战利品盒(Loot Box)：游戏和赌博的融合

Loot Box: The Fusion of Gaming and Gambling

摘要: 战利品盒(loot box)是一种电子游戏中的虚拟道具，玩家可以通过购买loot box以一定概率获取里面有价值的游戏内道具。目前市面上的电子游戏中，loot box被视为一种赌博化设计元素。这类游戏既包含了赌博元素又包含了游戏元素，因此loot box被看作是赌博和游戏融合的一种活动。一些研究明确指出在这个过程当中可以视为玩家在进行“赌博”，而另一部分则认为电子游戏中战利品盒的存在虽然模糊了游戏和赌博之间的界限，但仍不能将二者划上等号。基于此，本研究整合目前国内外的研究现状，首先界定loot box的定义；其次厘清loot box与赌博和问题游戏之间的关系，最后对未来loot box的潜在研究方向开展讨论。

Abstract: A loot box is a virtual item in a video game. Players can purchase a loot box with a certain proba-bility of getting valuable in-game items inside. Currently on the market, the loot box is seen as a gamblified design element introduced in the video games. This type of game contains both gam-bling and gaming elements, so the loot box is seen as an activity where gambling and gaming merge. Some studies explicitly state that players can be considered to be “gambling” during this process, while others argue that the presence of loot boxes in video games blurs the line between gaming and gambling, but still does not equate the two. Based on this, this study integrates the current research status both at home and abroad, firstly defines the concept of the loot box; secondly clarifies the relationship between the loot box and gambling and problematic games, and finally discusses the potential future research directions of the loot box.