A 6-year-old boy presses the purchase button on his iPad. He is buying an item from his game. Innocently, he has taken the money from his mom’s account, without his mom knowing. However, his mom doesn’t notice, and the kid keeps on spending money, until it reaches $16,000. It is then when the mom notices that a lot of money was used. She only thought of it as a fraud from Apple or Paypal, not knowing it was her young, 6 year old son’s purchases from the games. These days, the gaming industry includes microtransactions, for gamers to buy items or game currency inside games. It has led to gamers getting addicted, which leads to themselves or their families falling into debt. This strategy imposed by the companies has sparked controversy amongst people, which has raised issues and concerns of “this” to be classified as a form of gambling. There are many reasons why this is gambling should be stopped.
The main reason why loot boxes can be classified as a form of gambling is due to the facts provided by the RSPH ("Royal Society for Public Health") in the UK. According to the research, more than 1 in 10 kids have spent money on loot boxes, and 9% of them couldn’t repay their spend on loot boxes. Almost 6 in young gamers had taken away money from their parents without permission to buy loot boxes. One in ten had used their parents’ credit or debit card to fund their loot box purchases. In addition to the statistical information, three young gamers’ loot box buying habits resulted in their families having to remortgage their homes to cover the costs. This means that a lot of kids are addicted to using money in games and gambling, which is what loot boxes are.
The next reason why loot boxes are gambling is that microtransactions, such as loot boxes, are very similar to gambling. The definition of loot boxes is “a virtual item users can purchase in games with real money. In the box users will find a randomised selection of items that customize or alter the user's experience of the game. The percentage of getting a rare item could be 0.1% to 3%, which is a very small possibility. Gambling means “the betting of something of value, with consciousness of risk and hope of gain, on the outcome of a game, a contest, or an uncertain event”. These two definitions are very similar as they both contain risk and uncertainty.
Finally, spending money on games and gambling can cause them and their family to lose a lot of money. Jonathan Peniket, a teenager who enjoyed gaming and spending money on microtransactions, blew his university savings on FIFA games. He started with a small amount, 30 pounds, but as time passed, he started using more and more money, until he used 80 pounds 4~5 times a day, and all the money for his university savings were gone. Now, he had to save the money to go to a university. Now, he regrets spending so much money. “I was addicted to the buzz of chance when I bought packs. I agree now with what my Dad said that so angered me back in 2012: video game packs and loot boxes are a form of gambling.”, he says.
These days, gaming industries have taken a turn for the worst, and utilize microtransactions to make profit; it is no longer about the gaming experience, but focused more towards their greed. So, in the UK, and many other countries, they are trying to take loot boxes as gambling and sue the companies for it. However, the gaming companies say that loot boxes are not a form of gambling, but only a “surprise” for the players, as they get something. The more money people spend on loot boxes, the more they will regret their past in the future. It is a form of gambling, as it is unpredictable. It brings you a happy feeling when you get an item or coins, which is the same feeling you get when you win money by gambling. Microtransactions can cause a huge loss, and we should stop spending money.
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