The findings come from a recent undercover shopper study conducted by the FTC which showed only 13% of minors were allowed to purchase M-rated content; that is, games the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has classified as being suitable for players aged 17 and up. To put that in perspective, 33% of the secret shopping minors were granted access to R-rated movies, 38% were able to rent an R-rated DVD, and a whopping 68% successfully bought a music CD slapped with a parental advisory warning label.
"We are extremely pleased to see the Federal Trade Commission confirm not only that the video game industry continues to have the highest rate of enforcement at retail, but that it continues to climb higher than before," said ESRB president Patricia Vance. "The strong support that the ESRB ratings have enjoyed from retailers is crucial, underscoring their firm commitment to selling video games responsibly."
Of the retailers tested, Gamestop is reported to have performed the best, allowing only 8% of the minors access to the good stuff – er, M-rated games. Target and K-Mart followed closely behind at 9% and 10%, respectively.
Quick, someone call Fox News - they're totally going to want to run with this!
[Source: USA Today]
Apr 21, 2011
Bad Idea Corner potentially welcomes the ESRB, as it starts rating games by computer, unjudged by humans until release
This has to be fine, right? Right?
ClassicRadar: "Mature" games that are actually mature
Appealing to adults with more than sex, blood, swears and nudity
