What's in the box? Exploring UK players' experiences of loot boxes in games; the conceptualisation and parallels with gambling.

ABSTRACT: Loot boxes are a popular mechanic within many video games, but it remains unclear if some forms of loot boxes can be seen of as gambling. However, the perspectives of players are often neglected, such as whether they see them as 'fair' game elements and how closely they feel this aligns with gambling. In this paper, we synthesise a conceptualisation for loot boxes through players' actual experience and explore if there are any parallels with gambling. Twenty-one participants who played video games took part in the research through either an interview or online survey. Thematic analysis suggested that six themes were core to exploring loot boxes: Random Chance Effects, Attitudes Towards Content, Implementation, Parallels with Gambling, Game Design, and The Player. The results suggested both

SUBMITTER: Hodge SE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8827416 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature