The Pokémon game's game corners used to be series tradition and would appear in most
games ever since the very first title.
Within the game corners, players would be able to take part in casino-like attractions,
such as slot machines, to try and win coins.
Coins could then be exchange for prizes, such as new Pokémon, items and TMs.
However, fans may have noticed that starting from Pokémon Black and White in 2010, the
game corners have been missing entirely.
Furthermore, in the later remakes of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, you will find that the
game corner is closed down with the owner standing outside.
Speaking to owner, he says: "I used to run a business here, but I had
to close it for reasons you don't need to know."
So, what happened here then and why did all of the game corners seem to suddenly disappear?
Well the answer to that lies in PEGI - the rating system for most European countries.
This was not so much a change that the developers simply decided on themselves, but it was due
to a change in policy at PEGI that started to rate games much higher for containing gambling
content.
These new guidelines dictate that games that "may contain elements that encourage or teach
gambling" will be rated at a minimum of 12 years and up and could even be rated as high
as 18+.
Furthermore, even Pokémon's fantasy-styled slot machines are seen by PEGI as potentially
encouraging or teaching gambling.
Due to this, games containing the game corners have had to be released with a PEGI 12 rating
when rereleased later down the line - such as the 3DS' Pokémon Gold and Silver.
Compare this with earlier games that also contain the game corners, which were all rated
3+.
This change in regulation was introduced around the time of Pokémon Platinum's release and
with this came some big differences for the European version.
Whist, for now, no changes would be made over in the US, in the European version of Platinum
all of the game corner machines are now unplayable.
Examining a machine will either simply result in a text box popping up reading "It's a game
machine!"
or the player randomly receiving some coins instead.
In the non-censored versions though, examining the machines would of course let you play
the slot machine minigame and win coins.
More changes than that were made to the European version include removing all gambling references,
such as that seen on the building's sign.
Whilst in the US version it reads "Aim for an explosion of luck!", in Europe this was
changed to "The place everyone talks about!"
Speaking about the matter, Nintendo of Europe gave this statement:
“In Pokémon Platinum Version, the slot machines in the Game Corner cannot be operated
by the player, to comply with PEGI age rating guidelines concerning gambling.
Players can still get coins to exchange for items, simply by checking the slot machines
or from the Game Corner counter.”
However, when it came time for next games, Pokémon Heart Gold and Soul Silver, the game
corner was changed in the US version as well, but not in the Japanese version.
Unlike Platinum though, Nintendo completely redesigned the area for the Western releases
to get around PEGI's restrictions.
Over in Japan, the game corner is very casino-like in nature and allows you to play a new iteration
of the slot machine minigame.
For the Western versions however, it was given a whole new look and the slot machines were
replaced with a new minigame called Voltorb Flip.
Voltorb Flip plays a little similar to Minesweeper.
In the game, you must try and find the multiplier cards without flipping over a Voltorb, who
will self destruct and cause you to lose all earned coins.
This would be the one and only appearance of Voltorb Flip in the series.
Additionally, Heart Gold and Soul Silver also marks the last time for the slot machines
to appear, even in the Japanese version.
All games following Heart Gold and Soul Silver have completely done away with the game corners
altogether and it is believed that the situation with PEGI concerning gambling is the reason
why.
It seems that, due to all of the trouble, Nintendo decided to remove these features
from all versions moving forward, rather than making different versions for different regions.
There is also actually one other reason why they may want to do this, as it wasn't just
PEGI who had a problem with the gambling.
Due to gambling laws in South Korea, these features had to be removed from all of the
Korean games as well.
For example, in the Korean versions of Heart Gold and Soul Silver, players will be able
to play Voltorb Flip instead, like the Western versions.
This means that in many parts of the world, the game corners were already having to be
altered to comply with these different regulations, and it is very likely that this was the reason
for their eventual removal.
Remember, the minimum PEGI rating that a game with the gambling descriptor can get is 12
years and up, which would be very high for the Pokémon series.
PEGI rates games for most European regions and is, of course, a very big deal for video
game companies.
Perhaps at some point in the future, Nintendo may decide to bring back more games like Voltorb
Flip instead, which don't resemble gambling as much as the slot machines do and so are
fine over in Europe and Korea.
On the other hand, perhaps PEGI may even ease up on these restrictions one day too, which
would then pave the way for the casino-like attractions seen in the earlier games.
Censored Gaming is, of course, always keeping a close eye on rating-related matters like
this and will let you know of any new developments, as well as any new changes made to games.
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