Leon Y. XIAO

Video Games (Social Sciences, 100%), Gambling (Social Sciences, 99%), Probability Theory (Social Sciences, 50%), Law (Social Sciences, 43%), UK (Social Sciences, 42%), Disclosure (Psychology, 40%), Social Media (Social Sciences, 36%), Probability (Computer Science, 30%); SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being, SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions; I research and have a PhD in video game law, particularly the regulation of loot boxes, gacha, and other gambling-like monetisation mechanics in video games that offer random rewards. I am trained in English law and have been Called to the Bar of England and Wales. I use empirical legal research methods to assess whether companies are complying with various rules in different countries through fieldwork, and I advise on how compliance could be improved. I also conduct traditional, doctrinal legal research and psychology studies, including surveys and experiments. I am passionate about open science: I preregister research methods, share data, and even conduct registered reports (including likely the first one in the world in the legal discipline). I also dabble in some research on gameplay time and videogaming ‘addiction’ and the intersections between cryptocurrencies, NFTs, gaming, and gambling.

[2023] Xiao, L. Y., Breaking Ban: Belgium’s Ineffective Gambling Law Regulation of Video Game Loot Boxes, Collabra: Psychology, 9(1), 57641. [Jul 2024] Xiao, L. Y., Henderson, L. L., Yang, Y. & Newall, P. W. S., Gaming the system: suboptimal compliance with loot box probability disclosure regulations in China, Behavioural Public Policy, 8(3), p. 590-616. [Jan 2024] Xiao, L. Y., Fraser, T. C., Nielsen, R. K. L. & Newall, P. W. S., Loot boxes, gambling-related risk factors, and mental health in Mainland China: A large-scale survey, Addictive Behaviors, 148, 107860. [Apr 2025] Xiao, L. Y., Illegal loot box advertising on social media? An empirical study using the Meta and TikTok ad transparency repositories, Computer Law and Security Review, 56, 106069. [10 Jul 2025] Xiao, L. Y., Failing to p