In Wake of Lootbox Outcry, ESRB Moves to Label Games With In-Game Purchases

As lootboxes have increasingly fallen on the radar of gamers looking for complete experiences that they don't need to invest a kidney to unlock the full content that's being "offered", the ESRB has moved to include a label on all future game releases that features in-game purchases of any kind. The new label will sit next to the age rating, but separate from the other content warning labels - such as graphical violence, nudity, and others. Its aim? To keep users "well-informed" on the content purchases that are included with the full game. Strangely, the label will not discriminate different types of content - so a game that has a dreaded lootbox system such as Star Wars: Battlefront II, or a well-implemented, non-obtrusive one such as Gwent, will see exactly the same label. As the ESRB puts it, any in-game transaction may live inside this label, such as "bonus levels, skins, surprise items (such as item packs, loot boxes, mystery awards), music, virtual coins and other forms of in-game currency, subscriptions, season passes and upgrades (e.g., to disable ads)". Talk about an informed customer decision.

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A new website, dubbed ParentalTools.org, is being launched by ESRB, which aims to educate users (be it gamers or parents) on the ratings system in more detail, whilst also giving parents information on how to set up parental controls on popular gaming devices. This is because, as ESRB President Patricia Vance told Ars Technica, "a large majority of parents don't know what a loot box is". Instead, "parents need simple information (...) We can't overwhelm them with a lot of detail. We need to be clear, concise, and make it easy for them. We have not found that parents are differentiating between a lot of these different mechanics." Vance also noted that the ESRB's research found nine out of ten parents required children to have permission before making any in-game purchase, suggesting that a general warning would help "the vast majority of parents out there."



Pouring some more gasoline to the fire, ESRB's Patricia Vance said that "We think [loot boxes are] a fun way to acquire virtual items for use within the game, to personalize your experience," she said. While "obviously there's an element of surprise in loot boxes, just like with baseball trading cards." And well, that doesn't solve anything.

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