FTC: "Video Game Self Regulation Works"

Itesh writes "Following an established trend, a Federal Trade Commission undercover shopper survey found that video game retailers continue to enforce most vigorously the ratings governing age and content that were established by the entertainment media industry. Music CD retailers lag far behind movie theaters, as well as movie DVD and video game retailers, in preventing unaccompanied children under age 17 from purchasing entertainment intended for mature audiences."

Comments

Duh!

[Desler]

And yet all the politicians who think we need to enact all these stricter laws when it comes to video game sales will ignore this and try to claim that any 5 year old can walk into a game store and buy GTA IV on their own.

Re:Duh!

[houghi]

People would laugh at the idea of mandatory age-ratings on books, so why do they accept it on movies and games?

Reminds me when I wanted to see a movie and was not allowed in. I then just bought the book and that had WAY MORE explicit sex and violence then the movie.

Also see what Zappa said way back:
http://downlode.org/Etext/zappa.html and for those too lazy to read: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ISil7IHzxc

Talking about songs and not video games, but same difference.

Missing the point.

[LastGunslinger]

If someone is old enough to walk into a store and purchase a product, then that person is probably old enough to not be significantly harmed by hearing, seeing, or playing the content. The ratings should exist as a guide to parents, who shouldn't purchase these products for young children. By the time they're teenagers and have their own money and transportation, there are more pressing things to worry about than if they're seeing boobs in a movie, hearing explicit lyrics in a song, or turning enemies into a mass of blood and gore in a video game. Let's worry about keeping them in school, off of drugs, and not pregnant.