Yet, research and policy regarding an increasingly popular consumable virtual item in games, such as loot boxes require much more attention. ) and industry recommendations for safeguarding players. Such concerns have led to the inclusion of age ratings on games, updated government frameworks (e.g.

Along with its expanding popularity, concerns have been expressed about excessive play, game mechanics and safeguarding individuals from potential harms. With over 3 billion active players worldwide and a market exceeding $150 billion in 2021 alone, gaming is a popular activity. Implications of game design and classifying loot boxes as gambling are discussed in relation to game design and risk factors of gambling and purchasing behaviour. The results suggested both indirect and direct parallels with gambling from the players experiences. Thematic analysis suggested that six themes were core to exploring loot boxes: Random Chance Effects, Attitudes Towards Content, Implementation, Parallels with Gambling, Game Design, and The Player. Twenty-one participants who played video games took part in the research through either an interview or online survey.

In this paper, we synthesise a conceptualisation for loot boxes through players’ actual experience and explore if there are any parallels with gambling.

However, the perspectives of players are often neglected, such as whether they see them as ‘fair’ game elements and how closely they feel this aligns with gambling. Loot boxes are a popular mechanic within many video games, but it remains unclear if some forms of loot boxes can be seen of as gambling.

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