EB Games / Gamestop begins carding for Mature Rated Games

Logain8955

Logain8955

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I went into work at EB Games tonight and was presented with an email from corporate. All employees were forced to sign it. It stated that we are now to begin carding all people who are buying an M Rated game who look under 30. We're also going to recieve signage stating that we card people under age 30, much like those signs in liquor stores and cigarette shops. Any employee who accidentally sells an M Rated game to someone under 17 and is caught will be immediately terminated, along with their Store Manager and possibly their District Manager.


So, what do you guys think? Personally, I think it's a good idea, but the liquor store signage and the extremely harsh penalty is way over the top.
 
What? The employee makes a mistak (their firing is questionable, but somewhat logical) but the manager and possibly the district manager as well? That's seriously over the top.
 
I think it's a good idea. When I was a kid, my mom used to go in and buy all the M rated games though. She would buy me all the MK games, and all those other ultra violent Genesis/PSOne games, but the only game she every drew the line on was Nightmare Creatures, for some reason. She didn't like how it had "real" cult guys in it, something based on Aleister Crowley
 
This isn't anything new.. was covered a bit in the other "Want to know anything about Gamestop?" thread.


I guess the big question is.. if it does happen, how will anyone find out? The angry mother? Assuming there's no angry mother, there's no problem.
 
I heard about this, but not the "card anyone under age 30" shit. What the fuck is up with that? It's not illegal to sell these games to people under 17 to begin with.
 
[quote name='Logain8955'] Any employee who accidentally sells an M Rated game to someone under 17 and is caught will be immediately terminated, along with their Store Manager and possibly their District Manager.[/quote]

I like every part of the policy, except for this part. I could only see this leading to bad bad things. For one, you'll have Managers constantly looking over the shoulders of the poeple, if not allowing them not to do much in the first place. Second I could see some really vindictive employee, using this little sub-clause, and get people above him fired.
 
[quote name='sonderiaom'] Second I could see some really vindictive employee, using this little sub-clause, and get people above him fired.[/QUOTE]

I thought the same thing as soon as I saw that the managers can get fired
 
I think it's a good idea for kids who are younger than 12, but I'm 17 and it's weird getting carded for games. before they would just ask my age (I look older than 17). Best buy carded me this weekend to buy Godfather, I had to get someone to buy it for me since I don't have a state ID yet.
 
[quote name='VanillaGorilla']I think it's a good idea. When I was a kid, my mom used to go in and buy all the M rated games though. She would buy me all the MK games, and all those other ultra violent Genesis/PSOne games, but the only game she every drew the line on was Nightmare Creatures, for some reason. She didn't like how it had "real" cult guys in it, something based on Aleister Crowley[/quote]

:lol:

That's awesome.

If Jack Thompson was a smarter censor/propagandist, he'd realize that Harry Potter and LOTR are a much bigger threat to his precious brand of Christianity then all the MK, GTA, and Bully games combined.
 
[quote name='Logain8955']So, what do you guys think? Personally, I think it's a good idea, but the liquor store signage and the extremely harsh penalty is way over the top.[/QUOTE]
Be thankful for the signing. At Target, Wine and M-rated games bring up a prompt on the screen that asks for a date of birth. To bypass the screen they have to look over 40. I wish I just had a sign I could point to so I would feel like less of idiot carding a 30 year-old for a video game.
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']It's not illegal to sell these games to people under 17 to begin with.[/quote]In some states it is.

And I have no problem with it. It covers EBGS from frivilous lawsuits when parents who didn't bother to raise their kids do horrible things, they can't blame a store for selling a questionable game to someone under the appropriate age or a game for being objectionable.

If their kid is carded, then either Mummy or Daddy will have to be there to make the purchase with them.. and they'll be informed on the spot about the games mature rating. So the parents can blame themselves for allowing the questionable content into their home and into the hands of their adorable & innocent offspring.
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']I heard about this, but not the "card anyone under age 30" shit. What the fuck is up with that? It's not illegal to sell these games to people under 17 to begin with.[/quote]
This is to keep it that way. Stores need to implement these kinds of policies to make sure that the stupid game laws never stick around. Having Jack Thompson help is the other way to ensure that, as well, but he's got bigger business with the Florida BAR at the moment.
 
[quote name='Scorch']This isn't anything new.. was covered a bit in the other "Want to know anything about Gamestop?" thread.


I guess the big question is.. if it does happen, how will anyone find out? The angry mother? Assuming there's no angry mother, there's no problem.[/QUOTE]

Secret shoppers from corporate would be the biggest factor of finding out. I see this all the time when I was working at Meijer when someone underage tried their damndest to buy liquor, I had a high suspicion about it.
 
[quote name='guinaevere']In some states it is.

.[/QUOTE]

No, it's not. Every state that has tried to pass the law has been shot down in court due to constitutional issues.
 
First, I don't work for Gamestop/EB Games and I never have.

First, I don't think this is really that bad overall. First, I think most of us agree that young kids (I won't argue about a mature 14 year old here, but let's say 8 or 9) should not be playing certain games, or at least that certain games are not intended for that audience. I think that's safe.

