Mobile gaming got me into debt
You’re thousands of pounds in debt. Your credit card is maxed out and your mobile phone has been cut off because you have no way of paying the astronomical bill that has built up.
What got you into this situation? For gamer Arron Smart, it was making purchases in mobile phone games.
Speaking to the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Sounds podcast Original Pilot Material, Arron, from Stirling, claims that he has spent “thousands of pounds” on loot boxes in various games.
Like many gamers across the UK, Arron views acquiring items through loot boxes as a way to improve his chances of success in the game.
What are loot boxes?
Loot boxes have become common in both console and mobile games. Players can use real money to purchase the boxes, which can unlock special characters, skins or other items that reside exclusively within that game. However, the contents of loot boxes generally aren’t revealed until the money has been spent, which has led to accusations that the practice is essentially gambling.
“These games are out on the market as free-to-play games,” he says, “but in order to play them to their full capabilities and to the level that I personally has a competitive person want to play the game, I have to invest money in there.
“I’m currently in a hole trying to dig my way out of a £1500 credit card that was maxed out from loot boxes.”
“If you go into a shop and you’re trying to buy a scratch card you have to show ID,” Arron says. “Gambling obviously has that age barrier to it, whereas loot boxes are accessible by everyone.”
He does regret some of his in-game purchases. “Almost immediately after spending my money I’m like ‘Why did I do that?’” he says. “It’s so impulsive.”
However, loot boxes are not currently viewed as gambling by UK law. “Gaming is playing a game of chance for a prize,” solicitor Ewen Macgregor, who specialises in alcohol and gambling licensing, tells Original Pilot Material. “When you look at things like loot boxes, what the Gambling Commission has said is that loot boxes don’t currently meet the definition of gaming.”
MPs have previously called for in-game spending to be regulated by gambling laws and for a ban on sales of loot boxes to children. Following an inquiry, the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee suggested that loot boxes should instead be earned as rewards for game-play.
Last month, one of the co-founders of Epic Games called for loot boxes to be outlawed. Tim Sweeney, the CEO of the company that makes Fortnite, used his speech at the Dice Summit in Las Vegas to warn of the risk posed by loot boxes. "We have to ask ourselves, as an industry, what we want to be when we grow up," he said.
"Do we want to be like Las Vegas, with slot machines or do we want to be widely respected as creators of products that customers can trust? I think we will see more and more publishers move away from loot boxes."
Fortnite made changes to their loot box mechanic in 2019, allowing players to see the contents before purchase.
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Listen to the podcast "Why Aren't Loot Boxes Gambling"
Jordan Middler finds out why loot boxes cause so much controversy and worry to gamers.
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Loot boxes were declared illegal in Belgium in 2018. Arron thinks that the law has to change in the UK too. “It’s just far too dangerous,” he says. “I think it has to be classed as gambling but treated separately. It has to be enforced.”
As for his own use of loot boxes, Arron knows he has to curb his spending. “I know what I need to do, I just can’t do it. I need that external kick up the butt.”
Aaron was speaking to the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ for an episode of the Original Pilot Material podcast, where The Social’s Gaming Correspondent Jordan Middler explores the legal standing of loot boxes.
