James Lee
09:03 (BST)
09/05/2008
M-rated sales to underage shoppers fall
The US Federal Trade Commission has released the results of an undercover operation that shows the number of M-rated games being sold to underage shoppers has fallen sharply.
Only 20 per cent of underage shoppers were able to buy M-rated videogames, significantly down from 42 per cent in 2006.
Game Stop performed the best out of the retailers by rejecting 94 per cent of underage shoppers, followed by Wal-Mart and Best Buy who refused 80 per cent.
The results also show videogame ratings being upheld more thoroughly when compared with other forms of media, with Best Buy turning away underage shoppers for music only 47 per cent of the time, R-rated DVDs only 38 per cent of the time, and unrated DVDs only 17 per cent of the time.
These results come as a bipartisan bill, the Video Games Ratings Enforcement Act, has been introduced into the US House of Representatives, which would see retailers fined USD 5,000 for selling mature games to underage.
To view other users comments, you must be logged in to a GamesIndustry.biz Network account.
Tecmo Koei asks Sony to "please cut the price" of PS3
CEO says price cut is needed to boost the PlayStation 3's market share
Valve: Steam can boost boxed sales
Free weekends on service increase retail sales, claims Lombardi; Left 4 Dead 2 pre-orders already double that of original
Activision: DJ Hero is "tremendous value"
Publisher believes £108 RRP for game and peripheral is fair for amount of content included
Thomas walks away with $5m from Midway sale
Original $100,000 purchase pays off for private investor as all other legal disputes settled
Namco Bandai secures Dragon Ball rights for 5 years
Deal begins in 2010, but publisher will also release three titles this year
