Games with loot boxes to be given 16 age rating

PEGI, the pan-European system for age classification of video games has announced that games with paid random items, or ‘loot boxes’, will have a minimum rating of 16-years-old or older. The new criteria will come into force in June.

Loot boxes are a feature of some video games that allow the player to buy random mystery items. Users pay with real money or virtual currency but do not know what item they will receive until they have made their purchase. Under the new criteria published by PEGI, games that feature paid random mystery purchases will have a minimum 16 rating, which may rise to an 18 or over rating for some titles. Loot boxes occur in many popular games, including EA Sports FC, which will mean that these games will have a much higher ager rating than previously.

PEGI said that the “substantive change for the PEGI age rating system will help bolster online safety and meet the concerns and questions of today’s parents.”

Research has found that loot boxes blur the boundaries between games and gambling. A study by Dr Ruijie Wang from Bournemouth University discovered half of loot box users displayed some level of gambling risk, even though loot boxes are not officially classified as gambling in the UK.

Dr Wang said: “They are often used in video games aimed at young people, allowing players to pay for random prizes like in-game items and progress in the game. But they can blur the line between playing and gambling because players spend money without knowing what they will receive, which can lead to impulsive spending and addiction.”

Dr Wang commented: “Recognising loot boxes as a risk factor in age ratings is an important step towards reflecting the realities of modern game design, helping to provide parents with clearer signals about potential harms”.

Chief Executive of Young Gamers & Gamblers Education Trust, Emily Tofield, said that the new rules were a “step in the right direction” but argued that a PEGI 18 rating should be applied retrospectively to existing games. “Without applying the rules to current games the policy will do little to protect the children who are already playing them,” she said.