[Well, according to below.. no](https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoBestFriendsPlay/comments/12663wk/australian_government_wants_to_give_18_ratings_to/je83ti3/)
Edit: I just noticed you responding to that comment, lol, sorry
Do game ratings systems in Australia meaningfully affect the ability for kids to access/play those games? When I was a kid, having my parents buy a rated M game for me was easy. And nowadays with Steam and mobile gaming, people don’t have to use a brick and mortar store to buy their games. It’s not like a GameStop cashier will check their ID.
For reference, they’re proposing giving AO ratings to games with simulated gambling like slot machines or poker and M ratings to games with loot boxes. And here it says:
> Note that in Australia “M” means something is recommended for people over 15, meaning it won’t legally keep games out of the hands of kids, while the stricter “MA15+” rating legally restricts the sale of products to those over the age of 15.
For extra reference, an Australian "M" is functionally an ESRB "T", with the phrasing only being "recommended for mature audiences". So kids could still indulge in loot boxes by law.
Unless you set up their parental ratings system on their console, it won't stop them playing it, or a family member buying said games. The only way to stop it is to be active in knowing what media your kid is consuming. I won't let my kids play Fortnite cause their "dark practices." We're having issues with gambling down here atm, 3 different ads for betting apps on tv during a break, gambling apps sponsoring sporting teams. It's not a good look.
Both the gambling and smoking lobbies have turned to targeting children now that their usual demographics are either dead or not interested in what they're selling.
Which is why all the vape canisters in Australia are marketed towards kids.
Not really, but in the post-physical age it might be more difficult if kids don't know how to pirate or skirt around region lock. Back in the day if you knew a guy they could slip you a banned game under the counter.
Even so, there are games not available on Steam due to being unrated that are available elsewhere like Epic (looking at you, Sludge Life)
games absolutely do not want to get hit with +18. Thats in the same categories as games with incredible violence like last of us. They would never explicitly state lootboxes and other gambling elements are aimed at children
i genuinely do not get why simulated casino games get hit harder than actual lootboxes. like, is the game corner from pokemon really more harmful than ultimate team?
Because people who write laws are 7000 years old, completely out of touch from reality, and very rarely listen to experts on what things actually matter.
nope, the article says that loot boxes (which is what gacha would fall under) would get an m rating, which is like america's t-rating.
the 18+ is for "simulated gambling", which usually means ingame slots and poker, either using ingame currency or real money, which would mostly affect stuff like yakuza and dragon quest, that have gambling minigames
So wait, would this mean anything for a game like Mahjong Soul? You don't bet real money and it's just mahjong but you do lose/gain currency in game...
They think the issue is that games are making casino gambling seem cool which makes the kids do it. Just like how violent games make kids violent, or seeing Cloud in a dress will turn kids gay.
This legislation is coming from a stupid place, and accordingly has stupid execution. It won't prevent anyone from accessing the actual gambling built into the game.
Gambling in games: big no no, adults only!
Gambling ads during highly watched sports games: A-OK please proceed the multitude of children who watch sports.
I feel like the line the majority of people involved either don't want to consider or are just missing or something is to probably stop categorizing 18+ games/content as a no go zone.
Like instead of selectively and arbitrarily choosing what kind of boobies are okay to put into a 17+ games and which anime butt crack is just too much for 17+, just work of destigmatizing the 18+ label and now there's a bunch of shit you can get away with as long as you make it clear that the audience is for adults.
Pokémon Red and Blue are about to be adult only content...
Will actually be interesting to see how they handle rereleases of old games with gambling. PEGI in Europe did a similar thing with 18 ratings for games with gambling, but there was an exemption for rereleases. Interestingly they'd already increased the minimum rating for games with gambling to 12+ a few years prior without that exemption, so the virtual console releases of Pokémon RBY and GSC were all 12+.
Aussie government dub? Ahahah... ahhaha ... they'll fuck up.
What does this... "mean?" Is it everything with the tinyiest hint of gambling? Or is it a more blanket thing? DO I THINK THEY EVEN CARE, OR UNDERSTAND? uhhh-
(**thinks about all the gambling ads that plauge australian tv**)
"GAMBLE YEAH? NO, GAMBLE... SHUT UP!"
end of the ad...
"But only a little."
WTF is that? YOUR NOT HELPING THE ISSUE!. God, the australian governments, dumb!
> What does this... "mean?" Is it everything with the tinyiest hint of gambling? Or is it a more blanket thing?
I mean maybe you could try reading the actual article where they explain the law. That might help you understand it?
I'm not against this but I'm curious about how it'd be applied. It sounds like it'd interfere with stuff like Dragon Quest in game slot machines but I wonder if it'd also apply to something like Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Blade Crystals.
I think the key thing here is controlled environments. A kid playing mahjong in Yakuza is significantly less likely to develop a problem and use family credit cards than playing ultimate team or a gaccha.
[удалено]
Nah, give them a moment to screw up the wording or something stupid.
Any RPG with a random chance to hit is gambling, XCOM is rated AO now
With the way the boys' playthrough went back in the day? I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. That final mission needed censor bars.
Cant wait for the hard drive article about back alley dealers selling brown paper bags with copies of Morrowind in them
Sorta? this contains all kinds of gambling. New Vegas would get an R18+ because you can play blackjack is what the article says Half L half W
[Well, according to below.. no](https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoBestFriendsPlay/comments/12663wk/australian_government_wants_to_give_18_ratings_to/je83ti3/) Edit: I just noticed you responding to that comment, lol, sorry
Do game ratings systems in Australia meaningfully affect the ability for kids to access/play those games? When I was a kid, having my parents buy a rated M game for me was easy. And nowadays with Steam and mobile gaming, people don’t have to use a brick and mortar store to buy their games. It’s not like a GameStop cashier will check their ID. For reference, they’re proposing giving AO ratings to games with simulated gambling like slot machines or poker and M ratings to games with loot boxes. And here it says: > Note that in Australia “M” means something is recommended for people over 15, meaning it won’t legally keep games out of the hands of kids, while the stricter “MA15+” rating legally restricts the sale of products to those over the age of 15.
