The Death Of The Loot Box

Could the reign of random-rewards terror finally be coming to an end?

- Christian Guyton

Ah, the loot box. Truly, the antithesis of genuine fun or any sense of real progression in games. Call them what you like—loot crates, booster packs, lock boxes, whatever—the principle is the same: Crack it open and receive in-game loot of varying rarity, typically falling at the common end of the scale. Most games let you steadily earn loot boxes through normal gameplay, but there’s always that option—come to the market, buy a whole bunch, and open them all at once! You know you want to.

Loot boxes tap into what psychologists call a “compulsion loop,” a repeated activity that triggers the release of dopamine in the brain, granting mental satisfaction upon acquiring virtual rewards. Many games, by their very nature, utilize compulsion loops. If you’ve played any MMORPG, you’ll be familiar with the system: Killing monsters and completing quests grants you superior gear, which enables you to kill stronger monsters and complete harder quests. Loot boxes cut out all that annoying “gameplay” nonsense, letting you buy rewards. You still earned them, the publishers cry out. You worked hard for that money in the real world. We hope you feel a sense of pride and accomplishment.

But are these pricey digital grab bags on the way out? Loot boxes do represent a huge revenue stream in the games industry, but all is not well. With arguments being made about the ties between loot boxes and gambling, some countries taking steps to ban or limit them, and goodwill from gamers rapidly in decline, it’s not looking good for the loot box….