The famous producer went crazy when his game was listed as ‘+18’!

The famous card game Balatro, which was one of the games that left its mark on the ceremony within the scope of The Game Awards 2024, which was held last week and Astro Bot won the Game of the Year award, is on the agenda these days with very interesting news: The game received the 18+ rating by the evaluation committee and the famous producer LocalThunk, literally he opened his mouth and closed his eyes… Here are the details!

Producer: “Should I have added real gambling?!”

LocalThunk made harsh statements on X (formerly Twitter) after PEGI’s decision. The producer said the following in a post full of irony: “PEGI gave Balatro +18 for containing evil cards. Maybe I should add microtransactions, loot boxes, and real gambling. So my game gets 3+ like EA Sports FC.“

The reason why Balatro is rated +18 by PEGI is that it teaches the poker mechanics of the game. PEGI states that the game teaches poker skills with its visuals, information and gameplay, and that this information can be translated into real-life gambling.

LocalThunk’s main anger is directed towards games such as EA Sports FC. Because EA’s games, which include random card packs and micropayments, are considered suitable for children and are released to the market with a 3+ rating. Drawing attention to this contradiction, the producer “Games with real gambling mechanics are given a 3+, but a game like Balatro is given a +18. If other games were rated correctly, I’d happily accept this odd +18. The red logo doesn’t look bad actually.” he said.

According to PEGI’s system, since 2020, games that are considered to teach gambling automatically fall into the +18 classification. Although Balatro teaches partial poker rules, he does not encourage actual gambling. Despite this, many studies have proven that the random reward mechanics of games such as EA Sports FC cause players to spend real money and are associated with gambling addiction.

So, do you think such systems need to be regulated in the gaming world? Is it correct that the game is listed as 18+? Don’t forget to share your opinions with us!