What happens when the mechanics of slot machines migrate into the games we play—and then into everything else? In this episode, Jamin Warren speaks with Dr. Joseph Macey and Topias Mattinen about how gambling systems have become standard features in mainstream games, and why those same techniques are now appearing in shopping apps, collectible toys, and investment platforms.

Discover how RuneScape players turned garden flowers into underground betting rings, why "cashing out" matters more than you think, and what a "pity timer" reveals about exploitative design. Most importantly, learn why gamers themselves—not regulators or executives—have the most sophisticated understanding of these systems.

This isn't just about loot boxes. It's about the gamblification of culture itself, and what it means when we're all asked to gamble, all the time.

Featured Guests

Joseph Macey (M.Sc.) is a Researcher and Doctoral Student at the Faculty of Communication Sciences, University of Tampere. His Master’s thesis addressed heuristics as a method for game evaluation, while his current work investigates the relationships between consumption of video games, esports, and gambling.

Topias Mattinen is a researcher, a PhD candidate of the Humans and Technologies programme at Tampere university and a member of the Gamification Group. His current research focuses on investigating esports and digital game related gambling and gambling-like activities, and the overall gamblification of digital games.

Key Concepts Explored

• Gamblification: The migration of gambling logics, mechanics, aesthetics, and narratives into non-gambling contexts
• Near Gambling: Player-defined category for mechanics that feel gambling-adjacent but don't meet legal definitions
• Emergent Gambling: Player-created betting systems using game mechanics not designed for gambling
• Cashing Out: Converting virtual items or currency back into real money, blurring the boundary between game and economy
• Pity Timer: System that guarantees better rewards after repeated poor results—designed to prevent player abandonment, not protect consumers
• Metagame: The larger strategic layer players navigate around core gameplay—in this case, the economics of virtual item speculation

Referenced Games & Platforms

• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO)
• RuneScape
• Hearthstone
• Magic: The Gathering / Magic: The Gathering Arena
• Dota 2
• FIFA / EA Sports FC (Ultimate Team)
• Grand Theft Auto V Online
• Overwatch
• Team Fortress 2
• Balatro
• Fallout: New Vegas
• Steam marketplace

Additional Resources

• Read Joseph and Topias's research on gambling in games
• Learn more about Belgium's loot box regulations and player responses
• Investigate how "blind box" collecting culture connects to gaming economies

Credits

Host: Jamin Warren
Guests: Dr. Joseph Macey and Topias Mattinen, University of Helsinki
Production: Jamin Warren (but reach out if you want to help!)

Save State is a production of Gameplayarts, exploring how games shape culture and culture shapes games.

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