Inspired by USK: Age rating system PEGI penalizes loot boxes

Video games with loot boxes will soon only be released from the age of 16 by the European age rating system PEGI. The association responsible for PEGI announced this in a press release. In the future, PEGI ratings will take into account game aspects that go beyond traditional testing criteria such as the level of violence.

PEGI stands for "Pan European Game Information" – it is the age rating system for video games used in large parts of Europe. One exception is Germany – here, the USK is responsible for age ratings. Following the amendment of the Youth Protection Act in 2021, the USK has already begun to consider loot boxes and other problematic game mechanics in its ratings.

The USK thus served as a role model for PEGI, writes PEGI Director Dirk Bosmans in the press release. "It was incredibly helpful to learn from the experiences of our colleagues in Germany." They are confident that PEGI's new testing criteria will equip parents and players with more transparency and more useful information about tested games.

Loot boxes from age 16

PEGI lists several concrete examples of how age ratings will change in the future: Games that offer in-game items limited by time or quantity will in future receive an age rating of at least 12 years. If NFTs play a role, the game will only be released from the age of 18. "Paid random items" in video games will automatically lead to a rating from 16 years – and in some cases even only from 18 years. This is even stricter than the USK, which rates loot box-heavy games like "EA Sports FC" from the age of 12. Previously, PEGI rated EA's football games from the age of 3.

Games that encourage players to play regularly with daily tasks or rewards will also be viewed more critically and will be rated at least from the age of 7. If players are even penalized for not playing regularly, titles will be rated from 12 years. PEGI is very strict with titles that do not adequately moderate their online communication. If players cannot be blocked or reported, a game will automatically be rated from 18 years.

Because the USK is responsible for rating video games in Germany, the PEGI changes have no immediate impact on the German market. However, the extended testing criteria are another example of regulators and legislators becoming more sensitive to exploitative mechanisms in video games. For example, Steam operator Valve was recently sued in New York for using loot boxes in its video games.

(dahe)