How Games Keep You Hooked

DW (English)

Games are designed to fuel addiction. Game designers use psychological tactics and gaming mechanisms to trick us into spending a lot of money. Here’s what to watch out for.

Transcript

00:00Ever found yourself saying,

00:01just one more round while gaming?

00:03Or felt excited to open that next loot box?

00:06That is all by design.

00:08Worldwide, more than 80% of internet users

00:11play video games.

00:12In a systematic review of recent studies,

00:145% of participating gamers

00:16were found to have a gaming addiction.

00:19Games like Roblox or Fortnite

00:21are designed to keep us hooked and spending.

00:23Here's what to watch out for.

00:25Rewards and streaks.

00:28In-game rewards like badges or points

00:30trigger dopamine,

00:32your brain's feel-good hormone.

00:34That is what makes us want more.

00:35Games reward progress and repetitive actions

00:38like logging in daily.

00:39That's called building a streak.

00:41You wanna keep it, so you keep coming back.

00:44Those are the things where games cash in,

00:46letting you pay to restore a lost streak

00:48or progress faster.

00:50But there's something that makes gaming companies

00:52even more money than streaks,

00:54loot boxes.

00:55Here's the deal,

00:56you spend real money to get a random in-game reward.

01:00It could be a rare skin or powerful item,

01:02but the odds of getting it, not great.

01:05It's called variable reward,

01:06and it is very effective.

01:08You never know when you'll hit the jackpot,

01:10so you keep going.

01:11Researchers say it can be dangerous,

01:13especially for kids who struggle to recognize

01:16and resist the mechanism.

01:17Loot boxes are a big part

01:19of what's called microtransactions.

01:22You pay just a little, say a euro,

01:24for each loot box.

01:25Doesn't seem like much,

01:27but it adds up fast when you're chasing that rare item.

01:30A study by researchers

01:32at Central Queensland University in Australia found

01:35participants spend between 31 and 45 euros

01:38on in-game content per month.

01:40Multiple studies suggest a strong link

01:43between using loot boxes

01:44and developing a gambling addiction.

01:46Another trick,

01:47games often use fake in-game currency

01:50instead of real money.

01:51That makes it harder to track your spending.

01:54It gets worse when games are designed to target kids.

01:57Some games are specifically built to attract children.

02:01Roblox or Fortnite are great examples.

02:03Bright colors, fun characters,

02:05and references to memes and trends.

02:07But Roblox takes all of this to the next level

02:10by making gamers cash in on other gamers.

02:13By 2022, Roblox had over 61 million daily users

02:18and more than half were under 13.

02:20In Roblox, users can design their own worlds.

02:24Roblox developers encourage kids

02:26to use the gaming tactics we talked about

02:28to keep players hooked.

02:30The kids who design worlds in Roblox

02:32can even make real money from it.

02:34Creators earn a share of the revenue

02:36when people spend money in their worlds.

02:38By exploiting microtransactions like loot boxes,

02:41creators cash in.

02:42Researchers are trying to understand

02:44why too much gaming can become addictive and harmful.

02:47It's hard to tell the difference

02:48between regular gaming problems

02:50and full-blown gaming addiction.

02:53So how can you protect yourself and your kids?

02:56Here are some quick tips.

02:58Monitor screen time.

02:59Set limits.

03:00Apps like Screen Time for iPhones

03:02or Digital Wellbeing for Android

03:04can help you track playtime.

03:06Wherever possible, create a kid's account for your child.

03:10They often block persuasive features in games.

03:12Set a spending cap on your credit card or bank account

03:15to prevent overspending.

03:17I don't think it should be up to us to catch these tricks.

03:20In Australia, for example,

03:21regulators have started placing age restrictions

03:24on games with loot boxes.

03:25It's not perfect, but it's a start.

03:28What do you think?

03:28Should there be more regulations to protect players,

03:31especially children?

03:32Let us know.

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