Lootlådor och gambling: Två sidor av samma mynt. En rättssociologisk kvalitativ studie av lootlådor inom dataspel

Sammanfattning: Loot Boxes in video games are a controversial phenomenon that has gotten more and more attention from the gaming community and legislation bodies in recent years. The cause of this controversy is its apparent similarities to gambling and therefore the increased risks of problem gambling amongst gamers, which has in turn drawn the attention of governments around the world. The purpose of this study is to provide a deeper qualitative understanding of loot boxes to complement existing quantitative research by performing semi structured-interviews with informants knowledgeable in problem gambling, psychiatry and sociology of law. These informants are to answer questions about the similarities and differences between loot boxes and more traditional gambling, their views on the regulation of loot boxes and the long term effects of an unregulated market of loot boxes. The results of the interviews led us to understand that while loot boxes and traditional gambling are strikingly similar, there still exists differences that could even make loot boxes even more treacherous within its context. The interviews also revealed that the regulation of loot boxes is something the informants desire, may it be by age restriction or the requirement for game publishers to inform the consumers of loot boxes effects and their emergence in games. They also pointed out that loot boxes are a complex issue that needs to be understood and planned for accordingly with the help of those knowledgeable of loot boxes and the world of gaming to avoid unwanted dysfunctions.