Loot Boxes Themselves in Video Games Can Lead to Higher Risk of Excessive Game Play Instead of the Rarity of Rewards

Loot boxes, an in-game item used to entertain players can be obtained via purchasing and finishing the tasks in games. They have drawn increasingly attention due to their similarities with problematic gaming and gambling. Previous studies endorsed that the random rewards mechanism of loot boxes can accelerate people’s loot box purchasing. Therefore, this study was aimed to explore if the setting in-game loot boxes and their rewards’ rarity could aggravate people’s gaming behaviour. This study employed a single-factor between-subjects design to examine differences in gaming duration and in-game item acquisition behaviour using behavioural experiments and surveys A total of 85 adult participants were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions (direct purchase, loot boxes with or without rare items), each requiring completion of a distinct behavioural task. Following the task, participants completed the Chinese versions of the Game Addiction Scale, the Risky Loot Box Index, and the Gambling-Related Cognition Scale. Findings showed that the setting of loot boxes in games would significantly affect people’s purchasing behaviour owing to longer playing time (p < .001) and more consumption of loot boxes (p < .001). However, when comparing the loot boxes with and without rare rewards, indicating loot boxes are a potential risk factor for gaming disorder. The rarity did not affect people’s loot box purchasing significantly (p = .14). Due to findings of this research, future studies are suggested to explore the in-depth psychological factors across the procedure of random reward mechanisms that lead to people’s problematic gaming and gambling behaviours.