Video game loot boxes could be linked to problem gambling, B.C. researcher says
It’s no secret video games can be addictive, but now researchers are sounding the alarm about aspects of gaming which could be setting players up for other kinds of trouble.
Luke Clark, director at the University of British Columbia’s Centre for Gambling Research, took part in a panel on the issue at New Horizons – a conference hosted by the BC Lottery Corporation with a focus on emerging forms of gambling.
"I'm presenting new research on this link around video game loot boxes and problem gambling,” he said.
According to Clark, loot boxes first began emerging in video games about ten years ago and are now featured in nearly every popular franchise.
They are randomized prize generators that players can earn if they have accumulated enough points. and are also available for purchase in many games.
"Effectively, a kind of mystery box inside a video game. It's going to deliver a randomized prize,” Clark said. “You don't know what you're going to get. That might be a new weapon or a new character."
It’s not all that different than playing a slot machine, and in some cases gamers can take virtual items acquired from loot boxes and sell them to other players for real money.
"There's been a lot of concern about whether loot boxes are effectively a disguised form of gambling,” Clark told attendees at the conference.
He said if loot boxes in video games do constitute a form of gambling – which children have access to – there should be a conversation about whether it needs to be regulated.
"We need some attention within game design at making these platforms safer in terms of spending,” he said. “So, the ability for people to view their spending and set spending limits."
According to researchers, those most likely to be addicted to gaming share some common characteristics with potential problem gamblers.
In many cases, they tend to be younger males – a phenomenon also seen in the seemingly ubiquitous world of sports betting.
The only legal site for sports wagering in the province is BCLC’s PlayNow – but many people who participate in that kind of gambling do so through other unregulated online sites.
"We've noticed that the demographics of sports gamblers that have issues are quite different from regular gambling so we do take a look at that and we do have some people that are looking specifically at sports gambling,” said Marie-Noelle Savoie, BCLC’s vice-president of legal compliance and security.
By sharing information at conferences like New Horizons, researchers and regulators hope to stay ahead of the curve.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
U.S. schools turn to artificial intelligence to spot guns as companies press lawmakers for state funds
Kansas could soon offer up to US$5 million in grants for schools to outfit surveillance cameras with artificial intelligence systems that can spot people carrying guns. But the governor needs to approve the expenditures and the schools must meet some very specific criteria.
Air quality advisories issued in 5 provinces, 1 territory
Air quality advisories are in effect across Western Canada as smoky conditions plague some areas, according to the latest forecasts. Here's where.
Just how bad are ultraprocessed foods? Here are 5 things to know
Many foods fall under the category of ultraprocessed foods, depending on their exact ingredients. This type of food has been studied a lot lately, and the results aren’t great.
No refund for travellers who cancelled flight already scrapped by airline: regulator
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
opinion Harry and Meghan's Nigerian adventure: traditional attire to warm welcomes
For her latest column on CTVNews.ca, royal commentator Afua Hagan writes about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's recent visit to Nigeria, calling it a 'deeply meaningful campaign' that was about aligning their ongoing efforts to foster mental-health awareness and promoting the Invictus Games.
'Oh my God, you're my brother': Man in his 70s discovers 6 unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
Rates of cancer declining in Canada, but more work needed to save lives: projections
A new study projecting declining rates of cancer cases and deaths in Canada demonstrates the success of prevention and early detection programs, but also highlights areas where more work is needed to save and prolong lives, researchers say.
DEVELOPING Cohen expected to take the stand as testimony in Trump hush money case enters 4th week
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial is set to take the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.