Abstract

Loot boxes are digital containers of randomised rewards available in many video games. Due to similarities between some loot boxes and traditional forms of gambling, concerns regarding the relationship between spending on loot boxes in video games and symptoms of problematic gambling have been expressed by policy makers and the general public. We present the first investigation of these concerns in large cross-sectional cross-national samples from three countries (Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, and the United States). A sample of 1,049 participants were recruited through Qualtrics’ Survey Targeting service from a broad cross-section of the population in Australia (n = 339), Aotearoa New Zealand (n = 323), and the United States (n = 387). Participants answered a survey assessing problem gambling, problem gaming symptomology, and how much they spent on loot boxes per month. On average, individuals with problem gambling issues spent approximately $13 USD per month more on loot boxes than those with no such symptoms. Loot box spending was also associated with both positive and negative moods, albeit with small effect sizes. Analyses showed both interactions and correlations between problematic gambling and problematic gaming symptoms, indicating both some commonality in the mechanisms underlying, and independent contributions made by, these proposed diagnostic criteria. These results provide context for dialogues regarding how best to reduce the impacts of loot box spending among those with problematic gambling symptoms.

Highlights

  • Loot boxes are randomized containers of digital rewards available in some video games, and often purchasable for real-world money

  • We examined whether excessive gaming might act as a moderator of the relationship between problem gambling and loot box spending, such that people with high problem gambling symptomology who have high symptoms of excessive gaming might have increased loot box spending compared to those people with higher problem gambling symptoms but fewer symptoms of excessive gaming

  • We report a sample from three countries, two of which have not previously been sampled on this issue–Aotearoa New Zealand (ANZ), Australia, and the United States

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Summary

Introduction

Loot boxes are randomized containers of digital rewards available in some video games, and often purchasable for real-world money. Problem gambling and excessive gaming in Australia, Aotearoa NZ and the US. Government funding, managed by Royal Society Te Apārangi. Https://www.royalsociety.org.nz/whatwe-do/funds-and-opportunities/marsden The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript Government funding, managed by Royal Society Te Apārangi. https://www.royalsociety.org.nz/whatwe-do/funds-and-opportunities/marsden The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

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