content analysis; design; gambling; gaming; Cultural Studies; Communication; Anthropology; Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous); Applied Psychology; Human-Computer Interaction
Abstract :
[en] 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.
Disciplines :
Communication & mass media Arts & humanities: Multidisciplinary, general & others
Author, co-author :
Denoo, Maarten ; Institute for Media Studies/Meaningful Interactions Lab, KU Leuven Humanities and Social Sciences Group, Leuven, Belgium
Dupont, Bruno ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de langues modernes : linguistique, littérature et traduction > Langue et littérature allemandes modernes ; Institute for Media Studies/Meaningful Interactions Lab, KU Leuven Humanities and Social Sciences Group, Leuven, Belgium
Zaman, Bieke; Institute for Media Studies/Meaningful Interactions Lab, KU Leuven Humanities and Social Sciences Group, Leuven, Belgium
Grosemans, Eva; Institute for Media Studies/Meaningful Interactions Lab, KU Leuven Humanities and Social Sciences Group, Leuven, Belgium
Malliet, Steven; Inter-Actions Research Unit, LUCA School of Arts, Genk, Belgium ; Antwerp Media in Society Centre, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium
Language :
English
Title :
Making Complexity Measurable in Practice: A Formal Analysis of Gamble-Play media
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