This document summarizes a study that investigated relationships between video game consumption, esports spectating, and different forms of gambling. The study found that while video games can involve wagering with uncertain outcomes like gambling, modern video games themselves do not generally act as a pathway to problematic gambling. Higher rates of problematic gaming were not strongly associated with higher rates of gambling activity or problematic gambling. However, the finding that problem gaming and gambling are fundamentally connected was questioned. A limitation was the study's lack of diversity among respondents.

1. EVIDENCE OF
PSYCHOLOGY IN A
VIDEO GAME
Lillian Searson
N00171476

5. WHAT’S THE STORY?

6. GAME MODES
 Campaign
The game includes a brand-new canon storyline which bridges the gap between Star
Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens.
 Arcade
This game mode brings offline single player (and two player coop on consoles)
gameplay with and versus AI in different battle scenarios.
 Galactic Assault
20v20 battles with unique objectives for each map.
 Starfighter Assault
12v12 space battles with 20 AI ships per team with unique objectives for maps both in
space and in the skies of planets.
 Strike
8v8 mode where two teams compete in objective based scenarios.
 Blast
10v10 team deathmatch.
 Heroes vs. Villains
4v4 hero duels involving characters from all three eras.

7. GAMBLING VIA LOOT BOXES

8. WHAT IS GAMBLING?
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of value on an event
with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning money or
material goods.

9. WHAT ARE LOOT BOXES?
In video games, a loot box (sometimes loot crate or
prize crate as well as other names) is a consumable
virtual item which can be redeemed to receive a
randomised selection of further virtual items, ranging
from simple customization options for a player's avatar
or character, to game-changing equipment such as
weapons and armor.

10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVn89eFMh6Q 8.06

11. EXPERIMENT
‘Investigating Relationships between Video Gaming, Spectating
Esports, and Gambling’
Joseph Macey &Juho Hamari

12. These factors give rise to the following research questions:
RQ1: Is increased consumption of video games and esports
associated with increased levels of gambling?
RQ2: Are higher rates of problematic video gaming associated with
higher rates of a) gambling activity, and b) problematic gambling?
This study seeked to investigate relationships between the consumption
of video games, esports and three different forms of gambling: offline,
online, and video game-related gambling.

13. METHOD
 The survey included two measures of problematic behaviour, the Game
Addiction Scale ( GAS; Lemmens, Valkenburg & Peter, 2009) and the
Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), derived from the Canadian
Problem Gambling Index (CPGI; Ferris & Wyne, 2001).
 Playing video games, watching esports, and gambling habits were assessed
using items which measured frequency, average weekly hours, and average
monthly spend (in US$) for each activity.
 The PGSI (Ferris & Wynne, 2001) is a widely-used, 9 item self-assessment
measure addressing a range of problematic gambling behaviours, as well as
consequences of those behaviours. Possible responses to the items are
“never”, “sometimes”, “most of the time”, and “almost always”, they are
scored in order to assign participants to one of four groups. Scoring is as
follows: “never” = 0, “sometimes” = 1, “most of the time” = 2, and “almost
always” = 3.

14. RESULTS
The primary finding of this study are that contemporary video games
are not, in themselves, associated with increased potential for
problematic gambling, however, the position that problem gaming
and problem gambling are fundamentally connected is questioned.
The findings of this study are that modern video games do not, in
themselves, act as developmental pathways to gambling. Video
games offer opportunities to wager with an uncertain outcome.

15. LIMITATIONS
A potential issue specific to this particular survey was
the seeming lack of diversity in respondents, with only
6.2% of participants being female.

16. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING

17. REFERENCES
https://www.ea.com/games/starwars
 https://www.gamespot.com/articles/star-wars-battlefront-2s-
loot-box-controversy-expl/1100-6455155/
 http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Wars_Battlefront_II
 Macey, J & Hamari, J. (2018). Investigating Relationships
between Video Gaming, Spectating Esports, and Gambling.
Computers in Human Behaviour, Volume 80, pages 344-353.