i think it's clear from this these regulatory bodies primarily function to help the industry make money. indies can sometimes get co-signs from these bodies, but only if they stay in their lane. balatro has been a huge smash hit, and it feels like this body just wants to keep it down that little bit
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I’m willing to bet PEGI was lobbied to push for that 18+ rating by ea and other publishers because balatro is taking revenue from them. They don’t get how a game without microtransactions is doing better than they are
You didn't ask the question the ea way.
You're supposed to ask with a hefty bribe.
Don't need a bribe when EA is the one on the board doing the ratings.
Baltaro devs may need to invest in gambling to earn enough money to bribe PEGI the way EA almost certainly does.
What do you mean, almost? EA is literally a member of Video Games Europe, the organization which manages PEGI.
So, we're moving on from bribery and straight to conflict of interest?
Seems like an advertising opportunity. First solitaire game rated 18+ without any gambling, I assume no nudity, language, etc.
There's actually lots of foul language while playing Balatro, but it all comes from the person playing, not the game itself.
Learning the names and ranking of poker hands is the devil!
Dragon Quest 11 has a T-for-Teen rating and it's got a literal casino built into the game. Roulette, poker, and slot machines. This isn't even uncommon for JRPGs. Curious how the ratings agencies just glaze over this fact when assigning their scores.
This is the part I can't figure out. It's not just indie games: ages ago, Pokémon dropped the casinos from their games specifically to avoid having their age rating bumped in NA and EU. So clearly they sometimes account for gambling in side content. But somehow other franchises have kept them in, and aren't suffering.
Does it just depend on whether or not the particular person assigned to review your game is a hardass about particular things?
What does this mean practically? Are they not allowed to sell it some places anymore if it's 18+?
Theoretically stores in Europe are forbidden from selling 18+ games to underage customers.
Practically, almost no one follows this. Although digital storefronts like Steam do, some parents do, and more importantly there could be age restrictions on Youtube and Twitch gameplays.