Loot box spending linked to psychological distress: new study finds

People who spend more of their disposable income on loot boxes in online video games are more likely to be psychologically distressed, new research has found.

Loot boxes are digital containers of randomised rewards that are available in a number of online video games, and often reflect traits found in conventional forms of gambling.

A new study, led by University of Tasmania researcher Dr Aaron Drummond, sought to understand the relationship between loot box spending and psychological distress.

“We know through research that there is a link between gambling harm and spending on loot boxes,” Dr Drummond from the University’s School of Psychological Sciences said.

“However, what isn’t clear is whether purchasing loot boxes is associated with psychological distress, such as poorer psychological well-being and increased risk of anxiety and depression.”

The research team analysed two sets of publicly available research data on loot box engagement and spending; and psychological distress and financial indicators.

This is the first study which has considered spending on loot boxes in the context of how much disposable income individuals report having access to.

“Our analysis showed that players who spent on average more of what they could afford were also typically more psychologically distressed,” Dr Drummond said.

“The analysis also showed a small percentage, less than 1%, reported spending more on loot boxes than their entire disposable income. This finding, in particular, concords with the work on conventional gambling which shows some gamblers bet more than they can afford to lose and meets the quintessential definitions of financial harm.”

Dr Drummond was joined by research colleagues from the University including Lauren Camille Hall, Dr Emily Lowe-Calverley, Dr Eamon Garrett and Associate Professor James Sauer for the study.

“The work raises important future research questions about how to best protect vulnerable players at risk of gambling harms from overspending on loot boxes,” Dr Drummond said. “

The research also raises concerns about adolescent players being exposed to loot boxes and the potential for this to cause financial harm.”

The study, Loot box spending is associated with greater distress when normalized to disposable income: a reanalysis and extension of Etchells et al. and Xiao et al, was published in the Royal Society Open Science.