The enemy hates best? Toxicity in League of Legends and its content moderation. – Jesús C. Aguerri, Mario Santisteban Galarza y Fernando Miró Llinares.

In recent decades, many sectors of our society have been digitized, and much of our life has moved to cyberspace, especially in terms of entertainment. Users meet, relate, and cooperate in the new public space that is the internet and form digital communities. Video games play a leading role in the formation of such communities. However, these communities also present antisocial behaviors, ranging from disruptive actions to harassment and hate speech. Such behaviors, encompassed under the umbrella term toxicity, are a major concern for both users and those in charge of moderating these spaces. This article focuses on toxicity in today’s leading online video game League of Legends. Three hundred twenty-eight matches were reviewed using a system of two judges to study the prevalence of these problematic behaviors. We find that 70% of matches were affected by disruptive behavior. Nevertheless, only 10.9% of the analyzed matches were exclusively affected by downright harmful behavior. In our view, the results have relevant implications for content moderation policy that are also addressed in this paper.

Keywords: Video games, Toxicity, Disruptive behavior, League of Legends, Content moderation, Cyberspace

Engagement in New Gambling Practices and its Association with Gambling Disorder, Impulsivity, and Cognitive Distortions: Findings from a Nationally Representative Sample of Spanish Gamblers. – Ainhoa Coloma-Carmona, José L. Carballo, Clara Sancho-Domingo, Sara Rodríguez-Espinosa, Fernando Miró-Llinares y Jesús C. Aguerri

Most epidemiological surveys focus on adult gambling behaviors related to traditional gambling forms, while studies on novel forms often focus on loot boxes and cryptocurrency trading individually. This study examines the co-ocurrence of emergent gambling and gambling-like practices, analyzing the demographic and psychological characteristics of involved gamblers. A cross-sectional study surveyed 1429 Spanish individuals aged 18–65, using a web-based questionnaire. The survey assessed participation in 19 gambling (e.g., lotteries, sports betting) and gambling-like activities (e.g., trading of cryptocurrencies and other assets, buying loot-boxes), along with sociodemographic and substance use. Problem gambling (PGSI), Impulsivity (UPPS-P), and cognitive distortions (Labrador’s cognitive distortions scale) were also assessed. Participants who gambled over the past year (n= 921) were classified into four groups: traditional gambling (TG) only (64.5%, n =594), TG with trading activities (27.5%, n=253), TG with gambling withing video games or streaming platforms (2.5%, n= 23), and TG with both trading and video gambling (5.5%, n= 51). Most gamblers engaged exclusively in traditional formats, but 35.5% also participated in novel gambling forms. Those involved in both trading and video gambling were generally younger, male, with higher levels of impulsivity and gambling-related cognitive distortions compared to TG-only gamblers (p < 0.001). This group also exhibited higher rates of problem gambling and substance use (p < 0.001). This study emphasize the importance of including emerging gambling activities, which are particularly prevalent among high-risk gamblers, in epidemiological surveys. Identifying new gambling patterns and associated risk factors could help optimize public policies and develop more effective regulatory and prevention strategies.

Keywords: Adults, Problem gambling, Gambling-like practices, Video games, Lootboxes, Skin betting, Trading, Cryptocurrency

Where Do We Fall, Guys? New Forms of Subscription-Based Monetisation, Their Relationship With Mental HealthIssues, and Their Policy Implications. –Jesus C. Aguerri y Aiala Tejada García de Garayo

This article examines monetization in video games, with a focus on battle and season passes, their risks and their presence, in videogames aimed at minors. Through the analysis of 105 PlayStation 5 titles, this study explored the prevalence of these monetization systems in free-to-play and paid games, along with their impact on game dynamics and player behavior. The findings revealed a significant uptake of battle passes in free-to-play games and a preference for season passes in paid games.

These results of this research suggest a worrying connection between aggressive monetization and problematic gaming practices, particularly in titles aimed at young audiences. This study contributes to an understanding of contemporary monetization strategies and their potential impact on young gamers.

Keywords: Video Games, Criminology, Loot Boxes, Monetisation, Mental Health, Gambling Disorder