ESRB To Include Loot Box Warning

To put it mildly, I’ve hated Loot Boxes and microtransactions for a long time. I’m talking about so far back that your mum was still feeling happy when she saw your dad. I really don’t like them, and I haven’t for long enough. They are insipid, grotesque, and on occasion, they can be life-destroying for those with gambling addictions spending their life savings. Linked above, the top NHS nurse on mental health warns of these addictions. PWC predicts that in the Netherlands between 2019 & 2023, console microtransactions will grow from €58 ($63) to €185 ($202) and for PC that grows from €167 ($182) to €253 ($276) million a year in profit.

On their model for PC microtransactions, it shows a 5.6 percent growth between 2014 and 2015 with a 10.3 percent growth between 2015 and 2016. On consoles, the percentage jumps from 23.4 percent to 16.8 percent. Yes, a slight downturn on the latter with the former slowing in 2018 also; However, it shows this is where a large amount of video game revenue comes from. You may have noticed the continued growth yourself with the naked eye, when games such as Fortnite, Apex Legends, and other online games focus so heavily on their microtransactions.

Well, as announced yesterday by the ESRB, the North American board will now include a new tag for the games they rate. Games with in-game purchases may get a “(Includes random items)” tag added from now on. This comes following the addition of the “in-game purchases” tag from April 2018, when the ESRB began assigning games with microtransactions a valid warning to parents and the general buying public of the content within the purchased games. This will mean, any games with random chance items, “surprise mechanics,” or other phrasing of the loot box controversy, will be forced to own up to this to prospective players.

Since making the announcement early yesterday morning, an ESRB spokesperson has spoken to Polygon on the phrasing of the announcement. When announced by the ESRB, the brief statement says that games will be rated and processed as usual, but with the addition of the new tag when necessary. When speaking with Polygon, the ESRB clarified: “Publishers are required to inform ESRB if they intend to add in-game purchases, randomized or otherwise, that will affect the assigned rating information post-release.“

Editor’s Note: It seems the PEGI rating system has also taken steps for this. You can find out more on these steps, from their personal statement on the matter.

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