Research project given over $1m to investigate children’s use of loot…

A UK psychologist has been awarded over $1.2 million to research how children’s development is influenced by gambling-like systems in video games, such as loot boxes. saltysenoritaaz.org

Dr. Calum Hartley of Lancaster University will primarily focus on elementary school children’s engagement with loot boxes in video games.

Over 90% of UK children aged 5-11 play video games, and one-in-three purchase in-game items, spending an average of £26 ($35) per month.

“Coercive pressure is exerted on children to engage with microtransactions through time-limited availability, rarity, and social desirability of virtual items,” said Dr. Hartley in an announcement revealing the funding.

“Crucially, loot boxes share psychological and mechanistic similarities with gambling and are concurrently linked with mental health difficulties in adolescents. The risks posed by loot boxes may be particularly great for neurodivergent children, including those with ADHD and autism, who often spend more time playing video games than neurotypical peers.”

Research Could Fuel Lawsuits And Increased Regulation

Research has yet to determine how engagement with loot boxes develops, how they impact children’s broader psychological development, or who is most vulnerable.

Any results showing that the use of the items in games is detrimental to a child’s development and health is likely to be used in legal actions against gaming companies.

Valve is already facing a string of lawsuits alleging its loot boxes encourage addictive play and encourage minors to gamble.

“Generating this knowledge is vital to safeguard children and promote digital literacy for families navigating increasingly commercialized gaming environments,” Dr. Hartley added.

“The results of this research will inform the development of resources to support healthy engagement with video games by children and caregivers and, potentially, evidence-based policy recommendations calling for stricter regulation of loot boxes targeting children.”

Think of The Children

In the US, studies have claimed that as many as 1 in 3 teenagers are gambling, with loot boxes in video games blamed as an entry point.

In response, lawmakers have proposed several measures to tackle the problem. The New York Senate recently passed the ‘‘No Gambling Ads For Kids Act’, which would make it illegal “for a social media platform to promote advertisements for online gaming-related gambling, online sweepstakes gaming, sports-related gambling, or traditional online gambling unless an operator has reasonably determined that the user is not a minor.”

Last week, Pennsylvania lawmakers introduced a bill that would block access to gambling platforms on school campuses.

The campaigns against underage gambling could see loot boxes more strictly regulated in the future.

A wave of countries banning children from accessing social media may also have an impact. The UK this week introduced a ban on under-16s from using the platform, which research has increasingly shown to be harmful for development. The UK follows Australia and France, which have already introduced prohibitions.

The new research project investigating loot boxes in the UK will run for three years in partnership with the charities YGam, Internet Matters and ADHD UK.

Doug Cockle är rösten bakom Geralt i CD Projekt Reds hyllade spel. I en intervju med Polygon hyllar han de två skådespelare, Henry Cavill och hans ersättare Liam Hemsworth, som ger liv till karaktären i Netflix-serien.

Hemsworth fick alltså som bekant ta över den roll som Cavill redan spelat i tre säsonger. Om detta säger Cockle; "It's tough to do what [Hemsworth] did. Really, really tough, especially with a character in a show that so many people adore. To be the actor replacing someone else who originated a character in the same series is so difficult."

Han gav även beröm till Henry Cavills insats och tycker att de båda skådespelarna lyckades väl med sina egna tolkningar; "I find that Henry's performance has a little bit more weight to it and Liam's is a little bit more energized and actually kind of youthful, but in a fun way".

Han fortsatte med att säga; "What I always say about these kinds of things is that every actor has to make a role their own. There have been thousands of people who've played Hamlet, and each Hamlet is different. Every individual brings their own quirks, emotional life, experiences, and ideas to the table and interprets the character through all of that."

Cockle själv har inte bara gjort rösten till Geralt i de hyllade spelen utan även i den animerade filmen The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep. Han säger om fortsättningen; "At this point, any opportunity to step back into those lovely boots is a welcome opportunity. [Geralt is] such a special part of my career and part of my life. It's just such a joy to revisit him whenever I get the chance to do it."

Han hoppas själv få göra rösten till Geralt en lång tid framöver. Men när det kommer till den nya expansionen eller det kommande The Witcher 4 verkar han inte veta särskilt mycket; "I know as much as you do based on the press releases that CDPR has put out. I don't know anything more than that. I'm excited to find out."

Den femte säsongen av The Witcher, som också kommer att bli den sista, ska dyka upp på Netflix under detta året.

Liam som Geralt.

I dag gennemførte Irene Montero, MEP for det spanske Podemos-parti, en provokerende protest i Europa-Parlamentet. Som du kan se nedenfor, sang hun "Happy Birthday" til Donald Trump:

https://x.com/IreneMontero/status/2066840315768566060

Politikeren brugte gestussen til at kritisere, hvad hun ser som en alt for blød reaktion fra EU's side på fredsaftalen mellem USA og Iran (selvom Netanyahu anser den for katastrofal for Israel) og den bredere Mellemøstkrise.

Som hun begynder at hævde i videoen, er hendes argument, at Europa ikke har noget at fejre, da EU ikke stoppede krigen, besættelsen af Libanon eller folkedrabet i Gaza, mens de bevarede forbindelserne til Israel. Da det var Trumps 80-års fødselsdag i forgårs, sang hun ironisk nok og kaldte den amerikanske præsident "Mr. Genocide" for at afslutte sin sang/intervention.

Mens andre politiske grupper har været lige så kritiske, brugte de mindre teatralske udtryk. I de seneste dage har socialister og liberale budt USA-Iran-aftalen velkommen som et nyt skridt mod stabilitet, men mange minder folk og regeringer om, at krigen var absurd, destabiliserende og omkostningstung.

Irene Montero.