In news that’s not surprising to anyone, a recent survey has found that 50% of gamers regret their decision to purchase loot boxes.
Loot boxes are the most controversial topic in gaming right now, with some countries going so far as to ban them as a form of unregulated gambling.

In a recent survey of 1,003 gamers conducted by Casino.ca [via TheGamer], it’s been revealed that half of the people questioned admitted that they’d regretted their decision to buy an in-game loot box.
Really it’s not too surprisingly. The allure of a loot box comes from its mystery element – will you score big, or lose out? Surely if you surveyed people who’ve just purchased a scratch-card a decent portion of them would regret their purchase after seeing they’d lost…
Speaking of scratch-cards, the survey did show that 61.5% of those questioned agreed that loot boxes are a form of gambling.

A total of 70.5% of those surveyed said they’d purchased a loot box, and of those, 42% said they did it just for fun. 35% of them said they did it to “enhance their experience,” while around 32% did it to “gain an advantage” in the game.
Of course, surveys like this are only a snippet of the big picture. Plus, as easy as it is to lump all loot boxes under one umbrella, there are big differences between shooters like Fortnight and MOBAs like Dota 2.

More and more video games companies are choosing to change the way they approach microtransactions in their titles following huge backlash not only from gamers, but also from regulatory bodies across the globe.
Hopefully loot boxes will become a thing of the past, but with billions of dollars being pulled in by the mechanic, we might still have an uphill struggle on our hands.
Featured Image Credit: Blizzard