The Partial Observer by Jennifer Hill

'Gamed' Disposable Vapes: Big Tobacco's Push To Addict Kids

Video games in vapes are the tobacco industry’s latest tactic to try to addict youth to their products. Yes, you read that correctly. Kids can now get addicted to two things at once: nicotine and gambling.

“Gamed” disposable vapes, like regular ones, come in a range of sweet, fruity, or minty flavors and colorful packaging, which the tobacco industry has long used to attract and tempt youth into trying them. In addition to flavoring, the liquid in e-cigarettes contain glycerols and often high concentrations of nicotine, because the industry knows youth and young adults can become addicted to vaping more quickly and have a more difficult time quitting later on than older adults. Gamed e-cigarettes found online contain 5 percent nicotine or about 50mg of nicotine per vape, the equivalent to roughly two packs of cigarettes.

Embedding vapes with video games adds a steroidal level to attracting and addicting youth. Vaping is now a fun game for kids and gambling for adults, and they are promoted as such. Consider one brand, Lost URSA Pocket Pod, which offers three different video games: Virtual Pet, Puff Count Competition and Slot Machine. Virtual Pet’s screen shows a cute puppy dog and mimics children’s virtual pet games, except with URSA, you “[r]aise your virtual pet with every puff. Earn coins, buy various foods, and watch your pet level up as you enjoy your vaping sessions,” according to one website. Puff Count Competition allows you to “rank your puff count and use the information to win real prizes online,” according to a May 2024 LinkedIn article by Mia Chen, an e-cigarette manufacturer representative. Slot Machine is self-explanatory.