'Ready to Play?' - A children's rights analysis of gambling-like elements in videogames

The doctoral research aims to describe, analyse and evaluate the legal position of children in a changing videogaming environment. Gambling-like elements such as lootboxes, virtual casino games or skin betting are increasingly integrated in videogames, which are also increasingly played by young people. This causes blurring lines between videogaming and gambling, which potentially threatens the vulnerable position of children as consumers and data protection subjects. To achieve this goal, the research adopts a children’s rights perspective, focusing on the relevant children’s rights such as the right to play, the right to privacy or the right to protection against economic exploitation (as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child). The first stage of the research describes the existing regulatory framework applicable to the changing videogaming environment (including self- and co-regulatory instruments); the second stage analyses and evaluates different gambling-like elements in videogames based on the existing framework, through case-studies. In the final stage, depending on the results of these case-studies, recommendations will be made for the construction of a future-proof regulatory framework in the videogaming environment which protects and respects children’s rights.