The dark side of gaming

Gambling in a traditional sense is associated with lotteries, casinos, scratch cards and sports.

But in reality, gambling in the 21st century can present itself in much more unknown and insidious forms.

This is what Marc Skinner, educational youth lead at Addiction Recovery Agency (Ara) has found through his work with young lives in Bristol and the South West.

Based in King Street off Queen’s Square, Ara works to tackle the links between gaming and gambling, as well as providing to support to people with alcohol, drug and mental health issues. This includes one-on-one counselling for gamblers and others affected.

Ara was founded in 1987, and it is estimated that they have helped over 40,000 people with alcohol, drug, gambling, and mental health issues – photo: Ara

Marc told Bristol24/7 that as technologies have developed, young people are using computer games as a means to gamble.

He explained: “The ways in which people are gaming has fundamentally changed in the last 15 to 20 years. Specifically, I’m talking about things called loot boxes.”

Loot boxes are a feature embedded within video games where players can buy a sealed mystery ‘box’ for real money.

Sometimes earned through playing the game and sometimes paid for with real money, micro-transactions can be utilised to opened for a random collection of in-game items such as players, weapons or costumes. Marc says they exists in games such as FIFA, Fornite and Call of Duty.

As harmless they may seem on the surface, with items sold for as little as 99p, emerging research highlights loot boxes’ darker side.

Marc said: “We define gambling as when you spend money, or anything of value, on something involving the outcome of chance.”

Ara provides structured treatment, counselling, housing support, education, training and employment guidance to promote recovery – photo: Betty Woolerton

With this in mind, Marc explained that the mechanics of loot boxes “closely replicate gambling” and “players can become addicted to opening them”.

“Some gamers, both young and old, will sit and open loot boxes for hours on end trying to win a specific prize, having been immersed into a virtual world where these items are prized and hold great strength”, he said.

Extreme cases occur when young people rack up outgoings of thousands through their gameplay.

Marc recounted one time during a visit to a school, through his work with Ara, where a student spent £3000 in two days on loot boxes.

He said: “He opened them up continuously whilst playing the game FIFA as he didn’t get the characters and football plays he wanted. He said something he felt something inside him like a compulsion.”

Gaming can act as a gateway into other harmful forms of gambling too.

In 2020, the house of lords commented that: “Young people who spend money on loot boxes are more than 10 times as likely to be problem gamblers than those who do not”.

93% of young people that age regularly play games online, and 40% of those people open up loot boxes during their gameplay, making the need for Ara’s work starkly clear.

But despite its prevalence, the dangers of gaming remain hidden and under-reported.

“For many gamers, parents and children, they often fail to fully understand the dangers and risks that loot boxes pose”, Marc admitted.

He added: “It could well be that be that gamers might be sleepwalking into gambling problems without anyone ever realising it.”

For any adults encountering problems with gambling or addiction, visit Ara: https://www.recovery4all.co.uk/gambling-help/

For those under 16, visit Big Deal: https://bigdeal.org.uk

Main photo by Betty Woolerton

Read more: Is online gambling regulated in the UK?

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