monday January 09, @09:40PM
I'm with you. The mob and Catholic Church should handle the gambling. Governments have absolutely no business generating revenue with gambling. They may as well be selling crack to those with gambling problems.
(Score: 2) by mth on Monday January 09, @05:10PM (4 children)
The games industry had years to self-regulate to avoid governments getting involved, but they didn't, because they were making too much money.
Regulation doesn't mean video games can't include gambling-like functionality at all, but they should at least have protections similar to regular gambling, like a minimum age, spending limits and opt-outs for recovering addicts.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday January 09, @05:23PM (3 children)
I don't see the need for self-regulation either. Don't we have something important for government to do?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 09, @05:43PM (1 child)
Perhaps, but why not this? It doesn't look like anything is going to come out of the House of Representatives in the next two years anyway.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday January 09, @10:58PM
Because doing nothing is better. If nothing is coming out of the House anyway, then I'm fine with this being part of the nothing.
The fundamental problem here with these calls for regulation is that a lot of people want to gamble and want to open loot boxes. They will find a way around it, if only by playing overseas - like they do now for official gambling.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 09, @07:50PM
The government is full of people with something to do - last time I looked they were dismantling the right to vote and gerrymandering districts. Hard at work.
(Score: 2) by darkfeline on Monday January 09, @06:16PM (1 child)
I'm sure alcohol, smoking, domestic violence, theft, etc. are also associated with gambling when controlling for known psychological risk factors. Something something correlation...
Join the SDF Public Access UNIX System today!
(Score: 2) by MIRV888 on Monday January 09, @09:43PM
You're sure?