Spring 2026 PhotoVoice
By: Emmett Gunsteen
By: Emmett Gunsteen
At a popular arcade, mystery toys are prizes you can only get with tickets, the currency you win from arcade games. The irony is that you’re using tickets earned through luck and unpredictability to buy something that’s also completely unknown. It’s kind of crazy when you think about it. This is how gambling gets normalized for youth today — every time we walk into places like an arcade.
When I got to a sleepover with my brother and his friends, I noticed they were playing a game on Roblox called “Knockout.” It’s one of the most popular games right now, and it has limited skins that can only be obtained by spending real money on a chanced loot box. This unfortunately demonstrates just how normalized gambling is regarding the youth, especially with video games.