Am I looting in a box? Am I looting in a digital box?

PEGI, the European video game age rating agency, has started raising the age ratings of digital games that feature loot boxes to 16. The rollout of this new, stricter approach, is expected to occur throughout October.

The Games Rating Authority's Connor Hinde, announced the rollout on his personal LinkedIn. Hinde's post reads:

"Since June, newly submitted games have been assessed against an expanded set of criteria within the PEGI rating framework, including new criteria relating to interactive risks. As the UK administrator of PEGI, the Games Rating Authority has now begun applying these updated criteria to selected existing digital products.

"Existing digital-only games that are currently rated PEGI 3, 7 or 12 and feature Paid random items, such as loot boxes, will have their age rating updated to PEGI 16 – Paid random items."

This process began this week, and shall continue throughout the month. Hinde urged publishers or developers with questions or concerns to contact the PEGI helpdesk.

Games included in this policy change include ES Sports FC series, which previously was rated PEGI 3. Zenless Zone Zero, a gacha action game from HoYoVerse, has also seen its rating increase from a 12 to a 16 as a result of these shifting rules. Monopoly Go currently appears to still be rated as a 9+ on the Apple games store, though given its inclusion of randomised sticker packs and boxes it may well see its rating change.

Why does this matter? Well, it could signal to parents or potential players that a game's monetisation may not be appropriate for them or their loved ones. It is worth emphasising that this ruling impacts digital-only games, so it is largely up to parents to monitor the games their children are playing.

This shift follows the announcement back in March that PEGI would tackle games with loot boxes or similar microtransactions, addictive game mechanics, and unmonitored online communication. The agency has been working to better align itself with modern gaming practices for some time. With this rollout, it appears this effort is finally in effect.

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