Why the f**k did PEGI give balatro an 18+ rating?

[Anamonator]

the esrb gave this game an e10 for having gambling themes which is reasonable but the only reason Europe gave it an 18 rating was because of “evil playing cards” that is so stupid for them to do yet games from EA have look boxes and a hell of a lot of micro transactions and those games get a 3 rating from pegi. I’m so glad America and other countries like Australia had enough sense to give it a e10 and pg rating. I’m glad I’m in America and I can play this game with its correct rating.

[BlueMonday1984]

I went and checked PEGI's official site and holy shit this is some impressive cope:

This game teaches - by way of images, information and gameplay - skills and knowledge that are used in poker. During gameplay, the player is rewarded with ‘chips’ for playing certain hands. The player is able to access a list of poker hand names. As the player hovers over these poker hands, the game explains what types of cards the player would need in order to play certain hands. As the game goes on, the player becomes increasingly familiar with which hands would earn more points. Because these are hands that exist in the real world, this knowledge and skill could be transferred to a real-life game of poker.

I'll give the game's dev props for making a hilarious roast of PEGI in response:

(And, because this bears driving home, EA Sports FC 25 did get a PEGI 3 despite the gambling.)

[DioShiba]

Its no different from why the game corner got removed from pokemon internationally thanks to PEGI.

They are that anal about making sure kids don't get into gambling since it generally involves money and risk. Since in game currency is used its not like kids can't figure out how it works when they become adults with real world currency.

[Chdonga]

Gambling gives games an insta 18+ rating in Europe. Doesn't matter if it's simulated gambling or not.

[xeiavica]

At 12/16/24 07:29 PM, Chdonga wrote:Gambling gives games an insta 18+ rating in Europe. Doesn't matter if it's simulated gambling or not.

They better not have done that with poker night at the inventory.

[orangebomb]

Europe: Gambling in games is only for adults.

Also in Europe: Kids can go into football stadiums that have gambling ads on rotation.

Awkward double standard.

[Painbringer]

At 12/16/24 09:36 PM, orangebomb wrote:Europe: Gambling in games is only for adults.
Also in Europe: Kids can go into football stadiums that have gambling ads on rotation.

Awkward double standard.

That would be like saying beer commercials on TV should be banned because kids are watching.

Also, Windows (Vegas) Solitaire didn't have a rating.

[Jin]

Make gacha and loot boxes 18+. Problem solved.

[Jin]

Make every game 18+.

[BoiledMilkz]

TLDR: PEGI raters play the first 1-2 minutes of a game.

[DevilRat]

At 12/16/24 07:29 PM, Chdonga wrote:Gambling gives games an insta 18+ rating in Europe. Doesn't matter if it's simulated gambling or not.

I agree hardcore with PEGI on this. I see it... If you have a lootbox or " surprise mechanic " as EA says... Instant 18+, yes this means gacha games in my opinion. Instant 18+, even Roblox by extension if they aren't going to nuke their gambling lootbox filled games with chances. Gambling and lootboxes should not be tollerated at all.

I do not support censorship, but this is money we are talking about. The mobile marketplace needs an atomic bomb dropped on it in my opinion. As freemium games should be very transparent about digital currency, ban paying for digital currency, make it direct to wallet and allow a free currency, if it can be earned without any sort of disattachment and hard to keep track of system.

To make this clear. If digital currency can be earned, then thus an item can be there without issues, but if it is a premium currency only item, ban it from ever being enabled to be allowed to use a premium currency, but (whatever the country's currency is ) Euros, Pesos, Dollars, En ( Yen ), and so on. Try to purposely make it clear as possible between Flash Game, true F2P, F2P with paid elements, and P2Win.

For context TF2 I would be okay with ( it is for adults ) as 1. It uses a direct paid access and no Gacha system problems unlike a game like Rockman X Dive Online or other Gachas. I would say, a game like Genshin Impact would be forced to be adult in my opinion for the amount of currencies and more just for the chance to gamble on characters and items.

I do not support RNG with digital currencies involved at all.

Minutes Later: I thought it was a mobile game... My bad as it looked like a solitaire clone that had MTX with nice visuals. Poor creator.

[DevilRat]

At 12/17/24 07:40 AM, Jin wrote:Make gacha and loot boxes 18+. Problem solved.

I detest mobile gaming due to this simple problem. The problem is the userbase with mobile unlike consoles or PC's. They weren't willing to purchase games at a dollar. Literally the cheapest game platform during pre-2010's!

[DevilRat]

At 12/17/24 10:27 AM, BoiledMilkz wrote:TLDR: PEGI raters play the first 1-2 minutes of a game.

To be fair, PEGI seem to be not as corrupt as ESRB that has a person from EA working for them, but... Balatro being banned for Europe seems "misunderstood", but Cero has been getting stricter though. I would say, a teen rating is a compromise, but gambling is something that does concern me. I didn't know this was a rogue like.

