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dc.contributor.authorClose, James
dc.contributor.authorSpicer, Stuart
dc.contributor.authorNicklin, L
dc.contributor.authorLloyd, J
dc.contributor.authorLloyd, Helen
dc.date.accessioned2022-02-17T12:47:24Z
dc.date.issued2022-02-07
dc.identifier.issn0965-2140
dc.identifier.issn1360-0443
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/18807
dc.description.abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Background and Aims</jats:title><jats:p>Loot boxes are purchasable randomised rewards in video games that share structural and psychological similarities with gambling. Systematic review evidence has established reproducible associations between loot box purchasing and both problem gambling and problem video gaming. We aimed to measure the association between loot box engagement and socioeconomic correlates.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Design</jats:title><jats:p>The study was a cross‐sectional online survey using the recruitment platform, Prolific.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Setting</jats:title><jats:p>United Kingdom (UK).</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Participants</jats:title><jats:p>A cohort of 16 196 UK adults (18 + years) self‐reporting as video gamers.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Measurements</jats:title><jats:p>Respondents were asked about their game‐related purchasing behaviour (including loot boxes), recent monthly spend on loot boxes and gambling engagement (gambling in any form; gambling online; playing ‘social casino’ games). A range of demographic variables were simultaneously captured, including age, sex, ethnicity, earnings, employment and educational attainment.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Findings</jats:title><jats:p>Overall, 17.16% of gamers in our cohort purchased loot boxes, with a mean self‐reported monthly spend of £29.12. These loot box purchasers are more likely to gamble (45.97% gamble) than people who make other types of game‐related purchases (on aggregate, 28.13% of non‐loot box purchasers gamble), and even greater still than those who do not make any game related purchases (24.38% gamble <jats:italic>P</jats:italic> &lt; 0.001). Loot box engagement (as binary yes/no or as monthly spend normalised to earnings) was significantly associated with younger age (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> &lt; 0.001 and <jats:italic>P</jats:italic> &lt; 0.001; respectively, for binary yes/no and monthly spend, adjusted for false discovery rate correction), male sex (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> &lt; 0.001 and <jats:italic>P</jats:italic> = 0.025), non‐university educational attainment (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> &lt; 0.001 and <jats:italic>P</jats:italic> &lt; 0.001) and unemployment (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> = 0.003 and <jats:italic>P</jats:italic> = &lt; 0.001). Lower earners spent a higher proportion of monthly earnings on loot boxes (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> &lt; 0.001).</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title><jats:p>The demographic associations of video game loot box engagement (younger age, male sex, non‐university educational attainment and unemployment) mirror those of other addictive and problematic behaviours, including disordered gambling, drug and alcohol misuse.</jats:p></jats:sec>

dc.format.extent2338-2345
dc.format.mediumPrint-Electronic
dc.languageen
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherWiley
dc.subjectAdult
dc.subjectBehavior, Addictive
dc.subjectCross-Sectional Studies
dc.subjectEmployment
dc.subjectFemale
dc.subjectGambling
dc.subjectHumans
dc.subjectMale
dc.subjectVideo Games
dc.titleLoot box engagement: relationships with educational attainment, employment status and earnings in a cohort of 16,000 UK gamers
dc.typejournal-article
dc.typeJournal Article
dc.typeResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
plymouth.author-urlhttps://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000759201900001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=11bb513d99f797142bcfeffcc58ea008
plymouth.issue8
plymouth.volume117
plymouth.publication-statusPublished
plymouth.journalAddiction
dc.identifier.doi10.1111/add.15837
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/Faculty of Health
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/Faculty of Health/Peninsula Medical School
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/Faculty of Health/School of Psychology
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/REF 2021 Researchers by UoA
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/REF 2021 Researchers by UoA/UoA04 Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/Research Groups
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/Research Groups/FoH - Community and Primary Care
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/Research Groups/Institute of Health and Community
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/Research Groups/Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine (ITSMED)
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/Research Groups/Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine (ITSMED)/CCT&PS
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/Research Groups/Plymouth Institute of Health and Care Research (PIHR)
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/Users by role
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/Users by role/Academics
dc.publisher.placeEngland
dcterms.dateAccepted2022-01-21
dc.rights.embargodate2023-2-7
dc.identifier.eissn1360-0443
dc.rights.embargoperiodNot known
rioxxterms.versionofrecord10.1111/add.15837
rioxxterms.licenseref.urihttp://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved
rioxxterms.licenseref.startdate2022-02-07
rioxxterms.typeJournal Article/Review
plymouth.funderA mixed-method investigation of the gaming/gambling interface and health related harms.::Gamble Aware


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