Shielding Kids From M-Rated Games? There’s a Better Way
By Jared Newman
Every so often, you hear of a parents organization wishing for video games to be treated like porn — in other words, kept out of sight from children and their corruptible little minds. The latest plea from Parents Television Council implores Best Buy to keep its M-rated video games on high shelves, out of sight from young folk. I get the idea, but it’s not the right approach.
If you’re a parent, PTC’s request probably seems like a win-win. Adults can still get the games they want, and kids aren’t tantalized by the likes of Grand Theft Auto. I wonder what kid is short enough to not see those games on store shelves, but old enough to roll into Best Buy with a credit card or $60 cash, but that’s beside the point.
My issue is more philosophical. Video games, violent or otherwise, are not an illicit form of entertainment, and needn’t be treated as such. To cordon off mature games , be it by high shelf, locked cabinet or opaque wrapper, is to establish a double standard, where movies, music and books aren’t treated the same way. But I don’t think you’ll get much traction explaining this to concerned parents as a way of preserving the status quo. That’s why we need a better solution.
I propose that video game retailers stop categorizing alphabetically and start organizing video games by genre. There are certainly enough shooters, platformers, sports games and puzzle games on the market to separate them into those categories (it’s important that the style of play is categorized, not plot formats such as action or adventure, which can still be violent). Doing so would clearly tell parents where to steer their children. Best of all, this is pretty much how all other media gets categorized. If you’re a parent, you don’t take your grade school child to the horror section of Blockbuster.
Now, a shake up like this would probably require some sacrifice from the industry. Retailers would have to abandon the practice of grouping games by console, instead creating subsections for Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 within each genre. And maybe console makers wouldn’t be cool with that. But there is a benefit: It makes casual browsing for a game much easier. If I walk into GameStop not looking for anything in particular, I’ll have an easier time finding what I want by genre than by hunting through monotonous alphabetical categorization for every console I own.
I’m guessing the PTA won’t love my solution, because it doesn’t keep games “out of sight and reach” of young children. It only makes it easier for parents to make informed decisions about the games their children play. But that’s a good thing.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010 9:25AM
How about this… don't let the cashier sell it to them in the first place. You don't sell porn to kids – It's called social responsibility and common sense. What about the parents in all this, why do they continue to blindly buy games/music/movies for their kids that are completely inappropriate for their age? The ESRB is there for a reason, parents and cashiers should learn to read the label – and make an intelligent decision from there. Maybe the lack of intelligence and ease of finger pointing is the REAL problem, not the kids or the media.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010 9:57AM
Its funny because at Gamestop employees are required to check ID as well as notify parents for all M-rated purchases, and the reasons behind the ratings. But usually 1/20 decides to leave the game and buy something else.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010 10:07AM
Yeah i agree it's the responsibility of the parents not to buy minors m rated games & responsibility of the retailers not to sell m rated games to minors so nobody should be holding the game publishers/developers responsible for minors obtaining m rated games & shouldn't be made to censor their content & ruin it for the gamers legally of age to purchase & play m rated games.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011 4:07PM
Shut the fuck up! Why the fuck do you care if someone gives an M game to their kid? Thats the problem with all these bitches whining about what other people do. Fuck the ESRB for trying to tell people how to fuckin live. It's a MOTHERFUCKING GAME! IT'S NOT REAL! Just because a 12 year old or something plays a Grand Theft Auto game that doesnt mean he's gonna go out and kill people and take their car. I hope you and all the overprotective parents in the world get the shit beat out of them for creating bitch ass pussy children who are sheltered from every thing and probably get thier asses kicked at school.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011 4:23PM
Shut the fuck up! Why the fuck do you care if someone gives an M game to their kid? That's the problem with all these bitches worrying about what other people do. Fuck the ESRB for trying to tell people how to live! IT'S A MOTHERFUCKING GAME! IT'S NOT REAL! Just because a 12 year old plays a Grand Theft Auto game doesnt mean he's gonna go out and kill people and take thier cars. I hope that you and all the overprotective parents in the world get the shit beat out of you for creating bitch ass pussy children who are sheltered from everything and probably get their asses kicked at school.
Monday, March 28, 2011 1:57PM
Let the free market decide. If someone wants it, sell it. That's the true way according to Republicans.
Really, I have lots of problems with this… the PTC and other similar organization are going to have problems as long as the games are sold. Bending to their whims, even when it might seem reasonable, only emboldens them to demanding more. Their aim isn't restriction from minors it's elimination of these types of games.
Monday, March 28, 2011 3:11PM
"How about this… don't let the cashier sell it to them in the first place…"
Or have parents just do their job? If a kid is old enough, to the parents, to play such games, they should be able to get it – if not, it should be up to the parents to deal with it.
Monday, March 28, 2011 3:25PM
Yeah frankly the best way to prevent kids from playing M rated games is for the stupid ass parents to quit buying it for them. I mean its always funny when a parent goes on a rampage against video games yet I bet its that same parent that bought his/her child Call of Duty knowing there was a M rating. I think that if a parent buys a M rated game for someone under the age of 18 they should get a fine. That'll probably bring the nation out of debt and teach them damn parents whats right for their kids
Monday, March 28, 2011 4:40PM
Why categorize by genre? That seems more like something to benefit you than it would kids. It's also insanely broad. Putting the Metroid Prime games in the same section as Call of Duty or Pokemon as the same section as Dragon Age doesn't exactly help uninformed parents make better choices.
It would make more sense to categorize them by ESRB rating so at the very least they know now to take their kids into the aisle their kid should not be in.
Monday, March 28, 2011 5:48PM
im not sure about other countries, but i know at least one store in Australia categorises games like this (to a degree). JB Hi-Fi (a large electronics and entertainment retailer) categorises games by platform and genre. so instead of just having all games lumped in together, they have sections as explained above, "shooter" "driving" "Role Playing" "Horror". however they are still kept in console relative groups, and there is the "new releases" section for every console, which as always will have a smattering of everything.
until reading this article, i hadnt thought about it at all, but now i have i realise that JB is the only store ive ever seen do this, so props to them. perhaps other retailers should take the initiative as well?
Monday, March 28, 2011 6:23PM
As an employee of GameStop, I can tell you that the main reason there are still 12 year olds playing COD online is irresponsible parents. I can't tell you how many parents have said "Oh, I can't control what they play anyway." Yes you F&@king can! Just tell the little s&!t no and go buy a Lego game or any of the hundreds of GOOD Teen rated games. Note to parents: most GameStop stores have little sheets on the ESRB rating system. Read, be proactive in the rearing of your child. Go here! http://www.esrb.org/