Correlations and similarities between Loot Boxes and Gambling

• Main Author: Sandqvist, Alexander
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Malmö universitet, Institutionen för datavetenskap och medieteknik (DVMT) 2021
• Subjects: Loot boxes; Gambling; Addiction; Engineering and Technology; Teknik och teknologier
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-44210

Loot boxes are items in video games that contain a randomized reward. Some of them can be purchased with real-world money. In recent years loot boxes have become very common in almost all of the top games. Because of its similarities to gambling there have been thoughts on branding loot boxes as a form of gambling. Some countries have already taken this matter into their own hands and banned certain loot boxes.But there are different loot boxes with different features. This study looks at what aspects of purchasing loot boxes correlate to form of gambling. By researching the top 10 games on steam and their loot boxes combined with a literature study. In conclusion it was found that the main features of Loot Boxes that correlate to a form of gambling are features that try to mirror or copy features from Electronic Game Machines or different casino games.