How gambling mechanisms in games get you hooked

DW (English)

Online games sometimes include gambling mechanisms like loot boxes. Such features can keep children and young people engaged in games for longer and potentially lead to problematic gaming behavior.

Transcript

00:00Gambling mechanisms are common in the world of gaming.

00:03That includes virtual boxes, which you often have to buy with real money.

00:11If you're lucky, they unlock special upgrades or new features.

00:14Loot boxes are used on the gaming platform Roblox

00:17and in games like Brawl Stars or Final Fantasy.

00:22The problem is, loot boxes can be addictive,

00:25even when the prizes aren't anything special.

00:30Cognitive cyber psychologist Aaron Drummond studies the risks involved.

00:35A person feels like the next time that they engage in that behavior

00:39they might be just that little bit closer to that big win.

00:41And that can result in really fast behavioral acquisition.

00:45A prize in a game means dopamine in the brain.

00:48Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, released as a kind of happiness hormone.

00:53Simply put, it makes us feel good.

00:55And a dopamine release can be triggered by many things,

00:58from smelling a flower to petting a cute dog.

01:04What is sort of problematic is when you start to mix that dopamine hit

01:08that people get from kind of getting the reward that they want

01:11with a mechanism which means that they don't get to choose what they're paying for.

01:15A dopamine boost combined with a random thrill of the reward

01:19has the potential to be addictive.

01:21And that doesn't just apply to loot boxes.

01:24Think of your last social media post and eagerly watching the likes roll in.

01:29Or the Duolingo streak you just can't bear to lose.

01:33Or the endless swipes on dating apps.

01:36Ultimately, the more time you spend on a platform, the more money its creators make.

01:41It is estimated that by this year around 20 billion US dollars,

01:45that's around 18 billion euros, will be spent worldwide on loot boxes.

01:50In fact, some countries have taken legal action in an attempt to regulate them.

01:55Loot boxes pose a particular risk for children,

01:58since they often find it difficult to understand how much they're spending.

02:02We know, for instance, that impulse control is still developing

02:06right up until about age 25 now.

02:08And so we know that when you're young, being exposed to gambling,

02:12being exposed to gambling-like products,

02:14can really change the way you interact with risk and reward

02:18and can leave you quite vulnerable to overspending.

02:21In his studies, Aaron Drummond found that over 70% of gamers

02:25don't even like loot boxes, even though they might buy them.

02:29Using them is also associated with a higher level of stress.

02:36The real consequences of that are we know that people that tend to buy loot boxes

02:40in higher rates tend to express great regret of their purchases.

02:44We know also that they tend to be a little bit less happy.

02:49And yet, according to Drummond,

02:51loot boxes are found in around half of mobile games and a third of computer games.

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