If that's true, then we have to pick an age where we are comfortable letting someone make the purchase. 17 is fine.

First, I have no issues forcing parents to come in and purchase the games for the kids. This allows kids to play mature games if they are mature enough (in their parents minds), and it gives the power to the parents.

Secondly, for the shopper, it shouldn't be a huge issue to flash some ID. If your old enough (even really old), it takes a second. If you aren't old enough, I understand your pain. My parents wouldn't let me see R rated movies until I was 17. It was an annoyance when my friends would go, but I lived, and so will you (and when your older, you'll likely see it differently).

For the employees, is it a bit extreme, maybe. But, it's very doable. I worked in a supermarket, and it really isn't that hard to not sell alcohol to someone under 31. If you follow the 30 rule, there just aren't really those people that look 35, but they really are 16. Will some people get annoyed, sure. I'm 28, I get into the casino without being Id'd, yet I buy a game at Meijers, I might be. But, again, not a huge deal.

I'm intrigued by the firing of the store manager and the district manager also. I'm guessing that is to show that the company is serious on this front. Many of the managers have been with the company for awhile, so I can't imagine they want to lose their job. I am going to assume that the company will "investigate" any instances before firing a manager, so if an employee wants to quit and take their manager with them, I don't think it'll be that easy.

Just a guess, we'll have to see how it works out.
 
If I was 14-16 I'd probably be pissed about this, but I'm actually surprised it took this long for them to start this policy. I'm guessing a big reason for this is to cover them if some news show decides to do an undercover 'sting' type show. EB/GS can just provide this official policy and state that they regret the specific stores did not follow policy and all employees involved have been re-educated on proper procedure.

I could see customers getting pissed about it because (as has been mentioned) it's not a law so why should you have to show ID? But personally I won't mind. And the signs detaling this new policy at the checkout counters so employees have something to point to when a customer grouses is a very good idea IMO.
 
Best Buy has been doing this for at least a year, and as long as the whole "manager and manager's manager get fired as well" part is open to discretion, there's nothing wrong with it.
 
I don't know how long their website has been doing this, but yesterday I picked up an M rated game and was forced to verify I was over 17 years old in the checkout process. That's the first time I ever had an online site do that for a video game.
 
As a ripe old man of 23, I don't have any problems flashing my ID for an M-rated game (which I rarely ever buy anyways), but I still think the whole "firing the employee and the store manager" part is utter bullshit.
 
[quote name='Rei no Otaku']The part about the policy that I find odd, and the OP didn't mention it, is that kids can no longer trade in M rated games either.[/QUOTE]

See, and that part makes no sense at all. Thry're now trying to keep violent games out of kids hands by... making them keep M rated games?

Cunning logic, Gamestop.
 
[quote name='Chacrana']See, and that part makes no sense at all. Thry're now trying to keep violent games out of kids hands by... making them keep M rated games?

Cunning logic, Gamestop.[/QUOTE]

Slippery slope here. I'm sort of surprised that Gamestop will let people under 18 trade in games without a parent anyway. But, if your going to say that kids can't buy these games, can you really let them trade them in? That would be the same as letting kids bring in alcohol to trade for something. I think it's cleaner (from a PR standpoint) just to take the stance that you aren't dealing with M rated games for anyone under 17.

Here's something I just thought of. With this logic though, would this mean that M rated games can't be placed in their demo kiosks, since anyone can play those (and watch them)? You know some stores would love to stick Halo 3 in there when it releases, and every FPS since Columbine seems to get an M automatically.
 
Sounds like a good idea to me. Stores have to take preventative measures to try and ensure that this doesn't become law, and I have no problem with that. I don't have my state ID yet (I'm 17), but I can just ask my girlfriend to buy me Mature games until I get it. The punishment for employees seems a bit harsh, though.
 
[quote name='wubb']If I was 14-16 I'd probably be pissed about this, but I'm actually surprised it took this long for them to start this policy. I'm guessing a big reason for this is to cover them if some news show decides to do an undercover 'sting' type show. EB/GS can just provide this official policy and state that they regret the specific stores did not follow policy and all employees involved have been re-educated on proper procedure.[/quote]

That is exactly what happened. Some news channel did a story on underaged kids buying M rated games and EB and GS were the worst offenders. I'm pretty sure all of the major chains asked for ID.

I have no problem with the policy, because, as others have stated, it keeps this kind of thing from become a law.
 
[quote name='Chacrana']See, and that part makes no sense at all. Thry're now trying to keep violent games out of kids hands by... making them keep M rated games?

Cunning logic, Gamestop.[/QUOTE]

You need a drivers license to trade in and get cash, and in some states, store credit as well. It's law for any trade-in type buisness to prevent selling stolen merch. It's always been like this. They can't let kids trade in any games, not just M rated ones.
 
I'm 19 so I could care less.

Although it is a bit strange, considering how my local liquor store doesn't even card for booze :shock:
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']I heard about this, but not the "card anyone under age 30" shit. What the fuck is up with that? It's not illegal to sell these games to people under 17 to begin with.[/QUOTE]

Is it really that much of an inconvenience to get upset about?

