1 How Gambling On Twitch Changed The Way We View Gambling.

Firstly I would like to say i personally do not have any issues with gambling within reason. Personally, i can agree there are some risks you do take as you gamble, however, this is up to the the individuals to weigh whether it is appropriate for them to partake in gambling. I also understand there are some risks involved regarding the possibility that viewers may develop some sort of addiction to gambling due to the display and platforming of gambling in live streams. This video is purely food for thought regarding the topic and i would love to hear your opinions after watching the video! Also if you like this type of content and would like to see more be sure to like, subscribe, and share this video around and it will show that you guys want to see me make more videos like this! Regardless, lets get into it.

Mid 2021 a handful of Twitch.TV streamers were under fire with accusations of promoting gambling to their viewers. This sparked a debate amongst the community with both sides firing at one another in regards to their morals surrounding the topic.

Today we are going to discuss online gambling and the hypocrisy that many on the defensive claim the opposition believes in. First, let's start with a working definition of gambling

Merriam Webster defines gambling as "the practice or activity of betting : the practice of risking money or other stakes in a game" (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gambling)

This brings up the question, of what is, and what is not, gambling?

When you think of gambling, you more than likely think of the staples of the industry such as "poker, blackjack, roulette, slot machines, etc" in which society has deemed to be considered definitively under the category of "gambling" However, working with our current definition of gambling there are many other instances of gambling that are often swept under the rug.

Let's talk about "Loot Boxes"

What is a "loot box"?

In video games, a loot box is an in-game purchase consisting of a virtual box that awards players with a varying rarity of items and modifications based on chance.

Players pay real money in order to take a risk at earning something that may be valuable.

Something that was popularized early on and is a mainstay in video games in 2021.

Lootboxes have been a concrete part of video games since the early 2000s.

Lootboxes often times are similar to the format of "Slots" You put your money in, and in front of you spins a bar that dictates your money's fate. Do you make money? or do you have a bad spin and lose that money. Lootboxes are similar to this in which one pays for spins and the gambler has the chance of winning an item that can be worth more or less than what the individual paid. One of the earliest instances of this system is in the game "Maple Story"

Maple Story included an in-game currency they named "Gachapon Tickets" going for 100 yen per ticket. These tickets could then be used to acquire random in-game items perchance. Another example of this system can be seen in the 2007 video game release Team Fortress 2. Commonly known as TF2 released by the company Valve.

In TF2 one is able to pay real money for keys in which users are able to open "Crates". Crates are a way to get In-game items in which the individual is able to trade with one another among the community. You can obtain crates by playing the game earning these crates randomly or through events. Or you have the option to purchase said crates. However, if you wish to open these crates you have to purchase keys to open them. Not only are you able to trade these items, but you can sell these items as well.

By now you more than likely see where this is going...

The year is 2012. You're sitting at your family computer watching youtube. Suddenly in your recommended feed, you see a video listed as "Spending $10,000 on TF2 Crates" Enter scene a montage of different clips of the YouTuber paying for crates opening them, and totaling the dollar worth of everything that was won. Throughout the process, the YouTuber goes through an emotional roller coaster with every win or loss. The YouTuber then goes on to tell their viewers that if they like the video they could potentially win one of the items shown in the video. This may spark the idea that you too could make money from opening loot boxes, playing on the addictive and euphoric nature of gambling.

Let's talk more about selling in-game items for real currency

Highly popularizing and promoting gambling the company Valve introduced what is known as "The Steam Marketplace" This marketplace allows users to sell items they have obtained through various games and loot box systems to other users. These items fluctuate in price due to various reasons such as the rarity of obtaining said item, as well as supply and demand. Essentially promoting the ideal that you can actually make money by taking the risks of opening loot boxes in order to sell your winnings in their marketplace.

The most expensive item you could potentially win in TF2 is the Unusual Burning Team Captain Hat worth $6,695 USD. Due to the rarity of such an item, it is deemed as a collector's item. This is seen as a highly desired item, and because of such, it was valued at the nearly 7k price that is listed on the Steam Marketplace.

Fast forward to August, 2013 Steam releases a sequel to the game "Counter-Strike: Source" named "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" This game introduced their own system of loot boxes known as "Weapon Cases". In CS: GO, players are able to either earn loot boxes through gameplay or buy them from other players. However once again in order to open these loot boxes, the player must purchase keys.

This once again sparked a trend of youtube videos that implemented the practice of spending large sums of money on "Weapon Cases" in order to win in-game items that are worth more than the cost of the key and weapon case. Some of these videos would showcase an enticing title such as "Ways To make money off CS: GO skins" once again promoting the idea that you can make money from gambling to their viewers. Viewers who may not necessarily have the income to afford the risks of gambling their money for the chance of making a profit. Videos such as this are still in the year 2021 very popular. A video posted on December 11th, 2021 was titled as "He had $3 left on steam... *opens case*" This video showcases immediately the individual assumingly spending the last of his money on a CS: GO loot box and freaking out when it's revealed that he had won an item valued at $2683. This could promote the idea that even to your last dime it could be advantageous to take the risk to win large sums of money.

Let's rewind a little bit and speak more on the controversy of gambling on Twitch.

