M-rated Videogame Sales to Minors on a Steep Decline

[Rob Williams]

From our front-page news:

Anti-videogame renegades share one common trait. They love to point the blame at the retailer for putting M-rated games in the hands of children, and for the most part, I agree that kids shouldn't be playing some of the games on the market today. However, what's striking is the fact that many kids have far better luck getting a hold of an R-rated movie, or an explicit CD.

In some regards, I believe movies would be far more impressionable than a video game. You might have control of a game, but movies are real. When I was a kid, I used to jump around the house as a ninja... because of movies. I don't remember climbing up a tree after playing Donkey Kong Country or ripping a friends heart out because of Mortal Kombat.

Regardless of all that, the good news is that M-rated game sales to minors is on a steady decline, so it's now difficult for the likes of Jack Thompson to make an argument about it. According to the FTC's undercover work, only 20% of sales occurred to minors with M-rated games. Compare that to the 35% who were able to get into an R-rated movie, 51% who could purchase an unrated DVD and 54% who had no issue picking up an explicit CD.

The fact is, these other markets could take a lesson from videogame sale practises, not vice versa. Surprisingly, GameStop proved to be highest-ranked store for not selling to minors, with only 6% making it out the door. By comparison, Best Buy, Target and Barnes & Noble all sold M-rated games to minors 60%+ of the time.

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The survey found that results of the undercover shopping varied by retailer and product. Three movie chains – National Entertainment, Regal Entertainment Group, and American Multi-Cinema – turned away 80% or more of the underage teens who tried to buy a ticket to an R-rated movie. Wal-Mart did the best of the major retailers shopped for movie DVDs, denying sales of R-rated and Unrated DVDs to 75% of the child shoppers.

Source: Federal Trade Commission Report, Via: GamePolitics
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[Kougar]

Very interesting numbers, I had no idea it was such a huge problem, and still is. Of course, now they can simply buy it via the internet, or have it ready for pickup if they wanted, sounds easier than the hit & miss of attempting to buy it directly...

 

[Rob Williams]

Very interesting numbers, I had no idea it was such a huge problem, and still is. Of course, now they can simply buy it via the internet, or have it ready for pickup if they wanted, sounds easier than the hit & miss of attempting to buy it directly...

I don't think that would be so much of a problem, since a credit card would be required. If a parent hands over a credit card without even querying the purchase, then I think that kid has more to worry about than playing the latest video game.

We might be coming to a time where kids hang outside a GameStop offering to pay $5 to some bum if he'll go by them a game.

 

[Kougar]

Not to sure, kids are rather resourceful. I know easily that parents left checkbooks around, and weren't always checking their accounts because life had gotten hectic, or they outright gave me the info to use (in very rare cases ). Using a check number online directly off a check would be even easier than a credit card, because many parents are not going to notice that they seemed to go from check 0981 to 0983, or see anything on their bank statement suspicious. I'd be lying if I said the thought didn't occur to me back then, either...

Especially when it comes to drugs, beer, or whatever of that nature... they know adults that don't care and buy it for them, or they have older brothers or friends with an older brother that'll get it for them or bribe them with it... Certainly expect this would be even more true about lesser "perceived" harmful items such as movies and games.