Starting this week.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/19870126

The Australian Government has announced changes to the way video games are classified in Australia. Starting from September 22nd, 2024, two new rules will apply to games that include “in-game purchases with an element of chance,” such as loot boxes [now M], and games that feature “simulated gambling,” like casino games [now R18+].

  • NaevaTheRat@vegantheoryclub.orgEnglish
    7·
    1 day ago

    Why?

    Put aside your nostalgia for the game for a minute. Wouldn’t it be better if the game didn’t feature the slot machines? They’re

    a) not important mechanically, narratively, or artistically.

    b) presenting something socially harmful and addictive with absolutely zero context as to those harms.

    c) Potentially some of a generation’s earliest exposure to gambling, and presented as an annodyne game with some mechanical benefits to playing.

    The goal isn’t to keep Pokémon out of the hands of kids, it’s to encourage people to not include this stuff in children’s games. Imagine if you could just light a ciggy at some point in the game to give your Pokémon 5 experience points or whatever, it’s a completely gratuitous and possibly harmful.

    • TassieTosser@aussie.zone
      4·
      1 day ago

      Iirc the slots got you rare pokemon and skills as prizes. Including one exclusive pokemon. So it’s actively detrimental since it conditions kids to accept gambling as normal.

    • C126@sh.itjust.works
      22·
      1 day ago

      Thank you government for protecting our children from Pokémon slots. I for one, can trace back my life going downhill to the exact moment I played slots in Pokémon red to get a Porygon. I often wonder what my life would be like if I hadn’t been introduced to such contemptible content at such a young age. Thanks to strong government oversight, our children won’t have to suffer these horrors.