New Law

[Antoninus Verus]

In California, they passed a new law. I dont know if this a nation-wide deal or what. As far as I know, its only in California.

So I went to our local EB games store to re-stock on some games. I grabbed two games, Tribes Vengance, and Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. I went up to the counter, put the games on the counter and start pulling out my money. The clerk looked at the ESRB rating and asked me for ID. "ID?" I replied, "Since when do I need to have ID to buy GAMES?" The clerk then informed me of a new law. If you want to buy a game rated MATURE (M) you have to PRESENT ID that shows that you are 17 or older or you cant buy the game.

I feel sorry for the store manager because I tore his head off about it (I appologized later). In my opinion, the ESRB rating is the most bogus rating system around, many games are grossly under or over-rated. Hardly something I would make a choice on that would seriously jeapordize my sales, if I was running EB games.

MANY new games are rated M now. What baffles me is why EB would even choose to follow along with it. I would think that SERIOUSLY would hurt business.

Does anyone else have any thoughts or know anything about the law?

 

[Veiled Viper]

I saw a Blockbuster manager deny minors to rent M games recently.I'm fine with the law,but like you say,some games are rated wrong.

 

[The-Doctor]

THey have had something similar here for a while like video rentals really, we have an 18 rated system which means you have to prove you are over 18 if you look too young. THe GTA games have this on them for obvious reasons.

 

[faller_g]

he he, in australia i can get whatever game i want... they really dont check much (well depends which store you go to!)

 

[silentpoet]

Where I work you have to be 17 to buy M rated games. May or may not be fair from your point of view, but I always check if I have any question what so ever about the age of the purchaser. I will tell parents my honest opinion of ratings. In most cases I wait until they ask, but with the GTA series I am more proactive because it has been a problem in the past.

 

[Dust and Ashes]

What baffles me is why EB would even choose to follow along with it. I would think that SERIOUSLY would hurt business.

Choosing to obey laws is usually the best thing to do. Obeying it might hurt business but then having sales people (or maybe even the store itself) get in trouble for disobeying would probably be worse. I imagine it would be pretty much the same as selling beer to a minor.

I personally wouldn't sell games like GTA to a child, ratings or no ratings and if a parent was obviously buying the game for a child, I'd ask them if they knew what the game was about. I owe at least that much to my fellow man. If a parent doesn't care, then, so be it.

That said, ESRB does need some serious work if they are going to start passing laws like this.

 

[morningstar2651]

The way games are rated by ESRB is they have a video of the most violent or offensive parts of the game, just a few minutes long. They show it to a random group of people and give them a survey on it.

 

[Qyöt27]

And to think, this all came about because of Mortal Kombat.

Actually, that's been the law around where I live for as long as I can remember (don't know how strictly it was enforced, though).

 

[Antoninus Verus]

The way games are rated by ESRB is they have a video of the most violent or offensive parts of the game, just a few minutes long. They show it to a random group of people and give them a survey on it.

Freelancer is rated Teen and the worst it shows is little poofs of fire when a ship blows up.

 

[morningstar2651]

Ratings beat censorship if you ask me.

I'll be starting up a game development company in a few years.

 

[Antoninus Verus]

Rock on. Ill be looking foreward to some violence

 

[dastangman]

I know basically every Wal-Mart has policies in the checkouts, and here in Iowa I've been refused M rated games...must be 17 to buy M rated games, as well as 17 to buy R rated movies...pretty much standard in all movie theaters, and as well as all rental stores, some places will sell you games, but not many...i go to gamespot where one of my friends works, he's not allowed to sell games to minors if they don't fit age ratings...BUT since i know him, and he knows what ageams i have and paretns allow, he'll sell them to me...anyway yeah i think this law is standard everywhere

 

[skysthelimit]

oh yes, this is everywhere I live. I don't have to worry about it though.

 

[Antoninus Verus]

Grrrr. I need a state ID. Even though Im 6 foot 1 with facial hair and a Canyon High Senior student ID.....they somehow still have a hard time believing im 17

 

[Counselor]

You have to understand the why they are doing this. It is well known that to many the violence desensitizes them to real violence. I support this idea but agree there needs to be a better standard for rating them.

 

[MJ_Avalanche]

I don't see why everyone is flippin' out over this. Most M rated games are pathetic. Sure, there's been a few good ones released fairly recently, but probably 70-80% are totally lame.

As for the violence factor. I sure haven't been de-sensitized. I cringe whenever I think about REAL violence. This may be partly due to the fact that when I play a very violent game (with maybe a couple exceptions), it's usually a WWII game (Call of Duty, MoH), or Star Wars related (Battefront, Rep. Commando). Every once in a while I'll pull a mindless and play something like Timesplitters or Goldeneye. But for the most part, I focus on more realistic and not the uber violent.

Personal preference, I guess. So, that said, the law doesn't bother may. I have only two M games that I want to play now. Prince of Persia, and (assuming that it really is M) the new Splinter Cell. Sure, I can do it legally now, but I'm in no hurry.

 

[OhhJim]

Grrrr. I need a state ID.

Yeah, you need a Driver's License. Chicks dig the Driver's License!!

 

[RazorX]

They have always (or at least as long as I've been going to EB) asked for ID if I ty to get a M rated game. When I went to get my pre-ordered copy of Half-Life 2 they asked me again.

I'm fine with it but I've heard some people have been trying to get it so that some games are put in the back of the store (like the adult section in a video store) which I think is going a bit overboard.

 

[Eve_Sundancer]

I think a lot of the reason is to make sure that parents know what it is that their children are playing/seeing. If your parents are with you when you want to buy the game and you're underage, you can get it.

Unfortunately, it seems some parents just plain don't care to find out what it is that their children are doing... and those kids seem to be the ones most negatively affected by violence in games.