Engl. transl.: Money for games - when computer games turn to gambling. Results of a representative survey of children and adolescents aged 12 to 17 years

"In Germany, around three million young people between the ages of 12 and 17 regularly play games on the computer. According to a new DAK study, 15.4 per cent of minors are considered so-called risk gamers. This means that around 465,000 of all young people in this age group show risky or pathological gaming behaviour in the sense of gaming addiction. Those affected are more likely to miss school, have more emotional problems and spend significantly more money. This is shown in the report "Money for Games - when computer games turn to gambling" by DAK-Gesundheit and the Deutsches Zentrum für Suchtfragen (German Centre for Addiction Issues). DAK board chairman Andreas Storm wants to increase education about risks. He also calls for a ban on so-called loot boxes in Germany, which reward gamers for long periods of play or when they pay money." (URL: https://dak.de/dak/download/pressemitteilung-computerspielsucht-2103412.pdf) [translated by the coder]

According to the DAK study, 72.5 per cent of young people in Germany regularly play computer games such as Fortnite, FIFA or Minecraft. That is an extrapolation of more than three million minors. Overall, just under 90 per cent of all boys and a good 50 per cent of girls play. According to an analysis by the Deutsches Zentrum für Suchtfragen at the Universitätsklinikum Hamburg Eppendorf (UKE), 15.4 per cent of them show risky or pathological gaming behaviour. This means that 465,000 children and adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 would be at-risk gamers, 79 per cent of them being boys. 3.3 per cent of those affected even meet the criteria of a computer game addiction with withdrawal symptoms, loss of control or endangerment. The study also examines spending on computer games for the first time. More than half of the regular gamers bought games or extras in the six months before the survey. On average, the expenditure was 110 euros, with a peak value of almost 1,000 euros also mentioned. Every third euro was spent on the computer games Fortnite and FIFA. In the case of extras, the money was mostly used for the so-called in-game currency or fun and embellishment items. Six per cent of gamers said they were most likely to invest the money for extras in loot boxes, which "randomly" decide how the game progresses, just like in gambling." (URL: https://dak.de/dak/bundesthemen/computerspielsucht-2103398.html#/) [translated by the coder]