Last week, the Pan-European Game Information rating system, better known as PEGI, announced significant changes to how they assess games. The updated guidelines will take into account many recent game design trends that have become commonplace, such as online player behavior, dark patterns that pressure continuous play, and randomized elements attached to purchases like loot boxes. In response, the ESRB, the North American game ratings board, says adopting the new PEGI guidelines would be “confusing” for players and parents.
“ESRB’s age and content rating are based on the content of a game and the context in which it is presented to the player,” an ESRB representative told The Game Business. “It could be confusing if non-content-related features influence rating category assignments. As such, there are currently no plans for ESRB to allow any factors outside of the content and context of a game to influence the age rating assignment.”
The new criteria could upset a wide number of popular games long understood to be “for everyone.” EA Sports FC is the most obvious example, a paid game whose financial success revolves around gambling on randomized card packs. Roblox, too, is overwhelmingly popular with children despite the hazards of its online ecosystem.
But new regulatory pressure could also ensnare games people don’t often associate with online predatory dangers or loot boxes. Animal Crossing, Pokémon Pokopia, and Clash of Clans all chastise players at some level for taking extended breaks. Pokopia‘s age rating moved from 3+ to 7+ because it encourages players to keep returning to the game, a mechanic that falls under the new “play-by-appointment” PEGI category.
PEGI says that they will not be retroactively reclassifying released games, though live service titles could be under different scrutiny. “We’re conscious of the concerns that ESRB voices,” PEGI director Dirk Bosmans told The Game Business. “If we add this, are parents losing information? You do want to inform them both about the content and the context of video games. But by integrating them both into an age rating, you have to be mindful that you may not be able to give all the levels of detail that you gave beforehand. This is a difficult exercise.”
Changes are already being noticed around the world as other regulators take a tougher stance on manipulative game monetization. In Brazil, where ratings are handled by ClassInd, fans noticed that Mario Kart Tour has been re-rated 18+ on the app store. The mobile spin-off uses gacha mechanics where players spend money on microtransactions that don’t always guarantee good rewards.
Age ratings on video games may not seem like a significant issue to most players, but these changes reflect a rapidly evolving gaming environment. The significance of these ratings may soon evolve as well, especially as many parts of Europe and the UK seek to enforce stricter barriers around digital spaces that minors can interact with.
Still, slot machine item drops, penalties for grabbing fresh air, and other predatory design elements are worth flagging for parents in North America. How these ratings are enforced is another matter, given how many of these biometric securities are just as dangerous. Still, exposure to this kind of behavioral training might be more harmful than outright violent content, especially in a world where gambling is taking over.
