I just came across this latest tidbit after coming back from work this morning, and it made my head spin. Apparently, games with simulated gambling that don't use real currency must now be rated 18+, but games with loot boxes can be sold and marketed to kids no problem. We all know what it is, it's a ruse for them to pretend that they care about gambling.

This is absolutely pathetic, anything to allow scummy publishers to keep their precious gambling mechanics in their games (I'm looking at you, EA):

So let me get this straight, games with actual gambling with real money (FIFA, Madden, original build of SWBF2)="those are perfectly fine for kids, even though they'll probably empty their parents' credit cards and have."

Playing a slot machine using in-game currency only="will somebody plz think of the kids! Adult only rating! Even if it's a game literally designed for kids!"

By that logic, every game that shows guns, alcohol or sex, no matter how tame or idealized, should also have a PEGI 18 rating. This is absurd.

This is the dumbest BS.

As someone who thinks that PEGI is something that should be taken more seriously (specially by parents)... I find this so dumb xD

Remember when health groups in America were trying to get films with smoking in them rated R? Same dumbass logic of some of Europe in this case.

Gambling in fifa uses real money
Which EA is paying the ESRB with to use very specific wording to keep what they are doing safe from the age rating...

I wonder how this is going to effect the new super Mario party game
Or the ps4/XbO versions of story of seasons, return to mineral town
Or the rumoured game boy games coming to nintendo switch, which will feel super incomplete without gen 1 and 2 of pokemon

Um... can we have a way to distinguish between 18 due to gambling and 18 due to sex/nudity? 18g vs. 18x maybe? Parents are going to be so confused by how many games have 18 on them that also have fun, colorful artwork and look like children-friendly games.

Western localizations of animation and video game art is ruined by pointless sensoring and childish dialogues since the 90s

meanwhile, kids have unlimited access to pornhub and pornified music videos that sicken their mind with a simple 'yes I'm over 18' click

what a twisted world, my God

So I take it all new games or re-releases that include casino/slots minigames are gonna be rated 18+ from now on??? Like., lets say... The Dragon Quest franchise or Yooka Laylee.

Oddly enough, the movie It's Complicated was given an R rating for ONE scene with a couple smoking pot that was upheld on appeal. Seriously.

But yeah, with the way things are going, we'll soon have an adult-rated Mario game, at least in Europe. All because ratings boards, not just in Europe, but around the world refuse to take a stand against REAL gambling. Because that would hurt their donor (Big Daddy EA and such)'s bottom line and they want something to fall back on just so they can say "we haven't turned a blind eye to gambling, this kid's game with a simulated slot machine is rated 18+!" even though we all know they have because that's not really gambling whereas loot boxes factually are.