Game Industry Reacts to FTC Secret Shopper Survey

[gamepolitics]

Comments

A good start

[keddren]

But there's still a lot of room for improvement. Rising from 15% to 50% is a significant jump, but that still means that 50% of the time, retailers aren't doing what they're supposed to. And 44% of retailers providing ratings information is still faily abysmal considering how easy it is to just post the information at the register (in the case of a dedicated games shop) or in the games section (in the case of a superstore like Walmart).

Retailers are improving, yes, but they need to do even more to demonstrate that government legislation is unnecessary.

Re: A good start

[liveordie2]

Yes. We have our own freedom, government legislation is violating people's freedom.

Where is First Amendment Rights to help???

Re: A good start

[bigman_k]

Actually it went from 31% to 58% success rate. But when compared to the movie industry which was only a 19% last time and probably not that much better now, it's excellent. It makes you wonder why the government is targeting only games as opposed to other forms of media. Oh, and the excuse that games are interactive doesn't cut it because there is no proof interactive entertianment has more of a negative effect (if there is a negative effect that is!) compared to non-intertactive forms of media.

Re: A good start

[poet_ninja]

Given that the retailers in question are minimum-wage paying type environments, there's only -so- much they can do to make their wage peons care, too. I mean, sure, the management types will, but the guy getting his 4 hours a week, at minimum? Probably not so much.

At least it's getting better

[tollwutig]

The jump from 15% to 55% shows the IEMA is working. Now pressure needs to be put onto the smaller retailers to join the IEMA and to comply with the ESRB ratings.

I agree they need to check the sale of R rated DVDs to minors, and soon. I also don't think the gold standard of Movie ticket sales is a very good one nor accurate at 90%. While you may not be able to buy a ticket to an R rated movie, its easy enough usually to buy a PG13 movie ticket then sneak into the R movie. Although this is apparently the standard with which things will be judged.

Register Biscuits

[rayzak2000]

You're never going to get 100% on something like this. Methed out register biscuits don't care if they sell a kid GTA.

[theycallmebt]

It's a fools errand to use movie theaters as a "gold standard" for carding practices. It's two completely different scenarios. First of all, movie theaters are designed to have multiple rings of interference to get to a theater. Tick booth, lobby, snack bar, ticket taker, theater doorway, etc. It's designed that way for a purpose. First, it means people spend time standing around getting hungry and buying snacks. Second, it gives the theater a chance to screen everybody for ID

[jabrwock]

It's a fools errand to use movie theaters as a "gold standard" for carding practices.

Agreed, it's much better to use similar markets. Compare video game sales to DVD & music sales, then you have a good comparison.

Plus you can find out if "big box" retailers are perhaps focusing on enforcing one type (games) at the neglect of another (music), simply because the media is jumping all over the one statistic...

[acroamatis]

On the other hand, although it's an unfair comparison, it does provide a suitably high bar for other industries to shoot for.

Its working ITS WORKING!

[zippydsmlee]

Now we know its working all we have to do is get the industry to tighten it up and fine retaielrs that sell to minros mabye with more inforcement within the industry less minors will be able to buy!