How Young Gamers Are Turning Into Gamblers: Loot Box Danger Parents Should Know

Loot boxes, or gacha, are items in video games that may be bought for real-world money but provide randomised rewards.

A US survey* in 2020 found that 58.0% of the top games on the Google Play store and 59.0% of the top iPhone games contained loot boxes.

Many gamers, some as young as 9 or 10 years old, end up splurging hundreds, even thousands of dollars on loot boxes. Your child might be one of them.

Five Singapore gamers recount how they gradually got hooked on buying loot boxes in games like MapleStory SEA, Genshin Impact, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2.

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Studies have shown that this habit could lead to a gambling addiction. While countries like Belgium have banned loot boxes, the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) in Singapore work with partners like Fei Yue Community Services to counsel youths have game-related addictions.

In this video, experts and gamers share the tell-tale signs that your child’s innocent interest in a game is turning into uncontrollable gambling. They also give tips on how you can talk to your child about responsible gaming without clamping down on their freedom.

(*2020 survey by Society for the Study of Addiction https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31957...)

00:00 Hooked on loot boxes
00:37 How loot boxes work in games
06:02 Becoming addicted
07:31 When addiction turns into gambling
08:31 Advice and tips for parents
11:08 Where to get help

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