It has been suggested that buying loot boxes is similar to gambling. In this study, the researchers looked at the relationships between buying loot boxes, problem gambling, problem gaming, impulsivity, and mental health symptoms. In total, 1,836 adults who had played video games that involved opening loot boxes and/or had gambled in the past year were recruited from Reddit and Facebook. They completed an online survey.
Greater risky loot box buying was related to more severe problem gambling and problem gaming, as well as higher levels of impulsivity, depression, anxiety, and stress. The relationship between risky loot box buying and problem gambling was stronger for people with higher levels of anxiety and impulsivity. The relationship between risky loot box buying and problem gaming was stronger for people with higher levels of impulsivity, but weaker for people with higher levels of depression. The findings suggest that loot boxes share similarities (e.g., impulsivity, mental health symptoms) with other behavioural addictions, like gambling and gaming.
