Loot (video games)

In video games, loot describes items obtained by the player character for free over the course of the game, such as in-game currency, spells, equipment, or weapons. In singleplayer games, they are often obtained as treasure or from defeated enemies. In a PVP situation, they may be obtained from the corpse of another player (cf. looting). Loot is meant to reward the player for progressing in the game, and are therefore usually of superior quality to items that can be purchased. They can also be part of an upgrade system that permanently increases the player's abilities.

In multiplayer games, loot may be provided in such a manner that only one player may acquire any given item. "Ninja-looting" is the resulting practice of looting items off enemies defeated by other players.

In role-playing video games, loot often forms the core economy of the game, in which the player fights to obtain loot and then uses it to purchase other items. Loot may often be assigned to tiers of rarity, with the rarer items being more powerful and more difficult to obtain. The various tiers of rarity are often indicated by particular colors that allow a player to quickly recognize the quality of their loot. The concept of color-coded loot rarity was popularized with the 1996 game Diablo, whose designer, David Brevik, took the idea from the roguelike video game Angband.

Loot boxes

Main article: Loot box

Loot boxes are a particular type of randomized loot system that consists of boxes that can be unlocked through normal play, or by purchasing more via microtransaction. The system has garnered a great deal of controversy for being too similar to gambling.