Though gambling on twitch is not a new thing, it had seen an uptick of interest among the community growing to be one of the highest viewed categories on twitch. Because of the uptick of interest, concerns began growing about the morality and ethics of showcasing gambling to viewers. These concerns focused on the negatives that may arise from viewers watching streamers spend large sums of money in hopes to make a profit off of their bets. This is once again referencing the ideal of "If this streamer can make money off of gambling maybe so can I?" Many streamers included promotions such as click-through links that directed viewers to gambling sites that the streamers were sponsored to promote to their viewers.

Fast forward again to August 2021.

"In a creator update from Wednesday (August 11), Twitch "will prohibit sharing links and/or referral codes to sites that offer slots, roulette, or dice games." (https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/twitch-introduces-anti-gambling-restrictions-some-creators-want-more-done-3018870#:~:text=In%20a%20creator%20update%20from,roulette%2C%20or%20dice%20games." ) However many among the community complained that this still was not enough regarding twitches part in stopping streamers gambling live on the site. Many had proposed that even twitch allowing streamers to showcase themselves gambling could have an inherent negative effect on viewers and the community as a whole. This refers to the idea of "If this streamer can make money from gambling so can i" This caused an uproar from both sides attacking the arguments of the other side. The defensive claims that many on the opposition actively participate in the practice of gambling in various video games or neglect the idea that this form of loot box openings is comparative if not identical to gambling. Claiming that if these streamers are okay with displaying themselves opening loot boxes they should be okay with gambling on the platform as well. The opposition obviously states that these two things are different in nature.

Though this isn't the case always with the opposition. Some claim that both are morally wrong, and that both are equally classified as "gambling"

Some point out the idea that these streamers are promoting gambling not only to their viewers, but children who also watch them. Claiming that displaying such behavior can entice children to develop an addiction to gambling which could negatively affect the child's mind and future endeavors. Some streamers attempt to negate such things by putting (18+) in the title of their streams, however, this does not necessarily stop children from viewing said streams. As there is no current way to enforce an age requirement outside of taking records of users' identification to ensure that anyone viewing the stream is legitimately the age they claim they are when they sign up to the website. This brings up another moral issue. Are streamers morally required to not showcase such content due to the concern that there could be a younger percentage of the audience watching their streams, and taking after the streamer due to their actions.

Gambling in its nature is a very euphoric behavior in which can send a rush of adrenaline and dopamine into the user's body when they win a bet and or make money on the said bet.

"The evidence indicates that gambling activates the brain's reward system in much the same way that a drug does. "Across many studies, the same brain areas come up time and time again — the ventral striatum and the prefrontal cortex," says Luke Clark, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia.

This in layman's terms substantiates the idea of "When I win, I feel good" "When I win, this feeling outweighs the risk of losing" Think about any team-based sport. American Football is an international phenomenon that can give similar feelings of dopamine or adrenaline when a fan's team wins. This can be seen in after-parties, or throughout city celebrations. People become ecstatic, and can be seen displaying an elevated sense of emotions. Often related to dopamine or adrenaline or as some call what they feel like a "rush"

This same rush can be a descriptor of how people who gamble feel when they win the lucky lotto or jackpot. Or when after hours and hours of opening loot boxes, finally the individual wins a highly valuable item. Not only, in this case, do the individuals opening the loot boxes feel this rush, but their viewers do as well. During the writing of the script for this video, i had spent extensive time in many streamers' chats watching these aforementioned streams. i personally watched as oftentimes their chats would display a wide variety of emotions as they cheer on their favorite streamer. Some viewers entice the streamers to continue gambling with the idea of "You've lost so and so many times, you're bound to win big shortly" with others showing distress or despair as the streamer repeatedly loses bets. Some explain how they feel bad for the streamer, and advise the streamer to stop while they are ahead. This caused a backlash of arguments regarding the opinions of the opposing side.

Some express "it's their money, let them do what they want" or "you're just mad because you are broke" or even comment that viewers who are advising the streamer to stop for their welfare are becoming too parasocial and are unhealthy themselves. While the opposition condemns and expresses the harms of gambling and therefore the addiction to gambling in itself.

Many streamers, would then go on after the controversy was sparked, and discuss and condemn other streamers for platforming gambling on their streams, echoing the idea that streamers who do choose to platform gambling are acting in a way that is immoral. Expressing that streamers who choose to do so are inherently negatively affecting their viewers and are at fault for increasing the odds that their viewers may develop a gambling addiction. Others distance themselves from the ideal that they are responsible for any viewers who choose to gamble after seeing them do so themselves.

The back and forths of the morals regarding gambling online are complex in nature and even to this day it is still a conflict that is discussed among the twitch community, some condemn the act while others don't see any issues with it. Nonetheless, it will be up to Twitch to make the final decision whether to allow gambling on their platform. Currently, it is still allowed for streamers to gamble on stream as long as they don't promote gambling or have any promo codes/links to gambling websites enticing viewers to gamble. Will twitch stop streamers from platforming gambling or will the controversy eventually die out and twitch stays as a place where streamers can gamble live?

What do you think about the controversy of gambling on twitch? Do you think it's morally acceptable to do so? Do you think that doing so is negative to the platform and viewers who consume said content? Are loot boxes a form of gambling? Let me know down in the comments! I hope you all enjoyed the video! If you haven't already and you liked the video, be sure to throw me a like and subscribe! If you guys like this video ill make more videos similar to this one! Thanks regardless and ill see you guys in the next video!

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