Belgium: Study Links Video Game Gambling Features to Teen Gambling

The first-person shooter game by Valve, Half-Life 2 recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. Unlike present-day games, the 2004-released game which is already recognized as classic doesn’t offer the popular loot boxes that grant a chance for a cosmetic item, special weapon or other valuable in-game item.

While loot boxes are an inseparable part of most modern video games, the impact of the activity on children is still being explored. A recent study in Belgium focused precisely on this matter, exploring the effect of gambling elements in video games on teenagers.

New Research Probes the Impact of Loot Boxes on Children

The extensive study was conducted by the Media Culture and Policy Lab of KU Leuven together with UGent and UCLL University College. The white paper, representing the first study of such magnitude for the country and the topic in question, analyzed a sample of 2,289 adolescent participants between the ages of 11 and 17 years old.

Many popular video games have integrated a way to reward their players with exclusive items, apparel or other in-game equipment. While some titles offer the popular loot boxes which can be opened for free or in exchange for a token or key which is usually paid with real money, others offer mechanics such as prize wheels or guess the cup features.

Concerningly, the newly released study highlighted that there’s a clear connection between the exposure of children to simulated gambling from video games and their potential intention to engage in real-life gambling activities.

In addition, the recent report pointed to the popularity of gambling activities in video games among the respondents. A majority of more than 75% or three out of four adolescent participants admitted to participating in at least one gambling activity as a part of video games for the last 12 months.

The most popular simulated gambling activities identified by the study were loot boxes and spinning a prize wheel. Some 59.2% responded to engaging in the latter activity while the former was the choice of 51.9% of the respondents.

Simulated Gambling Can Push Adolescent Users to Gambling Activities

Professor Rozane De Cock with KU Leuven, who was recently quoted by Belga News Agency, spoke about the dangers of exposing children to video games that contain gambling elements.

She explained that the first round of the research uncovered that adolescents subjected to such mechanics were “more likely to exhibit gambling behavior later on. “While De Cock pointed to the push simulated gambling can give to young adults, she said that no evidence suggests that children who encounter gambling may seek such mechanics in video games.

The professor also warned about factors that may exacerbate the exposure of children to simulated gambling. Namely, De Cock pointed to the role of streamers who help promote the opening of loot boxes or other simulated gambling activities.