Loot Boxes Are Finally Being Clearly Mentioned In ESRB Ratings
ESRB shares the latest addition to its ratings, which will clearly mark any game that contains loot boxes and similar purchasable packs.
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The ESRB has finally made the decision to label video games that contain loot boxes and similar in-game purchases more clearly. The decision comes after a couple of years-long controversy surrounding the topic of loot boxes with randomized content.
In recent years, several countries have banned loot boxes in video games while some others have at least expressed the desire to do so. In the Netherlands, for instance, this topic was thoroughly examined by authorities two years ago before it was concluded that video games containing loot boxes and similar randomized mechanics were illegal according to the local legal system. This decision forced several developers, including Valve, to introduce restrictions on their games. Shortly after that, Belgium made the same decision, which resulted in several gaming companies making loot boxes unavailable in their games. In the US, some senators are concerned about loot boxes and their dangerous similarity to gambling expressing the desire to ban in-game purchases with randomized content.
ESRB’s announcement (made via Twitter) is a sensible step towards unified global designations controlling loot-box mechanics in video games. Two years ago, the Ratings Board introduced the first version of the label, “In-Game Purchases,” which clearly wasn’t informative enough. The newest revision, “In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items),” is a lot more transparent. From now on, the label will be assigned to any title that contains any form of in-game purchases that allow players to buy randomized items with real-world money. These include all kinds of boxes and packs with unspecified contents when players can’t tell beforehand what exactly they will get for their purchases. Here’s the announcement with the link to the full blog note:
#ESRB will begin assigning a new Interactive Element, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items). Find out more in our new blog: https://t.co/LPhd5rl7VL pic.twitter.com/nO6p8r1yYJ
The previous label “In-Game Purchases” will remain among ESRB’s Interactive Elements, but it will be assigned only to video games that do not contain any form of randomized purchasable content. In other words, titles without loot boxes or similar packs won’t receive the newest label thus putting them into a different category of games. This will give consumers clear information about all the monetization options included in the projects they get. Finally, loot-box mechanics will be clearly marked for players to be aware of. The same goes for parents who want to protect their kids from the harmful influence of loot boxes and their resemblance to gambling.
The situation might have a long-term impact on the distribution of video games that contain loot boxes in every imaginable form. Since the newest label “In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items)” will serve as a clear indicator for players, it’s possible that the sales of such games might significantly drop. Some publishers might as well decide to get rid of loot boxes completely in order to avoid unfavorable categorization, leaving classic non-randomized purchases as monetization options.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/loot-box-esrb-ratings-randomized/