Loot boxes are indeed gambling. When you go to the clothing store, do you buy the pants you want or do you buy a ticket to receive a random pair of pants from their entire collection?

Just because money doesn’t leave the system does not mean the system is not gambling. You are still paying for a “ticket” to receive “a random outcome”. If you want a certain weapon skin and you buy a weapon skin crate, that has a 1% chance of obtaining that weapon skin, are you not gambling on the outcome of your purchase transaction?

It triggers all the same dopamine receptors in the brain of a gambling addict the same way slots and sports betting does. Using a different word than gambling just muddies the water in a very serious discussion about the direction we should be moving the video game industry in.

Valve is one of, if not the OG loot box vendors, and they would be way more hated if Steam wasn’t so gosh darn convenient for a lot of people.