Future re-releases of Pokemon R/B/Y to be rated 18+ by PEGI for simulated gambling

[KManX89]

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. Of course, we all know what it is, it's a ruse for them to pretend that they care about gambling, which we all know they don't, they f*cking turn a blind eye to it, *cough*LOOTBOXES*cough*.

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

PEGI Thinks Pokemon's Simulated Gambling Is For Adults & FIFA's Real Loot Box Gambling Is For Kids - YouTube

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 mini-game 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! "

[emailking]

Well that's just stupid. Gambling with in game currency can be fun and there's no harm done. It can even show you the perils of gambling with real money, uggh.

[unberechenbar]

That's ridiculous.

[SillyG]

I even expressed this directly to the Australian Classification Board, but it seems that they have done bugger-all about it. The family-friendly 51 Worldwide Games on Nintendo Switch with Blackjack and Texas Hold 'Em that do not incentivise gambling with any form of in-game currency (e.g. in order to unlock additional content) is rated M (equivalent of PEGI 12/ESRB T) while the FIFA games get away with a G rating, and that requires spending real money in order to do so (and to say nothing of the countless predatory mobile games with similar mechanics).

Any game that allows for any form of chance-based gameplay/transactions should be rated R18+ (to reflect the real-world status of gambling), no exceptions.

And watch how quickly EA and their ilk will change their tune.

[KManX89]

Originally Posted by emailking

Well that's just stupid. Gambling with in game currency can be fun and there's no harm done. It can even show you the perils of gambling with real money, uggh.

Originally Posted by unberechenbar

That's ridiculous.

Yep:

Fake gambling=bad
Real gambling=OK

[ps3bd_owner]

That's just unreal.

An 18+ Pokémon game? That will affect its sales and parents will probably think it's unsuitable for their kids, but they'll let them play GTA and CoD, anyway.

[KManX89]

Originally Posted by ps3bd_owner

That's just unreal.

An 18+ Pokémon game? That will affect its sales and parents will probably think it's unsuitable for their kids, but they'll let them play GTA and CoD, anyway.

Yep, even when said kids have shown they clearly shouldn't be playing said games.

You know, like when the quickscopers who looked no older than 12 (at best) at the time cried and sent Vahn death threats for "nerfing" the DSR in BO2. There was a montage video of it on YouTube that's since been privated (FU to whoever did that), but they CLEARLY showed they weren't (and possibly still aren't, lol) mature or old enough to be playing CoD, which is an M-rated game last I checked.

And like I said earlier, it has absolutely nothing to do with "content" or "suitability", it's just an out for them to pretend that they care about gambling while letting EA get away with putting real gambling that causes actual harm to minors in their games.