Okay, PEGI is a conflict of interest due to allowing 3+ ratings for sports games that are just gambling simulators. 18+ Rating to me is "Gore? Nudity? Love Making?"... I am always a little concerned for how strict certain places are with adult games on steam though.

[alsoknownas1]

At 12/16/24 05:50 PM, TheThread wrote:[mostly cope]

The usual way that the people who hate you control your media is via the banking and patronage system. Since localthunk slipped through the cracks by having a low budget and basically being a one man operation, the "self" regulation of the industry was brought to bear.

Should localthunk continue to meddle with the primal forces of nature, ginned up charges of ism and being an ist will be used to pressure a sale and aid the cultural concensus that he simply "got lucky" and big corp is the better steward of his IP.

This may seem to be a reductive way of thinking but as shown by all the people performing cognitive back flips in this thread to maintain a less nihilist world view: it is highly predictive and doesn't need complicated "epicycles" like "well, you see Europe hates gambling except when it doesn't".

[TheJayJay]

At 12/16/24 05:50 PM, Anamonator wrote:

the esrb gave this game an e10 for having gambling themes which is reasonable but the only reason Europe gave it an 18 rating was because of “evil playing cards” that is so stupid for them to do yet games from EA have look boxes and a hell of a lot of micro transactions and those games get a 3 rating from pegi. I’m so glad America and other countries like Australia had enough sense to give it a e10 and pg rating. I’m glad I’m in America and I can play this game with its correct rating.

First of all, you don't have to censor yourself swearing on the internet, your mum isn't going to see it (if it was for comedic effect then fair enough)

Second of all...yeah.

[ZombieGhost]

Reminds me of when the anime Ninja Scroll got rated E. I swear these raters are smoking some shitty weed

and just put whatever the fuck they want on the already obscure things.

[Yomuchan]

At 12/16/24 07:29 PM, Chdonga wrote:Gambling gives games an insta 18+ rating in Europe. Doesn't matter if it's simulated gambling or not.

So basically, all I have to do to get the coveted rating is to add a casino/gambling parlor anywhere in game? Do I get the rating even if it doesn't use real world money?

[DaRealPizzaMan]

Because Balatro has alot of sex

[alsoknownas1]

At 12/19/24 01:48 AM, Yomuchan wrote:So basically, all I have to do to get the coveted rating is to add a casino/gambling parlor anywhere in game? Do I get the rating even if it doesn't use real world money?

Your suggestion is not a hypothetical. People have posted lists of games with casino areas, bonus games of blackjack, etc. that have received lower PEGI ratings. Most offensively of course is that games with literal gambling (ie you pay money for a random chance at something of value) have also been rated lower. Some EA games rated lower even have secondary marketplaces where you can literally cash in your winnings!

It's demonstrably not the case that there is some kind of zero-tolerance objective rule regarding gambling that results in an "automatic" rating. Counter-examples to all of PEGI's public statements regarding Balatro exist. PEGI is simply corrupt.

[NikoN1nja]

I've heard it's addictive, but damn is it THAT bad?

[Chdonga]

At 12/19/24 01:48 AM, Yomuchan wrote:

At 12/16/24 07:29 PM, Chdonga wrote:Gambling gives games an insta 18+ rating in Europe. Doesn't matter if it's simulated gambling or not.

So basically, all I have to do to get the coveted rating is to add a casino/gambling parlor anywhere in game? Do I get the rating even if it doesn't use real world money?

When they were porting some of the older Pokemon games to 3DS they got bumped up to 13+ because of the Game Corner. It doesn't matter if you are using fake money or if your only form of rewards are various collectable magical creatures. The European ratings board fears the virtual slots.

[alsoknownas1]

At 12/19/24 06:15 AM, Chdonga wrote:When they were porting some of the older Pokemon games to 3DS they got bumped up to 13+ because of the Game Corner. It doesn't matter if you are using fake money or if your only form of rewards are various collectable magical creatures. The European ratings board fears the virtual slots.

To point out the obvious, 13+ is not 18+. And speaking of lesser ratings "The Four Kings Casino and Slots" received a PEGI 12. Do you think this might have virtual slots:

The game contains tutorials and hence "teaches gambling mechanics" the charge against Balatro that for some reason doesn't apply when it's a bigger dev (Digital Leisure). PEGI doesn't fear virtual slots, they fear a free market.

[Anamonator]

At 12/19/24 06:27 AM, alsoknownas1 wrote:

At 12/19/24 06:15 AM, Chdonga wrote:When they were porting some of the older Pokemon games to 3DS they got bumped up to 13+ because of the Game Corner. It doesn't matter if you are using fake money or if your only form of rewards are various collectable magical creatures. The European ratings board fears the virtual slots.

To point out the obvious, 13+ is not 18+. And speaking of lesser ratings "The Four
Kings Casino and Slots" received a PEGI 12. Do you think this might have virtual slots:


The game contains tutorials and hence "teaches gambling mechanics" the charge against Balatro that for some reason doesn't apply when it's a bigger dev (Digital Leisure). PEGI doesn't fear virtual slots, they fear a free market.

