What drives demand for loot boxes? An experimental study
通过实验发现，战利品箱的常见设计特征（如中奖概率不透明和正向反馈）会夸大玩家对中奖的信念，从而诱导过度消费，平均支付意愿翻倍，建议监管设计以保护消费者。
The market for video games is booming, with in-game purchases accounting for a substantial share of developers’ revenues. Policymakers and the general public alike are concerned that so-called “loot boxes” – lotteries that offer random rewards to be used in-game – induce consumers to overspend on video games. We provide experimental evidence suggesting that common design features of loot boxes (such as opaque odds and positively selected feedback) indeed induce overspending by inflating the belief of winning a prize. In combination, these features double the average willingness-to-pay for lotteries. Based on our findings, we argue for the need to regulate the design of loot boxes to protect consumers from overspending.