Validation of the yRAFFLE: an implementation of the RAFFLE inventory for loot box engagement in a youth cohort

Background Play is pivotal in human development, and as such the human experience. In young people, play is increasingly taking the form of video gaming—capturing a large share of the entertainment sector and potentially exposing young people to new instances of harmful behaviour. Loot boxes (purchasable items where the contents are chance based, which have structural and psychological similarities to gambling) generate significant income for the sector. They have, however, been understudied in young people. The present research validates a lightly modified version of the Reasons and Facilitators for Loot box Engagement (RAFFLE) inventory in a youth population – the youth RAFFLE (yRAFFLE). Results Five hundred six young people were recruited from urban and rural schools, including both sexes and ages 10 to 14. The psychometric properties, internal and convergent validity of yRAFFLE were assessed. Through confirmatory factor analysis, a seven-factor (Enhancement, Progression, Social Pressure, Distraction/Compulsion, Altruism, Fear of Missing Out, and ReSale) solution was established, confirming the same factor structure previously observed in an adult cohort. Inspection of standard fit measures showed the seven-factor solution to fit above benchmarks and the original RAFFLE. Cronbach’s alpha for the whole scale was 0.95 and subscales ranged from 0.73 to 0.89. yRAFFLE was highly correlated with the Video Game Addiction questionnaire. Finally, yRAFFLE showed measurement invariance to sex, location, and age. Conclusions The finalised yRAFFLE is a robust measure of 23 items for the motivations for loot box engagement in young people, that acts a parallel to its counterpart in adults. The yRAFFLE functions as a methodological tool to capture, measure, and understand young people’s engagement with loot boxes.

Citation

Statton, R., Close, J., Lloyd, J., Nicklin, L.L., Spicer, S.G & Lloyd, H. (2025) Validation of the yRAFFLE: an implementation of the RAFFLE inventory for loot box engagement in a youth cohort. BMC Digital Health 3, 51 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s44247-025-00160-w

Type

Journal article

Language

en

Description

© 2025 The Authors. Published by BMC (Springer Nature). This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1186/s44247-025-00160-w

ISSN

2731-684X

EISSN

2731-684X

Collections

Faculty of Education, Health and Wellbeing