[quote name='gizmogc']Eh. Sadly employees should not have to parent children. Looks like they now get to.[/QUOTE]

Your pick, hombre: GS or Uncle Sam.
 
[quote name='Rei no Otaku']The part about the policy that I find odd, and the OP didn't mention it, is that kids can no longer trade in M rated games either.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='lordxixor101'] I'm sort of surprised that Gamestop will let people under 18 trade in games without a parent anyway. [/QUOTE]


I didn't mention it because we don't allow children to trade in games w/o a parent at all. While the email did make specific mention about it, I made fun of it for a little while about not knowing our own policies.

The new policy however does allow a child to return a M rated game w/o a reciept though, even if it's open. I have a feeling we'll get blasted on that, but it might be a good idea.


[quote name='lordxixor101'] Here's something I just thought of. With this logic though, would this mean that M rated games can't be placed in their demo kiosks, since anyone can play those (and watch them)? You know some stores would love to stick Halo 3 in there when it releases, and every FPS since Columbine seems to get an M automatically.[/QUOTE]

Yep. I wanted to put the GoW2 demo in there to try and get people to preorder it and got my crap shot down right quick. (Wasn't exactly thinking yesterday) Nothing above T in the demos.

On the signs, it's just an emotional reaction, but I feel it kind of cheapens the store. It's something I would expect in a crappy dive of a liqour store, but for a store that specializes in people having fun, I dunno. I'm sure once I actually get someone who gets pissed about me carding them, this feeling will change :p
 
I didn't mention it because we don't allow children to trade in games w/o a parent at all. While the email did make specific mention about it, I made fun of it for a little while about not knowing our own policies.
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Was never a policy in my store. The only thing you needed a parent for in that regard was if you wanted cash. Then you have to be 18 with a state ID. We even let kids reserve M rated games. They just had to have a parent with them to pick it up.
 
[quote name='gamereviewgod']You need a drivers license to trade in and get cash, and in some states, store credit as well. It's law for any trade-in type buisness to prevent selling stolen merch. It's always been like this. They can't let kids trade in any games, not just M rated ones.[/QUOTE]

Then why was I able to trade in games when I was 16?
 
If that what it takes to make Lieberman and Hillary Clinton to shut the hell up and work on something more important, then I'm all for it.
 
[quote name='Logain8955']I went into work at EB Games tonight and was presented with an email from corporate. All employees were forced to sign it. It stated that we are now to begin carding all people who are buying an M Rated game who look under 30. We're also going to recieve signage stating that we card people under age 30, much like those signs in liquor stores and cigarette shops. Any employee who accidentally sells an M Rated game to someone under 17 and is caught will be immediately terminated, along with their Store Manager and possibly their District Manager.


So, what do you guys think? Personally, I think it's a good idea, but the liquor store signage and the extremely harsh penalty is way over the top.[/quote]

That part I bolded is ridiculous.
 
I'm 27 and I got carded for my first time ever buying a video game @ BestBuy the day before Xmas. I do look young for my age but still carded for the first time...
 
[quote name='GuilewasNK']That part I bolded is ridiculous.[/quote]
I have to agree. It's kind of stupid that the employees get fired after doing it once, they should have something like 3 strikes a year, though I'm sure it wont be a problem since I'm sure no one would want to be fired over something as stupid as selling an M rated game to a kid.
 
We were carding at eb last year. The thing that surprised me was the number of adults who don't carry or have Id and they are the ones driving.

We would always get the thats an invasion of my privacy. And I was like "yep" there is the 1-800- customer service number. If We don't ask we get in trouble.

Now we were in a strip mall so sometimes I would go out to the car and ask the parent if it was ok. It usually was.
 
[quote name='davidjinfla']We were carding at eb last year. The thing that surprised me was the number of adults who don't carry or have Id and they are the ones driving.

We would always get the thats an invasion of my privacy. And I was like "yep" there is the 1-800- customer service number. If We don't ask we get in trouble.

Now we were in a strip mall so sometimes I would go out to the car and ask the parent if it was ok. It usually was.[/QUOTE]
What is the point of carding someone with a child?? Sometime store employees get some sort of a power trip ID'ing people. I don't understand why retail employees don't use some common sense when asking for an ID.

A few years ago I was with my sister when she was asked for an ID to buy a parental advisory CD when she was a "parent" with a 3 1/2 year old, the policy at the time was 15 or over *by the way she was 23 or 24 at the time. The point of asking for and ID is that a 13 year old won't getahold of a M rated game not to hassle tax paying citizens.
 
it was a cover your ass kind of thing. If you didn't card someone then the next person would come up and give you all kind of hell about how we didn't card the last person. Ah retail, I don't miss it at all.

And believe it or not sometimes the "adult" was picking the game up for somebody elses kid or releative and were actually greatful we told them about the game rating. Even though it was right there on the box. I must of screwed up a lot of kids trying to get around thier parents knowledge of what they were buying.
 
While I understand the idea behind IDing people, I know it will not be done using common sense. As someone said earlier, some retail register jockeys get a bit of a power trip. I am 33 and have never been carded for anything but M rated games.... thats sad.
 
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