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PLoS One 2021 6;16(4):e0247855. Epub 2021 Apr 6.

School of Psychology, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.

Loot boxes are digital containers of randomised rewards present in some video games which are often purchasable for real world money. Recently, concerns have been raised that loot boxes might approximate traditional gambling activities, and that people with gambling problems have been shown to spend more on loot boxes than peers without gambling problems. Some argue that the regulation of loot boxes as gambling-like mechanics is inappropriate because similar activities which also bear striking similarities to traditional forms of gambling, such as collectable card games, are not subject to such regulations. Read More

J Behav Addict 2021 Feb 24. Epub 2021 Feb 24.

1Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory, School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Bundaberg, QLD, Australia.

Background And Aims: Loot boxes are a common feature in video games where players win, buy or are gifted a virtual box or other container that is unwrapped to reveal virtual items of value, such as skins, weapons, in-game currency or special abilities. The current study aimed to relate the use of loot boxes to gambling problems and harm.

Methods: An online survey was conducted with 1,954 adolescents and young adults from NSW Australia, 59. Read More

PeerJ 2021 3;9:e10705. Epub 2021 Feb 3.

Department of Psychology, Stetson University, DeLand, FL, United States of America.

COVID-19 has prompted widespread self-isolation and citywide/countrywide lockdowns. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has encouraged increased digital social activities such as video game play to counteract social isolation during the pandemic. However, there is active debate about the potential for video game overuse, and some video games contain randomised purchases (loot boxes) that may psychologically approximate gambling. Read More

Addict Behav 2021 Jun 3;117:106851. Epub 2021 Feb 3.

Psychology, Room A206 Portland Square, Plymouth, PL6 8BX, United Kingdom. Electronic address:

Introduction: Loot boxes are purchasable randomised reward mechanisms in video games. Due to structural and psychological similarities with gambling, there are fears that loot box purchasing may be associated with problematic gambling. Whilst monthly expenditure is typically modest (i. Read More

JMIR Serious Games 2021 Feb 9;9(1):e23886. Epub 2021 Feb 9.

Research Center for Social Science & Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan.

Background: Video game loot boxes, which can typically be purchased by players or are given as reward, contain random virtual items, or loot, ranging from simple customization options for a player's avatar or character, to game-changing equipment such as weapons and armor. Loot boxes have drawn concern, as purchasing loot boxes might lead to the development of problematic gambling for adolescents. Although parental problem gambling is associated with adolescent problem gambling, no studies have evaluated the prevalence of loot box purchases in adolescents' parents. Read More