Loot boxes - a gambling attraction?

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to uncover the motivations for loot box purchases, and to discover potential similarities between motivation for loot box engagement and gambling engagement. The motivation for the study was to contribute to fill the research gap on the subject. Netnography was selected as a research method, and used archival data and elicited data from Reddit.com. In total, 446 comments from 15 different threads were coded and analysed, which consisted of around 29 000 words, approximately 70 pages of text. NVivo 12 Plus was used to code and analyse. The motivational factors were categorized into push and pull factors to explain the psychological reasons for wanting to spend money on or in video games, and the factors for choosing to purchase loot boxes. The push factors identified in this study were enjoyment, value, self-expression, supporting the developers, hobby, and time saving. Support of monetisation model was also shown in the motivation factor of supporting the developer. The pull factors identified in this study were “wanting specific reward”, “cost effective value” and enjoyment from opening loot boxes. In-game events were identified as a link between the push and pull factors. The study found similarities in motivation for loot box engagement and gambling engagement in the motivational dimensions of “chance of winning”, “mood change” and “social rewards”.