Loot boxes as gambling-like mechanics

One of the world’s biggest online gaming sites, Roblox, is in the courts. The cases involve the alleged sexual exploitation of a minor, online harassment, and business practices that lead to addiction.

That last charge, involving addiction, is connected to an aspect of online gaming that’s passing mostly under the radar. The “gamblification” of games for children. It’s a charge that’s been levelled at not just Roblox but a number of other high profile companies from Microsoft to Ubisoft. Tricks of the trade from casinos have made their way into the gaming world.

Professor Sara Grimes, professor of communication studies at McGill, spends her time researching how kids, particularly kids in elementary school, interact with tech. How it harms, how it helps, how they use it to communicate with each other, and how it shapes their place in the world. She’s here to talk about what it means when kid’s games turn into gambling.

Host: Bruce Thorson

Credits: Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)

Featured Guest: Dr. Sara Grimes

Fact checking by Julian Abraham

Additional music by Audio Network

More information:

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonwosborne/2023/05/25/how-loot-boxes-in-childrens-video-games-encourage-gambling/
• https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/roblox-faces-bc-lawsuit-by-12-year-old-addicted-to-website
• https://www.ctvnews.ca/montreal/article/quebec-lawsuit-alleges-video-games-are-gathering-childrens-personal-data/

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