Loot boxes as predatory monetization schemes within video games: a psychoeducational approach
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51302/tce.2021.594Keywords:
loot boxes, gambling, teenagers, video gamesAbstract
Information and communication technologies (ICT) have become an essential part of our daily life. However, their benefits have been faded by the inherent risks of the virtual space. One of the elements that have arisen more attention is online gambling. Even though gambling is regulated and limited to adults, new dynamics aiming to overcome these restrictions have emerged by placing chance mechanics in products targeted to youth, as it is the case of loot boxes. Loot boxes are virtual chests containing random and undisclosed items that players can open following its purchase with real or in-game currencies. Being compared with slots, these mechanisms have been associated with problematic gaming and gambling. However, loot boxes are not considered a game of luck by Spanish regulations, thus placing children and adolescents in a situation of vulnerability. This study is conducted with the purpose of raising awareness of this phenomenon under a threefold perspective: descriptive, legal, and psychoeducational. In order to provide families and educators with tools to face problematic loot box consumption and to early identify risk situations, we propose –from the clinical and therapeutic practice– alarm signals and guidelines.
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Copyright (c) 2021 Francisco Javier Sanmartín Litrán, Judith Velasco Rodríguez, Susana Blanco Fernández
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