Video game retailers still cautious when selling to minors

While the United States Supreme Court ruled this week against a ban on selling violent video games to minors, local retailers still exercise caution when providing the material to young customers.

On Monday, the court voted 7-2 to uphold a federal appeals court decision to throw out California's ban on the sale or rental of violent video games to minors. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Sacramento, Calif., had ruled that the law violated minors' rights under the First Amendment, and the high court agreed.

California's 2005 law, which never took effect, would have prohibited anyone younger than 18 from buying or renting games that give players the option of "killing, maiming, dismembering, or sexually assaulting an image of a human being." Parents would have been able to buy the games for their children, but retailers who sell directly to minors would have faced fines of up to $1,000 for each game sold.

Courts in six other states, including Michigan and Illinois, reached similar conclusions, striking down similar bans.

GameStop, the world's largest video game retailer with more than 6,500 stores worldwide, has locations in Wausau, Stevens Point and Wisconsin Rapids. According to a statement from the company, they were pleased with the court's decision.

"As the leading retailer in ESRB ratings compliance, GameStop continues to believe that the video game industry's voluntary ratings system and our committed associates, not legislation, are the best ways to ensure age-appropriate video games make it into the hands of our younger customers," said Mike Dzura, senior vice president of store operations for GameStop.

But the decision ultimately won't seem to have much of an effect on the day-to-day business of selling or renting games to minors, according to local dealers.

Keith Pugh, manager of the Family Video, 707 N. Central Ave., Marshfield, said the store follows the rating system set by the Entertainment Software Rating Board when renting games.

Titles that require an age limit, such as Mature (17 and older), show up on the computer when a customer brings a game up to the checkout.

"In that case, we have to see an ID in order for that child to rent it," Pugh said.

Pugh added that parents who come into the store to sign their children up for an account know the requirements for renting this type of material.

"It's the same thing with movies. They can let us know if they don't want their kids renting certain things," Pugh said.

At Gaming Generations, 135 Division St. N., Stevens Point, manager Jake Laronge said that the company will sell mature games to children as long as they have parents' approval.

"If it's a first-time customer, we're going to be pretty careful," Laronge said. "But we have a lot of regular customers, and if we know their parents have bought games like this in the past for them, we'll sell it to them."

Laronge said that they also have called parents to confirm a sale, and that they will accommodate parents' requests.

"We did have a parent come back with a copy of 'Grand Theft Auto V' and saying they didn't want their kid to have it, and we took it back no problem," Laronge said.

Source: [http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20110703/WDH0510/107030544/Video-game-retailers-still-cautious-when-selling-minors]