“It’s the Attraction of Winning That Draws You in”—A Qualitative Investigation of Reasons and Facilitators for Videogame Loot Box Engagement in UK Gamers

Abstract

Excessive engagement with (increasingly prevalent) loot boxes within games has consistently been linked with disordered gambling and/or gaming. The importance of recognising and managing potential risks associated with loot box involvement means understanding contributing factors is a pressing research priority. Given that motivations for gaming and gambling have been informative in understanding risky engagement with those behaviours, this qualitative study investigated motivations for buying loot boxes, through in-depth interviews with 28 gamers from across the UK. A reflexive thematic analysis categorised reasons for buying into seven “themes”; opening experience; value of box contents; game-related elements; social influences; emotive/impulsive influences; fear of missing out; triggers/facilitators. These themes are described in detail and discussed in relation to the existing literature and motivation theories. This study contributes to understanding ways in which digital items within loot boxes can be highly valued by purchasers, informing the debate around parallels with gambling. Findings that certain motivations were disproportionately endorsed by participants with symptoms of problematic gambling has potential implications for policy and warrants further study.

What’s in the box? Exploring UK players’ experiences of loot boxes in games; the conceptualisation and parallels with gambling

“…Players experiences and perceptions of loot boxes were suggested to be more negative highlighted from the subthemes such as Costly, Negative talk, Perception of odds stacked against them, Negative talk towards in-game advantage, and Lack of real-life value (see Figs 2 and 3 ). These findings echo previous qualitative and mixed-methods research [ 59 , 64 ]. Building on previous research, the results from RQ2 highlight the game mechanics/features as well as the interaction that takes place from the suggested overarching themes of ‘Parallels with Gambling’, ‘Game Design’, and the ‘Player’.…”

“…The concern of loot boxes creating a parallel with gambling has been previously highlighted [ 61 , 62 ] and recent quantitative/mixed methods research has suggested an overlap between loot boxes and gambling where most participants saw loot boxes as gambling or related to gambling behaviour [ 63 , 64 ]. Nicklin, et al, [ 64 ] using mixed methods explored the motivations of participants from the general population purchasing loot boxes and identified that motivations were related to the following themes: opening loot boxes, value of the content, game motivations, social influence, emotional/impulsive, and Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) as well as connections between motivations to buy and signs of problematic/ harmful behaviour. The research focused on different motivations to buy loot boxes, but the game mechanic of loot boxes and how players experience loot boxes as a feature of a game remain underexplored and unclear.…”

“…Hence, the focus of this research was with young people at university. Additionally, the authors report stakeholders were included in the research as participants, some of which reported having a professional connection to loot boxes which may have caused a bias in the results [ 64 ]. Another qualitative study into the motivations of purchasing loot boxes suggested that they were brought for entertainment and socialising but were related to impulsivity and distorted beliefs from the player and were deemed to be an in-game feature rather than gambling [ 59 ].…”

Development and Validation of the RAFFLE: A Measure of Reasons and Facilitators for Loot Box Engagement

“…The 441 responses were categorised into eight motivations; "for gameplay advantages"; "to gain specific items and create a collection"; "the fun, excitement and thrills of opening the box itself"; "appearance reasons"; "support the developers or pay for the game"; "the perception that loot boxes are good value"; "time advantages"; and "profit" [14]. Nicklin and colleagues conducted a series of in-depth qualitative interviews with adult gamers about their reasons for purchasing, and identified seven themes [15]. These were broadly consistent with Zendle et al's findings: "the opening experience" (synonymous with Zendle et al's motive around fun and excitement of opening the box); "the value of box contents" (which covered desire to win items with aesthetic, functional and/or monetary value); "game-related elements" (which encompassed the gameplay advantages factor identified by Zendle and colleagues but also included desire to speed up/facilitate progression, including in single player games, rather than being only about advantages over other players); social influences (which overlapped with Zendle et al's "appearance" motive and also their "supporting developers" motive, but also encompassed broader socialisation motives); emotive/impulsive influences (i.e., feeling compelled to purchase boxes, sometimes as an escape from boredom or negative feelings); fear of missing out (on shared experiences or on limited time offers); and external triggers/facilitators (such as promotions or eventsoverlapping with Zendle et al's motive of perceptions of "good value").…”

Loot Boxes, Gambling-Like Mechanics in Video Games

“…Existing research has largely utilised self-reported data: transparent collaboration with the video game industry may provide more reliable data. Indeed, qualitative methods may assist in better understanding individual players' experiences with loot boxes [44], and gauging players' views as to the implementation and regulation of loot boxes [45]: this is especially relevant for Embedded-Isolated loot boxes because, although this category represents the vast majority of paid loot boxes implemented in video games, these mechanics have no obvious counterparts in non-digital contexts and therefore there is not translatable literature from other fields. Further, cross-cultural perspectives would clarify whether players in various countries are experiencing loot boxes differently.…”