The reformed USK statutes were the decisive factor in EA SPORTS FC 24 being released for ages 12 and up for the first time. eSport spoke to the deputy managing director of the USK about the exact background
It was a bombshell before the release of EA SPORTS FC 24: for the first time in the series’ history, the Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body (USK) only approved the soccer simulation for players aged 12 and over – instead of FIFA from the age of 0, as was previously the case. “In-game purchases and random objects” as well as “pressure to act” and “chat” are the main reasons for the decision. But why did this only come about for FC 24?
The decisive factor was a reform of the USK statutes due to an amendment to the Youth Protection Act in May 2021. Lorenzo von Petersdorff, Deputy Managing Director of the USK, explains in an interview with eSport: “In addition to the protection aspect, the focus was particularly on the aspects of orientation and transparency for parents and educational professionals – while at the same time taking into account the right to participation in the media environment. In practice, this means for the USK that, in addition to content relevant to the protection of minors, so-called usage risks and counteracting technical protective measures can also be taken into account in the procedure for statutory age rating.”
These potential risks of use “include, for example, functions such as chats, in-game purchases with random objects or game mechanics that could exert inappropriate pressure on underage players to play a lot or to purchase additional content in the game. For example, the potential communication and contact risk for children and young people can be prevented if parents use technical parental control settings to restrict or deactivate communication functions with other users. “
Lootboxes in particular have come under increasing criticism in recent years, although “it should be noted that lootboxes can be designed very differently in practice”. In the case of EA SPORTS FC 24, “the USK review panel came to the conclusion that the Ultimate Team game mode in particular uses a complex monetization system with reward mechanisms and random objects in the form of card packs to create high incentives for additional purchases and excessively long playing times”.
Although there would be options for limiting or deactivating them. “This can permanently impair younger children’s ability to self-regulate their gaming behavior. Only with older children from the age of 12 is it generally assumed that they are able to recognize such mechanisms and reflect on the consequences,” says von Petersdorff.
While loot boxes are banned in Belgium and have recently been declared illegal twice in Austria, German case law does not consider drawing FC 24 packs, for example, to be gambling. Even the raising of the age rating to 12 years does not force EA SPORTS and other publishers to act for the time being. Accordingly, contact with parents is important in addition to the notices. The USK therefore also offers “digital parents’ evenings” for various projects, at which current topics relating to the protection of minors in video games are addressed