The last two decades have seen normal video gaming and casino entertainment overlap with increasing frequency as video games borrow and use many techniques that originally were the purview of slot games and casino gaming. While not wholly revolutionary, this trend has altered the way that games are designed and played. This article will examine the biggest impacts on traditional gaming, from loot boxes to microtransactions and we will wrap up with a little bite out of the apple of the ethical considerations that these changes herald.
The rise of loot boxes
By far this is likely the most prevalent technique that the traditional gaming industry has borrowed from the casino gaming one. Loot boxes represent virtual items that players can buy, either with real money or in-game currency, and these items have randomised rewards within them. Much in the way that slot games incentivize players to spin the reel and leave the result up to chance, loot boxes usually contain some very rare but perceivably valuable items, but this is the least likely outcome for a player opening a box.
The way that loot boxes reward the player, not just with items but with dopamine, is very akin to the way that slot games do at a casino. By tapping into a principle known as intermittent reinforcement, which is when rewards are given at irregular intervals with little to no input on the part of the player. The unpredictable nature of these loot boxes, just like slot machines, creates a great deal of excitement when they are opened. Loot boxes share some other similarities to slot games, such as bright colours and flashing lights that are played as the box is opened, or the reels are spun. All in aid of making the experience more captivating and enjoyable in the moment.
Microtransactions
Microtransactions are likely the most maligned feature of modern video games, but the concept originates from casino games. The parallel isn’t perfect, but you should consider microtransactions as the same as buying chips or credits, it is a secondary purchase that occurs after the game has already started, theoretically to gain some sort of advantage. This can be seen in casino games like poker and some slot games as well.
Over the last decade, we have seen large parts of the video gaming industry transform from a one-time purchase model to a subscription and microtransaction-based model. This has been met with varying levels of success and acceptance from the gaming community at large. Typically, those scenarios where the microtransaction model has led to what are deemed ‘pay-to-win’ situations, it is criticised heavily.
What are the ethical considerations?
The main ethical consideration that is discussed around these borrowed techniques, is that they are becoming close to gambling and so should be treated as such. Typically this includes calls for oversight and regulation of those specific techniques, such as loot boxes or microtransactions. This could mean the addition of warning labels or more realistic descriptions of the chances of winning when using loot box mechanics.
Some countries have already acted and passed regulations to address the concerns around these issues. The Netherlands and Belgium in particular have banned loot boxes in games, classing it as a form of gambling. While other countries might be looking to them as trailblazers, game designers must surely be considering ways to appease detractors of these techniques, while also still using them.
What’s to come?
The video game industry is not one that is known for stagnation, there are sure to be many more innovations and techniques borrowed from other places, and it is likely that some of those might also come from the casino industry. With the shift away from video games being a one-time-purchase model, developers need new strategies to remain profitable and continue to support their games as a live service, the casino industry might just hold some more answers for that problem.
To conclude, the video gaming industry has radically altered over the last two decades and clear inspiration for some of those changes can be seen to come from the casino industry and some of its staples such as slot games. These innovative changes have brought longer lives for some games and helped to increase revenue, but they have also caused some ethical concerns to be raised. While the video gaming industry surely wants to continue utilising these new innovations, how they will defuse the ethical concerns around them while still making use of them remains to be seen.