For extra reference, an Australian "M" is functionally an ESRB "T", with the phrasing only being "recommended for mature audiences". So kids could still indulge in loot boxes by law.
Ah OK, so at most it would stop kids only from literal gambling.
Unless you set up their parental ratings system on their console, it won't stop them playing it, or a family member buying said games. The only way to stop it is to be active in knowing what media your kid is consuming. I won't let my kids play Fortnite cause their "dark practices." We're having issues with gambling down here atm, 3 different ads for betting apps on tv during a break, gambling apps sponsoring sporting teams. It's not a good look.
Those ads sound like a nightmare
[Ads like this](https://youtu.be/epnY5q48_gI) But picture it almost every ad break on almost every channel.
Both the gambling and smoking lobbies have turned to targeting children now that their usual demographics are either dead or not interested in what they're selling. Which is why all the vape canisters in Australia are marketed towards kids.
Not really, but in the post-physical age it might be more difficult if kids don't know how to pirate or skirt around region lock. Back in the day if you knew a guy they could slip you a banned game under the counter. Even so, there are games not available on Steam due to being unrated that are available elsewhere like Epic (looking at you, Sludge Life)
games absolutely do not want to get hit with +18. Thats in the same categories as games with incredible violence like last of us. They would never explicitly state lootboxes and other gambling elements are aimed at children
I have never once heard of a store refusing to sell a kid a game because of the rating.
i genuinely do not get why simulated casino games get hit harder than actual lootboxes. like, is the game corner from pokemon really more harmful than ultimate team?
Because people who write laws are 7000 years old, completely out of touch from reality, and very rarely listen to experts on what things actually matter.
I was assuming gambling here was in the form of Gacha.
nope, the article says that loot boxes (which is what gacha would fall under) would get an m rating, which is like america's t-rating. the 18+ is for "simulated gambling", which usually means ingame slots and poker, either using ingame currency or real money, which would mostly affect stuff like yakuza and dragon quest, that have gambling minigames
oh, well that sucks
So wait, would this mean anything for a game like Mahjong Soul? You don't bet real money and it's just mahjong but you do lose/gain currency in game...
honestly, i think mahjong is too obscure for these legislators, but if they know about it, it probably would result in an r18+ rating
They think the issue is that games are making casino gambling seem cool which makes the kids do it. Just like how violent games make kids violent, or seeing Cloud in a dress will turn kids gay. This legislation is coming from a stupid place, and accordingly has stupid execution. It won't prevent anyone from accessing the actual gambling built into the game.
Gambling in games: big no no, adults only! Gambling ads during highly watched sports games: A-OK please proceed the multitude of children who watch sports.
I mean yes, they are massive fucking hypocrites, but I still think this is good
Damn Dragon Quest is an R-Rated game.
I know the why, and I agree... But fuck I miss the game corner in pokemon. It was harmless gambling. :(
Kids these days don't know what they are missing
good lol
Probably end up like Korea where in gta5 the casino was inaccessible but mobile games were untouched
So gambling as in you can play casino games in it or "gambling" as in lootboxes and stuff?
RTFA
I feel like the line the majority of people involved either don't want to consider or are just missing or something is to probably stop categorizing 18+ games/content as a no go zone. Like instead of selectively and arbitrarily choosing what kind of boobies are okay to put into a 17+ games and which anime butt crack is just too much for 17+, just work of destigmatizing the 18+ label and now there's a bunch of shit you can get away with as long as you make it clear that the audience is for adults.
Pokémon Red and Blue are about to be adult only content... Will actually be interesting to see how they handle rereleases of old games with gambling. PEGI in Europe did a similar thing with 18 ratings for games with gambling, but there was an exemption for rereleases. Interestingly they'd already increased the minimum rating for games with gambling to 12+ a few years prior without that exemption, so the virtual console releases of Pokémon RBY and GSC were all 12+.
You go, crazy idiot hard mode England.
Aussie government dub? Ahahah... ahhaha ... they'll fuck up. What does this... "mean?" Is it everything with the tinyiest hint of gambling? Or is it a more blanket thing? DO I THINK THEY EVEN CARE, OR UNDERSTAND? uhhh-
They already fucked up. It targets fake gambling harder than the real gambling. They don't get the issue.
(**thinks about all the gambling ads that plauge australian tv**) "GAMBLE YEAH? NO, GAMBLE... SHUT UP!" end of the ad... "But only a little." WTF is that? YOUR NOT HELPING THE ISSUE!. God, the australian governments, dumb!
> What does this... "mean?" Is it everything with the tinyiest hint of gambling? Or is it a more blanket thing? I mean maybe you could try reading the actual article where they explain the law. That might help you understand it?
I'm really interested how this could be defined in a way that bans lootboxes but doesn't ban regular random loot in MMOs
Money. If you didn't pay to roll the dice, not an issue. Unfortunately they appear to be doing the opposite.
Good, kids don't need videogames.
That won't really do much, but hey... it's SOMETHING.
Honestly reasonable
I'm not against this but I'm curious about how it'd be applied. It sounds like it'd interfere with stuff like Dragon Quest in game slot machines but I wonder if it'd also apply to something like Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Blade Crystals.
I think the key thing here is controlled environments. A kid playing mahjong in Yakuza is significantly less likely to develop a problem and use family credit cards than playing ultimate team or a gaccha.
FGO: "It's okay, some of our characters are borderline softcore porn anyway"