Tianyi Zhangshao

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September 29, 2025

Loot boxes are still rife in kids’ mobile games, despite ban on ‘gambling‑like’ features

Taylor Hardwick, University of Sydney; Ben Egliston, University of Sydney; Leon Xiao, City University of Hong Kong; Marcus Carter, University of Sydney, and Tianyi Zhangshao, University of Sydney

Games with ‘loot boxes’ should be classified for over-15s – but a new study shows many of the most popular mobile games completely ignore the rules.

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April 10, 2025

Sorry gamers, Nintendo’s hefty Switch 2 price tag signals the new normal – and it might still go up

Ben Egliston, University of Sydney; Taylor Hardwick, University of Sydney, and Tianyi Zhangshao, University of Sydney

We saw Sony adjust prices for the PS5 mid-generation in response to production costs. So there’s no reason to assume the Switch 2 price will remain static.

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December 9, 2024

China restricted young people from video games. But kids are evading the bans and getting into trouble

Tianyi Zhangshao, University of Sydney; Ben Egliston, University of Sydney, and Marcus Carter, University of Sydney

In China, many people see video games as ‘spiritual opium’. However, laws restricting young people’s play have proven difficult to enforce in practice.

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Loot boxes are still rife in kids’ mobile games, despite ban on ‘gambling‑like’ features

Sorry gamers, Nintendo’s hefty Switch 2 price tag signals the new normal – and it might still go up

China restricted young people from video games. But kids are evading the bans and getting into trouble

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