The pack is bought, the door opens, each a light beam on the edge remains from: Walkout! The big hope and bang on a valuable card begins. The drive starts by the tunnel. First station Nation : Argentina. Second Station Position : RF.

The hoped-for card is close to gripping. But then the disillusionment: the last stop, the club, called Paris Saint-Germain. It is not Lionel Messi but only Angel di Maria.

Surprise moment instead of thriller

So some pack was for the buyer to the roller coaster ride of the feelings. But the EA Sports sets an end in FIFA 22. Instead of the tunnel ride described above, the stage is immediately on which the card perches. If it is a Walkout, the player can be recognized directly at the beginning of the animation. Although the developers succeed in a surprise moment, but the tension is completely eliminated.

But exactly in this and the associated addiction hazard could be the reason. For quite some time, Lootboxes have been in FIFA in criticism, which led to show not least against the company.

Is there a connection?

In Germany, the subject of Lootboxes is complicated. Otherwise, in Belgium, where after a lawsuit, packs in FIFA are no longer bought against real money. In the Netherlands, the company was even forced to remove them after threat of a fine of 500,000 euros per week.

But what about science? Is there any connection between gambling addiction and Lootboxen?

That answers is yes and no. In a study titled Random purchases in video games and the convergence of gambling and gambling researchers of the Universities Wolverhampton and Plymouth received this topic on the track. In this, they represent the mechanisms of action of the Lootboxes and danger potentials.

Skinner-Box demonstrated the search for search

The mechanisms of action of Lootboxen discovered in 1948 the behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner that can trigger a psychological dependence on a certain behavior. In his attempt with rats he sat in a box with a lever.

When the lever was pressed, he gave out food. Initially, the rats pressed the lever only accidentally. Over time, however, they learned to immediately press the lever when placed in the box.

Skinner found out that a random reward, in this case the amount of food, made the addiction effect much more dramatic. The rats began to operate the lever, even if they had not received food during the last time.

They pressed the lever several times without getting food, hoping to get food again. They were, as Skinner, addicted to the lever beyond all reason and logic.

Correlation between gambling addiction and buying Lootboxen

A similar addiction effect can also have games, as recent neurological studies occupied. But here the scientists speak of a correlation, more precisely a correlation between the purchase of Lootboxen and gambling addiction. This is stronger as soon as the boxes are displayed almost.

David Isaac Zandle, Paul Antony Cairns and Herbie Barnett explain this in your article The payment for Lootboxen is associated with problem-gambling, regardless of specific features such as payout and pay-to-win that almost matches in gambling leads to cognitive failures lead . Accordingly, the players believe the likelihood would increase to gain in the future. In addition, the willingness to continue to respond to risks.

Exactly this happens in the tunnel ride described above, which could be achieved next to this example many more nearly goals. The new animation is not possible for the first time.

However, this is just one side of the medal, because the correlation and for itself persists. Finally, a social motivation – for example a streamer can emerge – lead to buy packs to draw a significant Walkout. Thus, although EA Sports through the new PackAnimation could indicate to protect something against gambling addiction and especially to protect people before, but the core problem remains.