Is the Buying of Loot Boxes in Video Games a Form of Gambling or Gaming?

GriffithsMark, D

doi:10.1089/glr2.2018.2216

Cited by 112 publications

(93 citation statements)

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“…As such, activities which utilise virtual items are not considered gambling in law 1 . This position is one which has been questioned, both in relation to loot boxes (Baglin, 2017;Griffiths, 2018), and other gambling-like experiences associated with games (Gainsbury, Hing, Delfabbro, and King, 2014;King et al, 2014;Gainsbury et al, 2016).…”

Section: Legal Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By this definition, any purchase of a key to open loot boxes constitutes gambling in the same way as playing an electronic gaming machine. Griffiths (2018) highlights the fact that this is acknowledged by the Gambling Commission in a recent position paper, yet the Gambling Commission maintains that loot boxes are not gambling as they cannot be exchanged outside the game. This is, however, incorrect as 9 numerous services exist that allow players to exchange virtual game items for real-world currency, services provided by both game developers such as Valve, or third parties 2 .…”

Section: Legal Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

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eSports, skins and loot boxes: Participants, practices and problematic behaviour associated with emergent forms of gambling

Macey

Hamari

2018

New Media & Society

167

198

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Twenty years since the internet transformed gambling products and services, the convergence of online games and gambling has initiated a new means of consuming internet-based media.Gambling specifically connected to esports is a significant development, offering not only a new avenue for existing gambling products to be inserted into gaming media, but also affording several novel experiences (e.g. skins and loot boxes). This study assesses participation rates and demographic characteristics of esports spectators who gamble via an international online survey (N=582). The sample highlighted the prevalence of young, often under-age, males in esportsrelated gambling activities. Participation in gambling, and gambling-like activities, was found to be 67%, with rates of problematic and potentially problematic gambling in the sample being 50.34%. Finally, increased gambling is associated with increased spectating of esports. Although the results are not generalisable to the wider population, they suggest a need for increased attention, from academia and regulators, regarding newly-emergent gambling behaviours in contemporary digital culture.

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Section: Legal Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Legal Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

eSports, skins and loot boxes: Participants, practices and problematic behaviour associated with emergent forms of gambling

Macey

Hamari

2018

New Media & Society

167

198

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“…Finally, according to the data obtained, the possible relationship between IGD and online gambling disorder with the advent of gambling-type elements in video games (e.g., loot boxes) should be noted for future lines of research to be explored. Legally, loot boxes are not considered online gambling, but at a psychosocial level, they meet the characteristics to be defined as a type of gambling [84].…”

Section: Limitations and Future Lines Of Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spanish Validation of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short Form (IGDS9-SF): Prevalence and Relationship with Online Gambling and Quality of Life

Beranuy

Machimbarrena

Vega-Osés

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Online gaming is a very common form of leisure among adolescents and young people, although its excessive and/or compulsive use is associated with psychological impairments in a minority of gamers. The latest (fifth) edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5, Section III) tentatively introduced Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). Since then, a number of evaluation tools using the DSM-5 criteria have been developed, including the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short Form (IGDS9-SF). The main objective of this study was to translate and adapt the IGDS9-SF into Spanish, as well as to obtain indicators relating to its validity and reliability. The Spanish version of four scales were administered: IGDS9-SF, Mobile Phone-Related Experiences Questionnaire (CERM), Online Gambling Disorder Questionnaire (OGD-Q), and KIDSCREEN-27. The sample comprised 535 Vocational Training students (mean age 18.35 years; SD±2.13; 78.5% males) who reported playing video games in the past 12 months. Confirmatory factor analysis yielded a one-dimensional model with a good fit while the reliability indicators were satisfactory. Findings indicated that 1.9% of gamers were classified with IGD (meeting five or more criteria for more than 12 months). Additionally, another 1.9% were considered gamers ‘at-risk’ because they endorsed four criteria. Positive and significant relationships were found between the IGDS9-SF, the CERM, and the OGD-Q. Participants classified with IGD had poorer health-related quality of life. In conclusion, the Spanish IGDS9-SF is a valid and reliable instrument to assess IGD according to the DSM-5.

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“…The convergence of video gaming and gambling is usually associated with esports (Gainsbury, Abarbanel, & Blaszczynski, 2017), virtual items and currencies (Lehdonvirta, 2009;Hamari and Keronen, 2017) and the free-to-play business model (Gainsbury, Russell, King, Delfabbro, & Hing, 2016). Concerns about the potential effects of gamblified media have resulted in a debate about the moral, ethical, and legal status of gamblified products and services (Griffiths, 2018;King & Delfabbro, 2018;Martinelli, 2017).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An example of the constantly changing context is provided by the increasing regulation of loot boxes, seeMacey and Hamari (2019), andGriffiths (2018) for detailed summaries.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

GamCog: A measurement instrument for miscognitions related to gamblification, gambling, and video gaming.

Macey

Hamari

2020

Psychology of Addictive Behaviors

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Gamblification" is a rapidly emerging form of media convergence between the more chance-based activity of gambling and the more skill-based activity of (video) gaming, for example in the competitive video gaming known as esports. The marriage of video gaming and gambling has been theorised as bringing about new forms of gambling-related cognitive processes in individuals and affecting the ways in which they approach and evaluate gambling situations. As such, a pertinent research problem is whether existing measurement instruments designed to identify gambling related cognitions can be employed in this new context and population, and if not, how they can be adapted. Therefore, in this study, we investigate the psychometric properties of Gambling Related Cognitions Scale (GRCS) and a series of items developed following a review of existing literature. We employ three separate datasets gathered from video game players who also gamble (N = 442; 391; and, 335). The results indicate that the GRCS is not a robust measure to use for video game players who gamble; the new GamCog measure was, therefore, developed to address this gap. The study implies that the most significant cognitive differences between video game players and the wider population are the ways in which concepts of skill and luck are perceived, potentially due to the sense of personal agency engendered by video games.

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Is the Buying of Loot Boxes in Video Games a Form of Gambling or Gaming?

Cited by 112 publications

References 0 publications

eSports, skins and loot boxes: Participants, practices and problematic behaviour associated with emergent forms of gambling

eSports, skins and loot boxes: Participants, practices and problematic behaviour associated with emergent forms of gambling

Spanish Validation of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale–Short Form (IGDS9-SF): Prevalence and Relationship with Online Gambling and Quality of Life

GamCog: A measurement instrument for miscognitions related to gamblification, gambling, and video gaming.

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