BALATRO is one of the best games of the year with millions of players, offering an excellent game at an affordable price.
The Poker roguelike that was developed by just one person picked up numerous accolades this year, winning three prizes at The Game Awards.
Balatro asks you to play Poker hands but you don’t bet with either real or in-game currencies[/caption]
Games like EA Sports FC ask players to spend real money to purchase Ultimate Packs which have random cards inside[/caption]
Another example is TCG Pocket where you grab different cards in each pack[/caption]
This was matched only by Metaphor: ReFantazio and Astro Bot, which picked up four awards each.
Balatro has a PEGI – the age ratings board for Europe – age rating of 18, as it includes a guide to the various Poker hands and teaches you which cards can make them.
However, while the game is based on Poker, you don’t bet or play against others; instead, you try to create a high score by adding multipliers to your cards.
Balatro bears a passing resemblance to Poker in that the cards you play are loosely based on the various Poker hands.
Balatro creator LocalThunk wrote “Since PEGI gave us an 18+ rating for having evil playing cards, maybe I should add microtransactions/loot boxes/real gambling to lower that rating to 3+ like EA Sports FC.”
This is a reference to the Ultimate Packs featured in EA FC games, which can be purchased with real money.
Different cards can appear in Ultimate Packs, making them similar to loot boxes that are viewed by many as gambling.
PEGI notes that EA FC includes in-game purchases that contain random items, but has still given the game a 3+ rating.
EA FC – and previously FIFA games – have come under scrutiny in European countries like the Netherlands and Belgium, which have strict gambling laws.
In the Netherlands, games where you can buy card packs with random items, like TCG Pocket, are illegal.
Despite the links between Ultimate Packs and gambling, PEGI has still rated EA FC suitable for very young children.
The age rating board does concede that: “Parents, carers or other responsible adults should check to see what is being offered before making any purchase on behalf of a child.”
Child Gambling
In modern times gambling takes on many different forms and is no longer stuck in casinos and bookies.
People can gamble online with constant adverts for betting apps flooding sites like YouTube.
Balatro doesn’t have any in-game purchases, and doesn’t even include wagers for fake in-game currencies.
There needs to be more awareness of the different forms of gambling, such as loot boxes and online apps so that young people can understand what they are getting involved with.
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