LocalThunk, developer of the Game of the Year-nominated game Balatro on Steam, ironically counters the PEGI rating, which only makes their game accessible to those aged 18 and over. His “evil playing cards” are obviously judged more harshly than other possible candidates.
What did the developer say about the classification? LocalThunk shared its reaction to the classification in a statement on X:
Since PEGI gave us an 18+ rating for having evil playing cards, maybe I should add microtransactions/loot boxes/real gambling to get the rating lowered to 3+ like EA Sports FC.
LocalThunk, developer of Balatro via X
The double standard that LocalThunk addresses in its comment is the fact that, despite microtransactions in the form of “random content” through card packs or loot boxes, games like EA Sports FC are rated less strictly with a rating of 3+ and, according to PEGI, are also suitable for children .
Here you can see the trailer of the game:
Trailer for the roguelike poker game Balatro from LocalThunk
More videos
Autoplay
Not real money, but real poker hands
How does PEGI justify the 18+ classification? Balatro’s high age rating is due to the fact that it teaches the player theoretical poker knowledge through game mechanics and processes. Balatro rewards the player with chips, explains the structure of real poker hands and generally has a striking poker aesthetic.
Unlike real poker, however, you don’t play with real money. Real money that can be spent quickly on microtransactions in other low PEGI video games. And that’s exactly LocalThunk’s sore point.
“Just to be clear,” the developer added in a subsequent post on If the other games are rated correctly, I would happily accept the weird 18+.”
The developer seems to want to defuse the situation with a little humor: “The red logo looks kind of cool.”
Gambling in Gaming – A Problem?
What do microtransactions have to do with gambling? Already in 2019, a researcher from York brought. St. John University, Dr. David Zendle, Loot boxes linked to “problematic gambling”. He explains that the more people spend on loot boxes, the more serious the suspicion of gambling. This is not just his own research, but an effect that has been observed by several independent laboratories worldwide.
Zendle emphasizes that this is a worrying problem that the gaming industry is not addressing. The gaming companies are the ones that benefit from consumer spending. About Dr. Zendle’s assessments were reported by PC Gamer 2019, among others.
How does LocalThunk feel about gambling? Balatro is an indie game with no microtransactions or paid content. Despite the obvious poker aesthetic and PEGI’s rating, the developer has no interest in promoting problem gambling. LocalThunk explicitly wants to ensure this, which he even wrote in black and white in his will.
According to the developer, the Balatro IP may never be sold or licensed to a gaming company or casino.
Whether you share LocalThunk’s opinion or understand PEGI’s classification is up to you. However, if you want to know more about Balatro, which was also nominated for Game of the Year this year, you can read a more detailed introduction to the game on MeinMMO: Steam: The new indie hit is like poker, but much better – only costs 14 €