Beyond loot boxes: a variety of gambling-like practices in video games are linked to both problem gambling and disordered gaming

@article{Zendle2020BeyondLB,
  title={Beyond loot boxes: a variety of gambling-like practices in video games are linked to both problem gambling and disordered gaming},
  author={David Zendle},
  journal={PeerJ},
  year={2020},
  volume={8}
}
  • D. Zendle
  • Published 14 July 2020
  • Psychology, Medicine
  • PeerJ
A variety of practices have recently emerged which relate to both video games and gambling. These range from opening loot boxes, to esports betting, real-money video gaming, token wagering, and social casino spending. It is unknown either how harmful or how widespread many of these activities are. A sample of 1,081 adults from the UK aged 18+ was therefore recruited. This sample was purposively recruited via quota sampling to represent the UK population in terms of sex, age, and ethnicity… 
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Citation Type

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The PU-LB exhibited adequate reliability and validity indicators and was positively and significantly related to loot box expenditure, IGDS9-SF, and OGD-Q scores.
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Mediation analyses revealed esports betting was associated to both internalizing and externalizing problems through PVG and not PG, and regulators must be vigilant to ensure codes of best practices are applied to esports betting operators specifically for underaged individuals.
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Positive relationships among Internet gaming disorder–related symptoms, disordered gambling symptoms, and engagement with, or investment in, loot boxes are identified and future directions for clinical psychological studies on loot box studies are discussed.
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ABSTRACT Loot boxes are purchasable randomized rewards contained in some video games. Concerns have been raised that these share psychological and structural features with traditional forms of…
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Although collectable card game booster packs, like loot boxes, share structural similarities with gambling, it appears that they may not be linked to problem gambling in the same way as loot boxes.
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A convergence of gaming and gambling products, services, and platforms is presently drawing considerable policy debate. This convergence may be giving rise to a critical area of consumer…
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The intersection of gaming and gambling has a long lineage. In recent years this process has amplified, arguably accelerated by developing technological infrastructures which facilitate rapid payment…
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TLDR
Preliminary evidence is provided that esports bettors are more likely to experience gambling problems compared to their sports betting counterparts, potentially stemming from their involvement in emerging video-game related gambling products.
El consumo de loot boxes como una nueva forma de azar en los videojuegos
Loot boxes are items within video games which players pay to open and, ultimately, to randomly obtain an object whose value is initially unknown. Being easily accessible for both teenagers and…
Gaming the system: suboptimal compliance with loot box probability disclosure regulations in China
Loot boxes provide randomized rewards in video games; their purchase is linked to disordered gambling and they are present in approximately half of UK video games. The relative novelty of loot…
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