Australia may introduce stricter age ratings for games containing loot boxes, such as FIFA and NBA 2K, if changes proposed by the federal government are passed. The Albanese administration announced the terms of its revised national classification scheme yesterday, and among the changes are a minimum M rating for games containing pay-to-play loot boxes and a minimum R18+ rating for games containing "simulated gambling."

This means that any game that includes a loot box that can be purchased with real money can be imposed an M rating, even a good old soccer game like "FIFA," which in Australia is usually rated G (for general use). On the other hand, loot boxes can only be purchased with in-game currency, so games like "Hot Wheel Unleashed," the last game I played, are not affected.

As for what "simulated gambling" means, it refers to virtual "social casinos" or poker machines that can eat up real money (usually by purchasing virtual currency). According to the review document, it is "illegal [in Australia] for gambling providers to offer online casinos or casino apps that allow players to cash in their winnings," and instead "simulated gambling" games have appeared.

If this all sounds familiar, that's because these proposed changes stem from a review of Australia's classification system that began in 2020. The government released its report yesterday, and while the proposals related to loot boxes and gambling are the most significant in the sense that the government wants to put them in place, the report also brushes past the Australian Classification Board's famously tough approach to "impact," particularly related to drugs and sex Brushing against the approach, it is this harshness that led to Disco Elysium and DayZ being refused classification, albeit temporarily.

"I (Neville Stevens, author of the report) recommended that these games not be denied classification, but that the guidelines be aligned to R 18+, with most of the prohibitions specific to the games removed, so that they could be used by adults," the report states, and "several submitter(s)," adding that the game does not need an X18+ category, despite the fact that the "submitter(s)" suggested it. If such a recommendation were proposed and passed, it would probably solve all of Australia's video game classification woes. But the government now seems to have its sights firmly set on gambling.

Still, the recommendation is not an absolute certainty, as it requires the support of each Australian state and territory.