The grip of gambling laws is also tightening on Pokémon: the remakes of the first games from now on can be rated PEGI 18
The jokers who welcome every Nintendo Direct with “PEGI 18 at first, and then they show Pokémon“Have been beaten by the same rating system now that the remakes of the first games they will have to say goodbye to slot machines for good. It looks like an out of season April Fool’s Day, but that’s actually the case. The PEGI divides the recommended ages into 3+, 7+, 12+, 16+ and 18+. Now the European body has in fact decreed that video games that simulate gambling will automatically count as forbidden to minors. How is it possible that this involves Pokémon?
First Pokémon PEGI 18: games of relative chance in remakes?
The most loyal Pokémon fans will remember that in the first games there were virtual casinos in which to dabble with slot machines and so on: in the remakes, Game Freak has omitted these elements to avoid running into what is now a PEGI 18. We already have saw a nudge with the first titles on Virtual Console, which on Nintendo 3DS found themselves sporting a resounding 12+. Now the bar is raised further, but the evaluation system makes it clear that the countermeasures will only be taken with titles “whose improvements make it a completely new game”. And the change of air has already had its effects elsewhere.
Although the changes are not retroactive, in fact, more recent games have already corrected their ratings. The most striking example, perhaps, is that of Overboard!: Ranked 12+ so far, has seen his notes of “moderate violence, suggestive themes and alcohol use” suddenly supplanted by the “gambling simulation” (a single game of blackjack!) which earned the game an 18+. For Pokémon, this translates into a rating still stuck at 12+ on the Nintendo 3DS. If then Red and Blue returned again to the Switch it is possible that an exception to the rule could also be made.
Now it’s up to you to tell us yours: what do you think of this … potentially paradoxical novelty? Let us know below, and as always don’t forget to stay on TechGameWorld.com for all the most important news for gamers and more. For your purely gaming needs, you can instead find the best discounts in digital format on Instant Gaming.