The ESRB has finally made a decision regarding those loot boxes and microtransactions we all love so much.
As of today, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB for short) said they'll start adding an “In-Game Purchases” label to any game that lets you pay actual money for in-game items. I hope they have a lot of stickers. According to a press release, the ESRB will affix the label to any game that has "bonus levels, skins, surprise items (i.e., loot boxes, mystery awards), music, virtual coins and other forms of in-game currency, subscriptions, season passes and upgrades.” Basically, any game where you can buy something through a menu will get a sticker.
This is aimed at parents who need to know that their kids can spend a ton of money while they are not paying attention. When asked specifically about loot boxes, ESRB president Patricia Vance said, “I’m sure you’re all asking why aren’t we doing something more specific to loot boxes. We’ve done a lot of research over the past several weeks and months, particularly among parents. What we’ve learned is that a large majority of parents don’t know what a loot box is. Even those who claim they do, don’t really understand what a loot box is. So it’s very important for us to not harp on loot boxes per se, to make sure that we’re capturing loot boxes, but also other in-game transactions.”
While this is... well, something, it sounds to me like they are going to slap a sticker on almost every game coming out from now until the dawn of time. But, hey guys! Don't forget to pre-order the next EA and Ubisoft title! Then hustle back home to complain about how those companies are ruining the gaming industry!
Job?
Well done.
