The gamblification of digital games

Brock, Tom; Johnson, Mark

doi:10.1177/1469540521993904

Cited by 37 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Potential risks and harms to children must be considered too within the "gamblification" of games. Gaming-gambling convergence is a relatively new phenomenon and describes the assimilation of gambling techniques and strategies into game formats and vice versa, resulting in hybrid products which may contain manipulative content (Brock & Johnson, 2021;Kolandi-Matchett & Abbott, 2021). Convergence poses questions about transitions between gameplay and gambling, and the causation pathways for development of disordered behaviours, especially in children and adolescents (Griffiths, 2008;Kolandi-Matchett & Abbott, 2021).…”

Section: Loot Boxes and Childrenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rocking the Boat: Loot Boxes in Online Digital Games, the Regulatory Challenge, and the EU’s Unfair Commercial Practices Directive

Leahy

2022

J Consum Policy

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The loot box, a feature of online video games, contains randomised virtual items of importance to gameplay. Comparisons are drawn between chance-based loot boxes and the legal and psychological definitions of gambling, leading to concerns that the format may be an unregulated form of quasi-gambling. Globally, several jurisdictions have intervened to control the loot box, some applying national gambling laws, while others have implemented more general rules, an alternative described as “consumer protection”. In 2020, a study commissioned on behalf of the EU Parliament recommended that loot boxes and in-game purchasing systems be regulated from a “consumer protection” perspective. This paper questions firstly whether the debate on product-specific rules for loot box games was conducted in reverse, commencing with a set of potential solutions, while research on harms is still at an early stage. It interrogates the “consumer protection” route, critiquing proposals that borrow from the conceptually and structurally distinct areas of gambling law and consumer protection law, without first resolving the tensions between them. The paper proposes that an alternative paradigm of “player protection” may be the better route towards solving the regulatory puzzle of loot boxes. The paper secondly argues for the EU and its Member States to adopt an interim approach, relying on existing legislation to tackle immediate concerns and facilitate testing of remedial measures, but which leaves the door ajar to alternative options, including regulation under national gambling law frameworks. It examines the UCPD as an immediate solution and considers how the updated UCPD Guidance addresses questions of potentially exploitative game design.

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Section: Loot Boxes and Childrenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rocking the Boat: Loot Boxes in Online Digital Games, the Regulatory Challenge, and the EU’s Unfair Commercial Practices Directive

Leahy

2022

J Consum Policy

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“…Meanwhile, the technology race and blockbuster marketing logic of pay once upfront AAA games made their production increasingly expensive and risky [33]. Freemium service games monetised by microtransactions and advertising make use of the afordances of internet technologies and platforms and promise to de-risk and increase revenues with predictable continuous player spending over months or years [5,25]. On the industry side, this has led to a diferent view of players and play: player activity is value generation for companies [56].…”

Section: Background 21 'Problematicness' Of Microtransactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Loot boxes can be defned as 'items in video games that may be bought for real-world money, but which provide players with a randomized reward of uncertain value' [59]. They are seen as a major form of the 'gamblifcation of games' [5] and have been repeatedly linked to problem gambling [12,57,58], to the extent that they have drawn the regulatory attention of several governments, including Belgium, China, and the United Kingdom. Loot boxes and similar formations like daily fantasy sports challenge our cultural and regulatory distinctions between inconsequential, skill-based games and luck-based gambling with monetary consequences [11,48,49].…”

Section: Background 21 'Problematicness' Of Microtransactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and Salience of Problematic Microtransactions in Top-Grossing Mobile and PC Games: A Content Analysis of User Reviews

Petrovskaya¹,

Deterding²,

Zendle³

2022

Preprint

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Microtransactions have become a major monetisation model in digital games, shaping their design, impacting their player experience, and raising ethical concerns. Research in this area has chiefly focused on loot boxes. This begs the question whether other microtransactions might actually be more relevant and problematic for players. We therefore conducted a content analysis of negative player reviews (n=801) of top-grossing mobile and desktop games to determine which problematic microtransactions are most prevalent and salient for players. We found that problematic microtransactions with mobile games featuring more frequent and different techniques compared to desktop games. Across both, players minded issues related to fairness, transparency, and degraded user experience, supporting prior theoretical work, and importantly take issue with monetisation-driven design as such. We identify future research needs on why microtransactions in particular spark this critique, and which player communities it may be more or less representative of.

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“…It may be premature to state that a "gamblification" of video games and esports is creating a new pathway for youth to experience gambling problems and harm (Brock & Johnson, 2021;Delfabbro & King, 2020;. However, the potential for some video gaming activities and video game-related gambling to increase the likelihood of transitioning to gambling and attendant gambling problems needs to be explored (Kim & King, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Skin Gambling Contributes to Gambling Problems and Harm After Controlling for Other Forms of Traditional Gambling

et al. 2022

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Esports betting and skin gambling involve betting on the outcomes of video game competitions and/or using virtual currencies for betting. The present study evaluated a conceptual model linking video game involvement, video-game related gambling, traditional gambling, and gambling problems and harm. Data were collected via a cross-sectional online survey with 737 participants aged 18 + who engaged in esports cash betting (n = 576), esports skin betting (n = 184), or skin gambling on games of chance (n = 330). The findings highlighted the distinctly different relationships esports cash betting versus skin gambling had with traditional gambling involvement and harmful gambling. Gambling with skins on games of chance was predictive of gambling problems and gambling harm after controlling for participation in traditional gambling (OR = 1.32 and 1.17 respectively). Whereas betting on esports with cash was associated with betting on a variety of other forms of gambling, and there was no unique contribution to problems and harm over and above participation on these other forms (e.g., EGMs, sports betting). Skin gambling is directly implicated in gambling problems and harm, whereas cash betting on esports is only indicative of interest in many forms of potentially harmful gambling. Greater research attention to skin gambling is warranted, and particularly with respect to its role as a virtual currency more easily accessible for gambling.

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The gamblification of digital games

Cited by 37 publications

References 35 publications

Rocking the Boat: Loot Boxes in Online Digital Games, the Regulatory Challenge, and the EU’s Unfair Commercial Practices Directive

Rocking the Boat: Loot Boxes in Online Digital Games, the Regulatory Challenge, and the EU’s Unfair Commercial Practices Directive

Prevalence and Salience of Problematic Microtransactions in Top-Grossing Mobile and PC Games: A Content Analysis of User Reviews

Skin Gambling Contributes to Gambling Problems and Harm After Controlling for Other Forms of Traditional Gambling

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