The relationship between psycho-environmental characteristics and wellbeing in non-spending players of certain mobile games

Petrovskaya, Elena; Zendle, David

doi:10.1098/rsos.221129

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Although unrepresentative of the PRC general public, this platform is well-suited to cost-effectively recruiting specific samples of interest for gambling research (e.g., gambling participants and people experiencing gambling harms) [78(p. 108)] . As previous Western studies have recognised [e.g., 19(p. 11),33(p. 12)] , more objective sources of spending data that are not selfreported (such as actual data held, but not yet shared, by the industry or data measured by hardware devices [79] ) would help us to better understand the relationship between loot boxes and gambling.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Loot boxes, gambling-related risk factors, and mental health in Mainland China: A large-scale survey

Xiao¹,

Fraser²,

Nielsen³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Loot boxes are bought by players with real-world money to obtain random content inside video games. Loot boxes are viewed by many as gambling-like and are prevalently implemented globally. Previous Western and international studies have consistently found loot box spending to be positively correlated with problem gambling. Previous Western studies presented mixed results as to the correlations between loot box purchasing and gambling-related risk factors and mental health. A large-scale survey of adult video game players from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) (N = 2,601) was conducted through Tencent Survey. The positive correlations between loot box spending and problem gambling, and between loot box spending and problem videogaming, were successfully replicated. However, other potential risk factors (i.e., impulsiveness/impulsivity; binary past-year gambling participation status; and sensation-seeking tendencies) did not positively correlate with loot box spending with a meaningful effect size. The Risky Loot Box Index (RLI) mostly strongly positively correlated with, and was the best predictor in a multiple linear regression model for, loot box spending. No negative correlations were found between loot box engagement and PRC players’ mental health. In conclusion, this study shows how cross-cultural research can contribute to our understanding of loot box engagement. The RLI may be effective at measuring loot box harms cross-culturally. The present research could help stimulate further research on loot box harms beyond Western countries.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Loot boxes, gambling-related risk factors, and mental health in Mainland China: A large-scale survey

Xiao¹,

Fraser²,

Nielsen³

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Each of these is expected to cause greater depressive symptoms-in the case of overspending, this might be mediated by financial strain and guilt (cf. Petrovskaya and Zendle, 2023). A…”

Section: Financial Harmsmentioning

confidence: 99%

How do video games affect mental health? A narrative review of 13 proposed mechanisms

Ballou,

Hakman,

Vuorre

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Researchers have proposed a variety of mechanisms through which playing video games might affect mental health: by displacing more psychosocially beneficial activities, satisfying or frustrating basic psychological needs, relieving stress, and many more. However, these mechanisms are rarely enumerated, and underlying causal structures are rarely made explicit. Here, we overview 13 proposed effects of gaming on mental health. For each, we attempt to draw out (often implicit) counterfactuals—that is, what concrete aspect of gaming should be changed in a hypothetical alternative universe to produce the effect of interest—and illustrate these with example directed acyclic graphs (DAGs). In doing so, we hope to provide a bird’s eye view of the field and encourage more focused and collaborative efforts to propose, falsify, and iterate on (causal) theories. Only in doing so can the field realize its potential to inform clinical interventions, regulation, game design, and the behavior of players and parents.

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“…Recent longitudinal studies have established that young people who purchase loot boxes are more likely to participate in, and spend more money on, traditional gambling six months later [5,23], thus strengthening the case for loot boxes to be subject to regulatory scrutiny. Loot box spending has also been found to be positively correlated with problem video gaming in some studies [28,38], which suggests that highly-engaged video game players may experience multiple types of harm: both gameplay time-related [9] and financial [35].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shopping Around for Loot Box Presence Warning Labels: Unsatisfactory Compliance on Epic, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft Platforms

Xiao¹

2023

Preprint

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Loot boxes are gambling-like products in video games that players can buy with real-world money to obtain random prizes. Many countries are concerned by their potential harms and are considering regulation. Industry self-regulation of companies’ own behavior is an alternative approach to legislation. The age rating organizations in North America and Europe began assigning a loot box presence warning label (‘In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items)’) since April 2020. This consumer protection measure has also been introduced to many digital storefronts. A recent study found that only 29% of popular games containing loot boxes were correctly labelled on the Google Play Store. The age rating organizations have claimed that other digital storefronts with significantly less content would, in contrast, perform significantly better. The present study found that the compliance rates were indeed higher on the Microsoft (89.1%), Sony (70.3%), and Nintendo (54.2%) stores. However, none met the target 95% compliance rate. Concerningly, the Epic Games Store’s compliance rate was only 7.1%. Companies and platform providers must better comply with and enforce the rules. Besides poor efficacy on mobile platforms, the industry self-regulatory loot box warning label is also not sufficiently reliable on PC and console platforms.

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The relationship between psycho-environmental characteristics and wellbeing in non-spending players of certain mobile games

Cited by 6 publications

References 52 publications

Loot boxes, gambling-related risk factors, and mental health in Mainland China: A large-scale survey

Loot boxes, gambling-related risk factors, and mental health in Mainland China: A large-scale survey

How do video games affect mental health? A narrative review of 13 proposed mechanisms

Shopping Around for Loot Box Presence Warning Labels: Unsatisfactory Compliance on Epic, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft Platforms

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