Making Complexity Measurable in Practice: A Formal Analysis of Gamble-Play media

Over the past decade, videogames have become increasingly gambling-like in their design. Scientific and regulatory attempts to unravel such design seem particularly oriented towards the effects and regulatory treatment of paid-for loot boxes, favoring either measurability or complexity. Departing fr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inGames and culture Vol. 19; no. 6; pp. 695 - 721
Main Authors Denoo, Maarten, Dupont, Bruno, Zaman, Bieke, Grosemans, Eva, Malliet, Steven
Format Journal Article Web Resource
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.09.2024
SAGE Publications Inc
Subjects
Anthropology
Applied Psychology
Arts & humanities
Arts & sciences humaines
Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
Communication
Communication & mass media
Communication & médias
content analysis
Cultural Studies
design
gambling
gaming
Human-Computer Interaction
Sciences sociales & comportementales, psychologie
Social & behavioral sciences, psychology
gambling
gaming
content analysis
design
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Summary:Over the past decade, videogames have become increasingly gambling-like in their design. Scientific and regulatory attempts to unravel such design seem particularly oriented towards the effects and regulatory treatment of paid-for loot boxes, favoring either measurability or complexity. Departing from gamble-play theory, this paper, therefore, attempts to make complexity measurable in practice. We conduct a formal analysis of 20 videogames that include loot boxes, social casino games, optional gambling-themed activities and token wagering by identifying and mapping interactions between their features. Having uncovered 51 features across 11 categories, we then reinterpret previously established notions of gambling. In doing so, we aim to contribute to a future-proof understanding of gambling in videogames.
Bibliography:scopus-id:2-s2.0-85162941679
ISSN:1555-4120
1555-4139
1555-4139
DOI:10.1177/15554120231175615