Gambling Features and Monetization in Video Games Create Challenges for Young People, Families, and Clinicians

Király, Orsolya; Zhang, Jasmine; Demetrovics, Zsolt; Browne, Dillon T.

doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2021.12.003

Cited by 9 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…In addition, it will be important to take into account the tension between the conflicting interests of all involved parties [ 52 ]. However, microtransactions have raised concerns because of the financial costs incurred by children and adolescents, while loot boxes represent the peak of the iceberg, because these features evade regulations, therefore permitting underage gambling and its promotion [ 53 ]. The relationship between problem gambling and spending on loot boxes is of particular concern because loot boxes are often found in games played by children and young people: More than half of the top-selling mobile games now contain loot boxes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another key area of investigation is parental knowledge, as it enables effective prevention methods [ 53 ]. However, we cannot base a solid strategy on simply empowering parents.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They need much more help, and this requires much more coherent, solid, and uniform information. Therefore, advocates and policymakers must attempt to hold the gaming industry accountable and act in a socially responsible manner to advocate for the welfare of children and families, and the sustainability of responsible gaming [ 53 ]. It is up to politicians to adopt appropriate measures to put them into practice, based on sound science and practical experience from the field.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a basis for regulation, large-scale, international, representative studies are needed to provide evidence on the prevalence and adverse health consequences of video gaming [ 53 ]. Further work should focus on assessing game characteristics to refine regulatory models to promote safe gaming.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Response to the Regulation of Video Games under the Youth Media Protection Act: A Public Health Perspective

Lischer

Jeannot²,

Brülisauer³

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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The Swiss Youth and Media Act, which is about to enter into force, is an attempt to provide a legislative framework for video game use. Among other inclusions, the law intends to make providers more accountable by taking measures to protect minors from harm that can be caused by improper use of video games. However, it is a challenge to create a legal framework that can adequately regulate the evolving features of video games. Legislators must find a suitable regulatory approach which takes into account the fact that there is an increasing convergence between video games and gambling, particularly with the introduction of loot boxes. Moreover, there is a need for regulation, including the prohibition of misleading designs, the introduction of additional protection for minors, and the assurance of transparency of transactions. Appropriate policy legislation and consumer-protection measures are needed to protect people using these types of products, particularly children and adolescents. Further work should focus on assessing game characteristics to refine regulatory models to promote safe gaming. Based on experiences from the field of psychoactive substances as well as that of gambling, it is now a matter of developing a matrix of harm with elaborated categories: a tool that makes it possible to evaluate the potential harms of certain game design in an evidence-based manner.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another key area of investigation is parental knowledge, as it enables effective prevention methods [ 53 ]. However, we cannot base a solid strategy on simply empowering parents.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Response to the Regulation of Video Games under the Youth Media Protection Act: A Public Health Perspective

Lischer

Jeannot²,

Brülisauer³

et al. 2022

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Currently, the possible risks and harms associated with the consumption of monetised games are not fully understood, particularly considering that the majority of research uses data which is self-reported and cross-sectional. Further research which investigates the impact of convergent activities, especially monetised products, is required; such research should include both the identification of vulnerable consumers and the development of productive approaches to reduce gaming and gambling-related harm ( King & Delfabbro, 2020 ; King et al, 2019 ; Király, Zhang, Demetrovics, & Browne, 2021 ). Xiao and Henderson (2021) further highlight the need for video game companies to adopt better social responsibility measures and follow an ethical game design framework.…”

Section: Output Stage One: State-of-the-art Reportsmentioning

confidence: 99%

How can the potential harms of loot boxes be minimised?: Proposals for understanding and addressing issues at a national level

Macey

Cantell²,

Tossavainen³

et al. 2022

JBA

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Background and aims Loot boxes are in-game items which distribute rewards to players via random-number generation; many games require players to make in-game payments to access their contents. The combination of financial outlay and random rewards has raised concern about similarities to gambling. This debate paper presents a series of themes identified by an inter-institutional working group in Finland, alongside suggested actions, and are presented with the intention of stimulating debate among stakeholders. Methods This work uses an exploratory research approach to gather data from a range of sources, including state-of-the-art reports from several fields and qualitative content analysis of invited presentations from a range of stakeholders, including affected individuals, practitioners, and field-specific experts. Results and Discussion Several significant themes emerged from the work and are presented alongside a series of proposed action points. Based on this preliminary exploration we propose a series of, non-exhaustive, actions for both primary and secondary prevention. Furthermore, the group identified the potential for responsible gaming practices to be adopted which would help to minimize the harm from overspending in gaming activities. Finally, we identified the need for further research in the field, for example the use of player data and both longitudinal and qualitative studies. Conclusions The emergent themes are discussed in relation to both the views of the presenters and existing research in the field and are intended to promote discussion concerning the viability of context-specific approaches to an issue of global reach and significance.

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Gaming Disorder Among Children and Adolescents

Griffiths,

Stavropoulos,

Pontes

et al. 2024

Handbook of Children and Screens

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Research interest in problematic gaming has increased considerably in the past decade leading the World Health Organization to classify ‘gaming disorder’ (GD) as a formal diagnosis in 2019. This chapter describes the current state of knowledge in relation to minors, as well as future research on GD along with recommendations for important stakeholders such as researchers, the gaming industry, and policymakers. Meta-analyses on the prevalence of GD range from 3.05% to 4.6%, with males, children, and adolescents, being the most affected. There are three overarching interacting factors that are involved in the acquisition, development, and maintenance of GD, namely the individual factors, gaming-related factors, and environmental factors. Future research on GD requires more studies with clinical samples, large-scale representative samples using longitudinal designs, more cross-cultural comparisons, as well as more studies from a neurobiological perspective. The topic of esports and the ever-changing structural characteristics of video games also require further research. The chapter concludes with several recommendations such as developing specific screening instruments for child and adolescent populations and the need for independent regulators in each country that oversee the video game industry to ensure social responsibility initiatives for player protection and harm minimization.

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Gambling Features and Monetization in Video Games Create Challenges for Young People, Families, and Clinicians

Cited by 9 publications

References 9 publications

Response to the Regulation of Video Games under the Youth Media Protection Act: A Public Health Perspective

Response to the Regulation of Video Games under the Youth Media Protection Act: A Public Health Perspective

How can the potential harms of loot boxes be minimised?: Proposals for understanding and addressing issues at a national level

Gaming Disorder Among Children and Adolescents

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