Gaming addiction recently hit headlines as the World Health Organisation proposed adding ‘gaming disorder’ to a new manual of disease classifications.
The move comes as popular online games have been gripping the world, with games like Fortnite and Call of Duty leading many to spend excessive hours playing online.
The manual says the newly classified gaming disorder is characterised by “a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behaviour”, which ultimately harms the victim.
This isn’t the first time games have attracted controversy over addiction, as a common reward system of ‘loot boxes’ has now been labelled akin to gambling.
What are loot boxes?
Loot boxes are in-game digital content, which award players with randomised items or character modifications.
Loot boxes are a gaming micro transaction, meaning that the boxes are usually bought in game with real life currency, and award players based on chance.
The boxes can sometimes be used to get ahead in certain games, providing items which give an edge over other players, providing extra incentive to buy.
Many free-to-play games like Fortnite use loot boxes as a means to fund costs for the game, alongside other methods such as monthly subscriptions.
Are loot boxes gambling?
The Belgian Gaming Commission has already declared this illegal, saying that it is a game of chance and subject to Belgian gambling laws.
Having looked over popular games FIFA 18, Overwatch, and Counterstrike: Global Offensive, demanding that games remove loot box capability or receive a fine of up to 800,000 euros.
A recent research paper has also now come out to state that loot boxes are akin to gambling.
The paper, entitled ‘Video game loot boxes are psychologically akin to gambling’ was authored by Dr. Aaron Drummond, from Massey’s School of Psychology and Dr. James Sauer, of the University of Tasmania.
The two stated that similarities between loot boxes and traditional gambling meant that using loot boxes could be akin to gambling.
They wrote: ”Our analysis of the characteristics of loot boxes in 22 games rated by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) as appropriate for audiences 17 years old or younger reveals that loot boxes have important structural and psychological similarities with gambling,”.
The researchers say that 45 percent of the games they researched met psychological criteria to be considered a form of gambling.
They say “loot boxes present a number of striking similarities to real-world gambling.”
