30 | New Scientist | 19 October 2019
Views Culture
THERE is an argument raging
at the moment over whether
some video games are a form of
gambling and need to be regulated.
Are loot boxes within games,
which are bought for real money
and contain random virtual items,
akin to a spin on a slot machine?
Last month, members of the UK
parliament called for these boxes
to be banned for children. Game
developers are pushing back
because these boxes make
significant revenue for some of
the world’s most popular games.
I think loot boxes should be
regulated, but mostly for selfish
reasons. Games that include them
can be less fun if you don’t want to
part with cash, so I tend to skip
them. I am slightly baffled by
stories of people spending
thousands on such items.
Yet playing Borderlands 3, a
game that doesn’t have loot boxes
but is essentially built around
acquiring loot, has made me
understand how people get
hooked. The series is a first-person
shooter in which the guns are
randomly generated. The
developer, Gearbox Software,claims there are more than a
billion weapons in the latest
instalment, although many of
these will be small variations of
each other in terms of damage,
accuracy and so on. Borderlands 3
may not use loot boxes, but the
tricks it uses to get you hooked
on finding the next gun are much
the same as in the games that do.You get new guns by killing
enemies or opening treasure
chests within the game. Greater
rewards are accompanied by more
lavish animations: taking down a
particularly difficult foe sees loot
spilling out as if from a smashed
piñata. It feels great, and that may
be a problem. Studies suggest that
the lights and sounds of both
real and virtual slot machines play
a part in getting people hooked;
this kind of reward presentation
may have a similar effect.All bets are off Borderlands 3’s lavish animated treasure chests blur the boundaries
between gaming and gambling. As demands for regulation of loot boxes increase,
Jacob Aron asks where we should draw the line. Plus, Frostpunk’s super-seasonal chills“ Should Borderlands 3
be regulated? No, but it
doesn’t hurt to think
about how it is made
to keep me hooked”Games
Borderlands 3
Gearbox Software
PC, PlayStation 4
and Xbox OneFrostpunk
11 Bit Studios
PC, PlayStation 4
and Xbox OneThe uncertainty of reward
is also a factor. In Borderlands 3,
guns are graded according to
rarity: standard white, uncommon
green, rare blue, epic purple and
legendary orange, the last ones
often possessing prized properties
like infinite ammo. When I see a
flash of purple or orange, I can
almost feel the dopamine
coursing through my brain.
I am sceptical that video game
addiction is a real psychological
condition (many researchers agree
with me), but I have certainly
found my Borderlands 3 sessions
stretching out longer than I
intended. Given that no money
is involved, should the game be
regulated? No, but it doesn’t hurt
to think about how it is designed
to keep me hooked.IT IS getting cold in London,
and not just because it is October.
I have been playing Frostpunk,
a city-builder set in an alternative
19th century. Here, the world is
plunged into chaos by a worldwide
winter caused by volcanic
eruptions, and an expedition sets
out from London to cross frozen
seas and establish a new home.
At the centre of your city
is a coal-guzzling generator:
a towering furnace designed to
keep the survivors warm. You
have to make difficult decisions,
such as whether to put children
to work, or mandate 24-hour shifts
to secure more coal, food and
other resources to keep the city
going, while balancing people’s
discontent and hope. It is similar
to Surviving Mars, which I wrote
about earlier this year, but much
grimmer, and certainly one of
the best climate fiction games
I have come across. ❚Winter is coming to
Frostpunk, and painful
decisions must be madeThe games column
Jacob Aron is New Scientist’s
deputy news editor. He has
been playing video games
for 25 years, but still isn’t
very good at them. Follow
him on Twitter @jjaron