Loot Boxes and Mental Health

Loot boxes have once again emerged as the central theme of a novel study that seeks to explore the connection between purchasing these seemingly harmless digital containers and their impact on mental health.

The survey, featured in the journal Computers in Human Behavior, endeavors to assess how loot boxes may influence impulsivity, depression, anxiety, and stress. The authors of the study, Cristina Villalba-Garcia, Mark D. Griffiths, Zsolt Demetrovics, and Andrea Czako, have meticulously examined these potential effects.

Loot Boxes: A Potential Link to Addiction and Mental Health Challenges

The study brings to light several significant concerns that may arise from the use of loot boxes. The authors contend that digital purchases of this nature could exacerbate issues related to problem gambling and problematic game usage.

• There is a noted ‘positive association’ between loot boxes and mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, stress, and impulsivity.
• The purchase of loot boxes shares certain mental health risk factors akin to those present in other forms of addiction.

To arrive at these conclusions, the researchers conducted interviews with 1,400 adults involved in both gambling and online gaming. Among them, 96% confirmed having purchased loot boxes, and more than 41% admitted to buying a loot box more than once a week.

According to Demetrovics, one of the study’s authors, this pattern of spending on a digital good with uncertain rewards closely mirrors the mechanics of gambling. Similar conclusions have been reached in the Netherlands and Belgium, where loot boxes have been banned from video games.

A recent incident involved a Belgian couple filing a complaint with the country’s gambling regulatory body over the use of loot boxes in League of Legends, a widely popular video game with a global player base numbering in the hundreds of millions.

The study contributes to the growing body of evidence highlighting issues associated with the purchase of loot boxes. However, certain jurisdictions, such as the United Kingdom, have yet to classify loot boxes as a form of gambling.

A recent study in Belgium suggested that loot boxes significantly influence teenagers’ motivation to gamble.

The Need for Serious Consideration by Lawmakers

The study argues that loot boxes evidently play a role in compounding mental health problems and complicating individuals’ ability to cope with these challenges. Nonetheless, it is not definitive evidence that loot boxes are the sole drivers of addictive behaviors.

The individuals involved in the study were already engaged in online gambling. However, according to Villalba-Garcia, another co-author from the University of Gibraltar, these findings represent a crucial step toward mitigating harm stemming from gambling-like mechanics.

• The researchers concur that lawmakers should at least consider the potential adverse consequences of loot boxes, particularly for at-risk individuals.
• Awareness of gambling-related mental health issues is on the rise.

In the United Kingdom, general practitioners are now encouraged to routinely inquire about their patients’ gambling habits, much like they would with alcohol or drug use.