Gambling mechanics in video games lead to concerns

By Roberto Zuniga, Anaum Hussain, and Ronald Martinez •

Since 2003, various video games have used loot boxes, in-game purchases that players can buy for randomized prizes. Loot boxes have been so successful that companies are making more money from them than the actual video game itself.

Melissa Bianchi, associate professor in the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts, said that because players don’t know the contents of the loot boxes they are buying, this money-making strategy can be considered virtual gambling.

“They’re sort of like a gambling mechanic, where a design company will randomize what kind of digital artifact you can get from that box. Some boxes give you more prizes than others, but they all have various percentages of what will be delivered from that box,” Bianchi said.

Loot boxes make more than $15 billion annually, with video games like Counter Strike: Global Offensive, FIFA, Rocket League and Overwatch being some that make the most money out of loot boxes. Although video games like Counter Strike: Global Offensive and Overwatch are rated for mature audiences, others like FIFA and Rocket League are rated E for everyone, making them accessible to children.

Bianchi explained how loot box mechanics were popularized by first-person shooter games and were based off of trading card games such as Pokémon or Magic: The Gathering, where individuals would purchase booster packs in the hopes of getting rarer cards.

Concerns reached the Austrian government in March 2023, where the Austrian Court System claimed that loot boxes in FIFA should be classified as gambling, citing a study that claims that the loot boxes cause “financial and emotional harm to children.” Another research paper, “Video game loot boxes are psychologically akin to gambling,” was published in June 2018 by Nature Human Behaviour, a scientific journal. Written by Aaron Drummond & James D. Sauer, it took 22 games with loot box mechanics and determined that 10 of them, including FIFA, meet psychologist Mark D. Griffiths’s criteria for gambling.

Mehtab Singh, freshman biology major, said he wasn’t aware that playing FIFA could lead to potential gambling addiction, citing how he himself has spent money on the game.

“I knew it was rated E for everyone, but I didn’t know it could lead to potential gambling. I can see now how buying so many FIFA points or packs and stuff could lead to more gambling like: ‘Oh I want the best card, oh I want Messi, oh I want Ronaldo, I want to get the best team of the year or person of the year.’ I can see now that it can be seen as gambling,” he said.

Consumers should be aware of the addictive nature of loot boxes in video game and video game media they consume.

“You know, just think it through before you dump money. If this is something that will bring you joy, and you can afford it, support the free-to-play game that needs the financial investment. If it looks predatory, think twice about opening your wallet. Just be a little more critical, more ethical,” Bianchi said.