The company in charge of classifying video games in the United States takes a step forward in the awareness and information of integrated purchases.
The ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board), the organization in charge of classifying video game content in North America, has unveiled its new allocation label focused on the presence of random content and integrated purchases in the titles; both in digital format and in the boxes that are sold in the countries where they operate: United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
The measure, which comes driven by a severe phase of reflection on the danger that the presence of so-called loot boxes or loot boxes (microtransactions, integrated purchases) may have among the smallest, will apply from now on in all video games classified by ESRB under the age recommendation and other relevant aspects.
The label will be independent of, for example, if verbal violence is exhibited in a video game, so that it will not overlap with other denominations in the event of having to select a single category among several characteristics, but there will be a dedicated space of its own for the so-called "In-Game Puchases (Includes Random Items").
ESRB
According to the ESRB, they have not used the name of "loot boxes" because there are parents – who these regulatory labels are aimed at – who do not know the meaning of this technicality, but they do know "Random Items", that is, " random objects ”. The warning emphasizes that this classification may appear whenever there is random content; regardless of its free or paid nature.
PEGI, the equivalent in Europe and the Middle East, has spent several months indicating in video games the presence of integrated purchases in video games; however, in this case the organism does not specify if they are random or not.
Coronavirus and video game classification worldwide
In addition to this information, both ESRB and PEGI have recently stated that the crisis caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) has not altered their daily work activity. In the two communiqués, it is therefore extracted that there will continue to be a classification of video game content in the coming months and, therefore, the possible delays of upcoming titles will not be due to a lack of classification.
CERO, the company in charge of these regulatory tasks in Japan, has completely stopped its activity until May 6, under the measure decreed by the country's Government. However, they warn of more than possible delays in the games planned for spring.
