Video game classifications are being reviewed in Australia from Monday 22 September to limit exposure to ‘gambling-like’ content. This includes loot boxes and could impact some of the biggest games such as NBA2K, EA Football Club And crazy.
First introduced last yearthe changes to the Australian Computer Games Classification Guidelines 2023 two contain new mandatory classifications – one for games “involving elements of chance” which are classified as “M” (mature or not recommended for children under 15), while games “involving simulated gambling” are given an R 18+ rating.
Under these new guidelines, the ‘M’ rating is an advisory rating, while the R18+ rating is a legal restriction, meaning only people who meet that age requirement will be able to sell that game. Here’s a quick summary of how these new ratings will affect video games going forward:
- M (adult – not recommended for children under 15 years): Games with ‘elements of chance’ loot boxes or random rewards that can be purchased with real money, either directly or via in-game currency
- R 18+ (adults only): Games that consist solely of ‘simulated gambling activities’, such as slot machine simulators or roulette wheels, and games that involve interactive activities such as slot machine simulators, roulette wheels or other age-restricted gambling or betting services (such as a role-playing game with slot machines that players can use)
According to the Australian government, these guidelines will now be in line with those of the rest of the world. ESRB ratings in the United States (and Canada and Mexico) do not use the same system as Australia, although the classifications E (everyone), E+ (everyone 10+), T (teen), M (adults 17+) and A (adults only 18+) give similar results.
While the two rating systems are similar, the new Australian ratings are stricter than the ESRB’s, restricting ‘simulated gambling’ to adults, while real money gambling earns the 18+ rating under the ESRB rating.
Fortunately, only new game releases will fall under the updated classifications, though some existing titles will be reclassified if they added gambling-related content after the guidelines go into effect on September 22.
What does this actually change?
It is clear that social casino games such as Zynga Poker And Slotomania – which only simulate real life gambling – are classified as R 18+. But what about a game like Red Dead Redemption 2which has a MA-15+ rating? It has a very realistic poker game that does not use or require real money. There are also several futuristic ways to gamble in the recent M-rated Star Wars Bandits.
While, as with all restrictions, there is room for leniency and rule-bending – given that there are no actual poker machines – if the guidelines are strict, they would be R 18+ if rated after September 22. There will undoubtedly be stories of games battling the Australian Ratings Board in the coming months, but any move towards the normalisation of gambling is a positive one. Adults can do what they want, but gambling has long been a societal problem and Australian children are constantly bombarded with adverts from bookmakers.
The real change will come in games that are, or were previously, aimed at children and young teens. Previously mentioned sports games such as crazy And FIFA have long-used loot boxes and kid-friendly mobile games like Super Mario Runbut it was real Overwatch And Star Wars: Battlefront 2 in 2016 and ’17 that put them in a negative spotlight. In fact, according to a Study 2020 A study in the journal Plos One found that the number of gamers exposed to loot boxes has increased from just 5.3% in 2010 to 71.2% in 2019.
There is some evidence that loot boxes and similar systems have a negative impact on children and the The gaming industry is only getting biggerwhich means that more little ones will be playing video games. How well the new classification will help to prevent them from risking 100 virtual coins on a 1% chance of getting a golden donkey via a loot box remains to be seen.
