Games like Fortnite use 'predatory' gambling techniques to make children spend, experts warn

"Predatory" payments in hugely popular computer games like Fortnite and Hearthstone are equivalent to gambling but are unregulated and could lead young people to addiction and financial difficulty, experts are warning. In the wake of gaming addiction being recognised by the World Health Organisation, psychologists have drawn attention to what they describe as the "increasing similarity of gaming and gambling" in what has rapidly grown into a multi-billion-pound entertainment sector. They single out a type of in-game micropayment known as "loot boxes", where players buy a random reward, potentially including rare characters or powerful weapons. In an editorial published on Thursday in the journal Addiction, Dr Daniel King and Professor Paul Delfabbro, of the University of Adelaide, said: "These schemes may entice some players with access to credit cards to spend more money than they can afford." Younger players in particular are "less equipped" to reign in their spending, the pair warned. In Fortnite, the wildly popular survival shoot-'em-up which has a free to play version, players can access a campaign to play alongside friends and use the game's "V-Buck" currency to buy quirky llama loot piñatas, which give a random reward. Coins can be bought with real money or won more slowly through the game. More expensive llamas, such as the Legendary Troll Loot Truck Lllama, cost at least £10 in V-bucks but include 20 items.