It’s easy to find individuals who game in the crowd. All you need to do is shout ‘video game loot boxes‘ and you’ll hear the angry cries of the furious turn towards you, each one with an opinion that isn’t quite like the person beside them. However, PEGI, the European rating board, has their own opinion when it comes to loot boxes and in-game purchase — an opinion that’ll change how UK video game boxes present monetization in games forever.
According to the official PEGI website, the company will begin to include new content “descriptor icons” on physical versions of video games to inform parents, as well as the customers themselves, that certain games have the option of spending real-life money after the initial retail purchase. While this may seem like overkill, PEGI stated that a “consumer survey by Ipsos recently showed that 2 in 5 parents of children that play games indicate that their child spends money in-game.” So, perhaps this is a case of PEGI wanting to be safe rather than sorry.
Simon Little, the Managing Director of PEGI S.A, also went on further to say that the reason these icons will be included on video game boxes is to help parents become more aware. “Making parents aware of the existence of optional in-game purchases upfront is an important first step.” He continued, “PEGI will now make this information available at the point of purchase so that a parent can decide whether and how they want to monitor and/or limit a child’s spending.”
Having a card linked to a PS, Xbox, Steam or Nintendo account is remarkably easy, and thus the chance of incidents where a child (or even an adult) has spent so much that it becomes a threat to your domestic life is a possibility.
“It’s basic information,” Little concluded, “but that’s what parents sometimes feel they are lacking.”
