Attached are an article and youtube video on the prevalence of microtransactions in videogames. For those of you who may be unaware, microtransactions are purchases that can be made inside a video game for cosmetic items or gameplay advantages. In many games, these purchases come in the form of a "loot box" system, where the only way to get the item that you are interested in is to "roll" for them, forcing you to buy multiple useless items as well. This is essentially an early introduction to gambling as many kids will watch youtube videos or twitch streams of people spending thousands of dollars to get a specific character or item skin in a game. The marketing teams of these games know how to convince their gamers that you need to buy these items and will often give items a "limited time only" so you can not think for too long about your decision to purchase it.
I personally have spent a lot of money on microtransactions in videogames throughout my life, my last purchase about 1 week ago. While I am now in a position where I do not spend as much and it is not problematic, I believe that targeting young children and teens with this marketing can be very problematic. This has affected me when I was younger as well and I have a vivid memory of sneaking into my parent's bathroom to take my dad's credit card to buy cosmetic items in a game when I was around 10 years old.
The article by Raneri et al describes the link between microtransactions, PTUs, and gambling.
https://reader.elsevier.com/re...ation=20220516124734
This youtube video by Atrioc provides an entertaining introduction to the topic of how videogames make money, and touches on the concept and problems with microtransactions.