Study finds loot boxes ‘psychologically equivalent to gambling’

Loot boxes in games can lead to gambling problems, according to the latest research from Australia. More than 7,400 gamers were interviewed in the study, the results of which were announced at a press conference in the Australian capital, Canberra, as part of a request from the Australian government’s upper house of parliament for microtransactions and items that unlock based on Probability.

Is lootbox as addictive as gambling?

The study found that participants with severe gambling problems were willing to put more money into loot boxes. “This result agrees with scholars who say loot boxes have the same psychological effects as gambling.”

“Putting large amounts of money into lootboxes is related to the amount of money spent on other forms of gambling. These are the projections of what would happen if lootboxes were psychologically equivalent to a form of gambling. It won’t go as planned if lootboxes are psychologically equivalent to baseball cards.”

Not much of a difference

The report says lootboxes can be a gateway to gambling, with loot boxes also having “important properties” related to gambling. “Gamers will experience arousal similar to gambling, leading to problems with gambling.” The reverse may also be true from this study: gamblers may be attracted to loot boxes.

According to recommendations from the Australian authority, games with loot boxes should be restricted to people of legal age to gamble (in Australia 18 years or older). Games also need to post warnings about the presence of loot boxes as well as warnings to parents.