Post by: WindyMan on November 24, 2007, 02:31:37 PM
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=14857
The San Diego East County Youth Coalition, in conjunction with the National Institute on Media and Family and other youth-oriented organizations, has found that 46% of stores involved in an undercover investigation sold M-rated video games to minors.
The two-month study found that despite ESRB recommendations and widespread game retailer policies dictating that no game rated M for Mature be sold to minors under the age of 17, almost half of the more than 60 stores checked did so anyway. The study found that children as young as seven years old could walk in to a store and purchase an M-rated game without issue.
As a result of these findings, the Youth Coalition and other groups have called on stores to take action. They want store employees to be trained on the ratings system, better display the ESRB ratings in-store, and keep mature-themed games separate from more tame games, among other things.
Post by: Madcat221 on November 24, 2007, 03:24:04 PM
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on November 24, 2007, 04:33:21 PM
Post by: Crimm on November 24, 2007, 04:40:40 PM
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on November 24, 2007, 04:53:25 PM
Post by: Crimm on November 24, 2007, 05:35:08 PM
Post by: Kairon on November 24, 2007, 05:35:15 PM
Post by: pSYCO-gAMER321 on November 24, 2007, 05:46:20 PM
Post by: mantidor on November 24, 2007, 05:58:19 PM
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on November 24, 2007, 06:20:54 PM
YOU GOT SERVED
Post by: Kairon on November 24, 2007, 07:58:00 PM
Post by: KDR_11k on November 24, 2007, 08:04:52 PM
Post by: Morari on November 25, 2007, 04:39:47 AM
Post by: darknight06 on November 25, 2007, 06:01:33 AM
While I do agree with the idea that parents do have to watch out for their children, it's also a fact that there's a million more things that a kid can get into these days. Just because someone feels like or actually are allowed to sell an M rated game to some kid sure doesn't as heck doesn't mean that they should. You can't let parents off the hook, but you certainly can't let idiots like that who should know better off either. Everybody likes to throw the blame at one thing when in all the essence everybody in the scenario has screwed up in some form and none want to admit to it.
Post by: Kairon on November 25, 2007, 06:34:46 AM
Post by: Guitar Smasher on November 25, 2007, 02:22:21 PM
...except that Take-Two and other M publishers will lose a significant portion of their marketplace. But they don't have to make M games, now do they?
Post by: GoldenPhoenix on November 25, 2007, 05:08:52 PM
Quote
Originally posted by: Guitar Smasher
...except that Take-Two and other M publishers will lose a significant portion of their marketplace. But they don't have to make M games, now do they?
Actually I think they do, if you took away the "mature" in Rockstar games you wouldn't have anything because the developers are inept at doing anything else.
Post by: shammack on November 26, 2007, 12:11:01 AM
But frankly, even if it this is an accurate representation, it's a big "so what." The whole not selling M-rated games to people under 17 thing is just a voluntary policy that some stores have introduced, but they have no legal obligation to do so (despite what the San Diego East County Youth Coalition wants you to think). A more interesting statistic might be to find out what percentage of the stores had employees that were violating the store policy (if applicable), but the figure would probably be less alarming, so they didn't look into that.
This is obviously just FUD orchestrated to get soccer moms to sign petitions so their local lawmakers can introduce yet another bill trying to turn store policy into law, which will then be roundly rejected by federal judges, just like the last several times. Pretty pathetic.
Post by: KDR_11k on November 26, 2007, 02:14:54 AM
As for legislation to that effect, while it might be a good idea to make all ratings (on all media) binding the US constitution was not designed with that feature so the US cannot have such a law. Either they need to update their constitution (should update their voting system while they're at it) or they need to forget about the idea.
Post by: NWR_insanolord on November 26, 2007, 02:39:33 AM
Post by: UncleBob on November 26, 2007, 03:26:45 AM
Quote
Originally posted by: Guitar Smasher
Just make it like buying cigarettes. Issue fines to stores that don't comply. Simple.
Exactly what insanolord said - It's one thing for retailers to make such policies, it's a whole different story for the government to step in and decide who should be allowed access to what kind of speech.
Post by: Guitar Smasher on November 26, 2007, 02:48:01 PM
Post by: Bartman3010 on November 26, 2007, 03:34:31 PM
For the record, I never sold an M rated title to minors when I worked at a game store for a month, whether they insulted me or not.
