Crazy. The benchmark for age ratings should be based in the game design, not solely aesthetics. Balatro doesn’t tell you to enter your credit card details and use psychologically manipulative tactics to maximise player spend, like other games good for ages 3+.
Of course, then PEGI would need to do some actual research into the games they’re rating.
My concern with poker has to do with betting, and therefore risk-taking, and Balatro doesn’t have that. Learning how poker hands work is an academic exercise, and I absolutely encourage it, since it’s such an important cultural thing (i.e. shows up in lots of movies).
Their reasoning is because it uses poker hands, it teaches you poker which could lead to gambling. Pretty ridiculous.
Crazy. The benchmark for age ratings should be based in the game design, not solely aesthetics. Balatro doesn’t tell you to enter your credit card details and use psychologically manipulative tactics to maximise player spend, like other games good for ages 3+.
Of course, then PEGI would need to do some actual research into the games they’re rating.
Yeah, the hands are what make poker dangerous…
My concern with poker has to do with betting, and therefore risk-taking, and Balatro doesn’t have that. Learning how poker hands work is an academic exercise, and I absolutely encourage it, since it’s such an important cultural thing (i.e. shows up in lots of movies).
So yeah, absolutely ridiculous.