Read the labels

Play this lesson

Four features

Kai is filling in Shard Garden's questionnaire. Four of its features are below. Some earn an ESRB Interactive Element; some don't.

Try it

Read the labels

Tap each feature that earns an Interactive Element. There are two.

Try it in the lesson

Quick check

Kai asks: which feature could change the age rating itself?

  1. The fox that bonks weeds: the questionnaire asks about violence
  2. The coin shop
  3. The open chat
Show the answer

The fox that bonks weeds: the questionnaire asks about violence

Content like violence decides the rating. The shop and the chat earn labels that don't change it.

Random items, defined

ESRB's Includes Random Items label covers purchases "for which the player doesn't know prior to purchase the specific digital goods or premiums they will be receiving", "(e.g., loot boxes, item packs, mystery awards)."

Random or not?

A shop sells a "Sunflower bundle": 3 sunflowers and a pot, shown before buying. Is it a random item?

  1. No: the player knows exactly what they get
  2. Yes: every bundle is random
  3. Yes, if it costs coins
Show the answer

No: the player knows exactly what they get

Random means not knowing what you get before you pay. A bundle shown in full is a plain In-Game Purchase.

Upfront notice

IARC says Interactive Elements "provide upfront notice" about purchases, contact with other users, sharing location and internet access. Parents read them on the store page before installing.

Quick check

Interactive Elements are hidden from players until they open the game.

Show the answer

False

They appear with the rating on the store page, before anyone installs.

On the studio board

The studio adds a decision to the board:

Every update that adds content answers the IARC questionnaire again. Shard Garden sells no random items for real money.

Bolt says: Next: store algorithms and featuring.

Fact-checked 12 October 2026