Gamers ‘steal from parents to fund habit’
A SIXTH of young computer gamers have stolen money from their parents to buy addictive ‘ l oot boxes’, a shocking report has found.
Loot box is the name given to gambling- style elements in games, where players pay for the chance to win lucrative prizes such as ways of customising characters or weapons.
Campaigners from the Gambling Health Alliance have warned that many thousands of children will receive presents containing these ‘predatory’ loot boxes tomorrow, setting them on a path to an ‘expensive and potentially addictive habit’.
Researchers even found that, in three cases, gamers spent so much on loot boxes their families were forced to remortgage their homes.
On top of the purchase price of games, which cost £35 on average, close to a quarter of young people spent over £100 on loot boxes over the course of completing a game, the research by the GHA found. The coalition of public health and children’s charities has warned t hat t he money-making feature is forcing many children ‘to beg, borrow and steal’ cash to fund their gaming.
The survey will bolster calls for the Government to bring loot boxes under gambling laws, limiting their use by under-18s. Gambling laws are currently undergoing their biggest shake-up in 15 years as ministers seek to bring the rules up to date for the digital world.
Duncan Stephenson, of the
‘Led down a destructive path’
Royal Society of Public Health, said: ‘ Our research suggests that the drive to play games containing loot boxes is encouraging many to beg, borrow and steal – loot boxes really are the gift that keeps on taking.
‘ The f i xation with l oot boxes can lead to symptoms of addiction including mood swings [and] problems sleeping. We are calling for parents to boycott games with predatory mechanics until we see them classified as a form of gambling.’
Barnardo’s chief executive Javed Khan said: ‘Children should be able to enjoy gaming safely, without being led down a destructive path towards addiction and gambling. Gaming developers are using techniques that reward children for spending more and more time and money on their platforms.’
Researchers surveyed 611 respondents aged 13 to 24 living in England, Scotland and Wales found that around a tenth of young gamers get into debt buying loot boxes, and a similar number had fallen into debt they could not repay. One in six had taken money from their parents without permission.
More than 90 per cent of those surveyed agreed loot boxes should be classified as a form of gambling, and 41 per cent believed that spending money on a loot box before the age of 18 would make someone more likely to gamble when older.
Geraldine Bedell, of Parent Zone, said: ‘Our research points to the exploitation of children by gambling-like mechanisms in online games, and the use of psychological t echniques drawn f r om gambling. Risks are being taken with the future of young people, who are being taught to gamble.’