How gaming and gambling are connected?

The modern gaming industry is considered one of the most successful in the current market. It has produced multimillion-dollar franchises with millions of active players worldwide. There are official sponsored e-sports tournaments with large cash prizes. Some people pay attention to how certain features are implemented as part of gaming experience. This article explores the ties between gambling features introduced in current gaming.  How gaming and gambling are connected? . i.e. loot boxes and microtransactions in free-to-play games for pay- to-win features and cosmetic skins.

68% of internet users play games on their smartphones. Many popular games use microtransactions to obtain revenue from players willing to pay for these features. South Park episode ‘Freemium isn’t free” examines the concept. . The South park episode 'Freemanium is not free' examines this concept with accuracy and hilarity. It is considered a bad free-to-play design. People with self-control issues might spend more than they can afford. This goes against the principle of winning through mastery of the game‘s mechanics.

Loot boxes are in-game items that provide access to randomly-generated items. They were introduced in games such as Call of Duty, FIFA, and NBA 2K. The use and implementation of loot boxes has been heavily criticized worldwide. Many countries say they incentivize underage gambling. This feature received backlash from many countries like Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Star Wars Battlefront 2 and Shadows of War were removed.

Online bookmakers have introduced e-sports betting as part of their repertoire. Skin gambling is a gambling practice where players bet with their skins over the ultimate result of a game. If a player wins, they can leave with the other player's skin.