I remember this game. I never played it I just saw it on the Nintendo eShop one time.

[Swordser15]

Yeah, this is just so stupid. Kids will obviously come into contact with gambling at a young age. Heck, I first heard about it when I was thought for religious reasons that it's bad. Bad of course having microtransactions or even random toy picks like those Kinder Eggs or Gatchapons is not considered inappropriate for a child.

To be honest, I have a weird interest in the ESRB system for whatever reason, probably because they make the box art of the game looks nice, and find it a good guide to see what the game has that may peak my interest whether I want some form of violence.

[BickerySebastian]

At 12/16/24 05:50 PM, Anamonator wrote:

the esrb gave this game an e10 for having gambling themes which is reasonable but the only reason Europe gave it an 18 rating was because of “evil playing cards” that is so stupid for them to do yet games from EA have look boxes and a hell of a lot of micro transactions and those games get a 3 rating from pegi. I’m so glad America and other countries like Australia had enough sense to give it a e10 and pg rating. I’m glad I’m in America and I can play this game with its correct rating.

Oh hello "Why the f**k did Russia give Miitopia an 18+ rating"! Fancy seeing you here at 2024!

...Yeah, non-ESRB ratings are a complete bitch. Did you know that Game Corners in Pokemon actually gave the games a PEGI +13 before gambling made the games a PEGI 18? This is why Game Corners have been changed in Heart Gold and Soul Silver to have Voltorb Flip for Korean and western releases of the game or outright removed or changed into something else. Personally, I don't really like casino games in Pokemon mainly because there's not really a reward for playing luck-based games for a TM. If there was poker, okay sure, I'm down, but there's no goddamn moment you catch me playing roulette in the Mauville Game Corner WITHOUT an emulator with save states. They never made the Game Corners fun enough to play compared to say Luigi's minigames in New Super Mario Bros./Super Mario 64 DS because who the genuine hell would love to play the slots OR roulette with worse odds because picking a color is a guranteed 1/3?

[Anamonator]

At 12/19/24 11:56 PM, BickerySebastian wrote:

At 12/16/24 05:50 PM, Anamonator wrote:

the esrb gave this game an e10 for having gambling themes which is reasonable but the only reason Europe gave it an 18 rating was because of “evil playing cards” that is so stupid for them to do yet games from EA have look boxes and a hell of a lot of micro transactions and those games get a 3 rating from pegi. I’m so glad America and other countries like Australia had enough sense to give it a e10 and pg rating. I’m glad I’m in America and I can play this game with its correct rating.

Oh hello "Why the f**k did Russia give Miitopia an 18+ rating"! Fancy seeing you here at 2024!
...Yeah, non-ESRB ratings are a complete bitch. Did you know that Game Corners in Pokemon actually gave the games a PEGI +13 before gambling made the games a PEGI 18? This is why Game Corners have been changed in Heart Gold and Soul Silver to have Voltorb Flip for Korean and western releases of the game or outright removed or changed into something else. Personally, I don't really like casino games in Pokemon mainly because there's not really a reward for playing luck-based games for a TM. If there was poker, okay sure, I'm down, but there's no goddamn moment you catch me playing roulette in the Mauville Game Corner WITHOUT an emulator with save states. They never made the Game Corners fun enough to play compared to say Luigi's minigames in New Super Mario Bros./Super Mario 64 DS because who the genuine hell would love to play the slots OR roulette with worse odds because picking a color is a guranteed 1/3?

I knew someone was gonna mention miitopia in this thread

[Marc-Ant]

Not sure if people had talked about this, but just a few days ago, PEGI have finally decided to lower Balatro age rating to a 12+ rating. https://kotaku.com/balatro-18-pegi-rating-wrong-changed-12-esrb-europe-1851766176 Still find it crazy how games with loot boxes/actual gambling in sports games got it easier than a game that very much adds a twist to poker and does not use real money.

[Anamonator]

At 3/2/25 01:00 PM, Marc-Ant wrote:Not sure if people had talked about this, but just a few days ago, PEGI have finally decided to lower Balatro age rating to a 12+ rating. https://kotaku.com/balatro-18-pegi-rating-wrong-changed-12-esrb-europe-1851766176 Still find it crazy how games with loot boxes/actual gambling in sports games got it easier than a game that very much adds a twist to poker and does not use real money.

Oh thank god

[5ERGEI]

Rating systems have always been a total joke.

Goldeneye 007 was Rated T for Teen when you are expected to straight up shoot (human) people in the head with guns.

[Anamonator]

At 3/3/25 12:27 AM, 5ERGEI wrote:Rating systems have always been a total joke.

Goldeneye 007 was Rated T for Teen when you are expected to straight up shoot (human) people in the head with guns.

The movie that it was based off of was rated pg-13. So in that case, I think this game rating is just fine.