The Albanese Government has unleashed the beast, detailing a range of changes to the National Classification Scheme that will take aim at titles that contain Loot Boxes, Simulated Gambling or any combination thereof.
In a press release from Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland, our sunburnt country will be seeking cooperation from all States and Territories to adjust existing ratings for interactive media to reflect the following:
Introduce a mandatory minimum classification of R 18+ (Restricted to 18 and over) for games which contain simulated gambling and M (Mature – not recommended for persons under 15 years) for computer games containing paid loot boxes.
While not a bulletproof solution, it will absolutely provide a noticeable hurdle for purchasing games that employ these mechanics – even just to prompt some frank discussions from parents when their attempts to buy a game for lil’ Billy and are met with resistance.
Loot Boxes have been desperately in need of regulation for a long while now
Australia’s classification system has long been a bit of a limp one (Seriously we only implemented an R18+ rating for games in 2013, but still outright refuse classification for some games) but actions like this at least show some awareness of conversations that are occurring within the gaming industry. The loot box discussion has gone way past it’s fever pitch – but the topic of gambling within games, particular when paired with the topic of gambling within Australia as a whole is a very relevant ones. On a world stage, Australia leads the world in many shameful metrics when it comes to it’s gambling industry – with a study showing that Aussies have the greatest percentage of gambling losses in the world.
While the majority of our gambling issues clearly revolve around poker machines and freedom of marketing, some restraint on the impact on a younger audience may have beneficial long term effects.
The Yakuza series of course makes reference to gambling practices, but not as a core focus
For some, they may see a clear distinction between games that have a focus on gambling and games that may incorporate a reference to gambling. Within the context, a game that is wholly based around using slot machines vastly differs from one that may reference them briefly – does Pokémon deserve a R18+ due to the presence of the Game Corner, given it’s both optional and a very minor part of the game? What about the Yakuza series?
It is an interesting development that is well worth keeping an eye on, if only to see how the implementation of such classifications impacts sales of certain titles within Australia.
How do you feel about these changes for Australian Classifications? Let us know in the comments or on our social media.
