Parents Group To Best Buy: Move Mature-Rated Games To Higher Shelves

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Advocacy group Parents Television Council says it's a Joe Camel move to place video games intended for adults right alongside the Marios and Sonics of the world, and the group scolded Best Buy for the practice at a shareholder's meeting last week.

“Mr. Chairman, you understand this game is rated mature and we appreciate all that Best Buy is doing to impose and enforce an age-restricted buying policy. However, I urge you to place these types of games on higher shelves and out of sight and reach of your younger customers,” said PTC Minnesota Chapter Director Phyllis Plum at the meeting, according to a PTC press release.

The PTC is famous for being clueless haters of video games, but the organization has a valid point on this matter. Retailers could take steps to keep out-of-touch parents from buying inappropriate games for their nagging kids.

http://consumerist.com/2010/06/parents-group-to-best-buy-move-mature-rated-games-to-higher-shelves.html

:roll::roll:
 
I can see the point they are going for, but don't Best Buy's usually alphabetize their games by platform? It's much more convenient for the consumer to scan a list of properly ordered games rather than looking through 2 different sections. On top of that, I doubt most people know the rating of the game they are trying to find - so they would have to scan both sections just to see if the game is in stock.
 
I guess it would sort of make sense to put Mature games in their own section since putting Madworld next to Madden doesn't make a whole lot of sense. If they were to institute such a policy, then they probably should organize games by genre like they do their films instead of simply organizing them alphabetically.

On the other hand, there usually isn't much on the box and pretty much every retailer under the sun has a policy of not selling mature games to minors (I'm 25 and I still get carded). Coupled with parents having the option to use parental controls on everything from the DSi to the Xbox 360, I really don't think there is much of a problem.

If it would make parents happy for them to organize their games in a different way, then I guess that's fine. I don't really care either way.

Although, it would be nice to be able to go to the RPG section to find all my RPGs instead of having to look through a bunch of games I don't care about. So I guess I support this change of policy if it makes it easier for me to find the games I care about. :bouncy:
 
Are these kids driving to Best Buy by themselves with their own money to spend on these games? Why aren't these parents capable of deciding what games to get for their kids rather than just telling their kids to grab something and blindly buying it like they're not the ones in charge?
 
[quote name='javeryh']Are they going to do this with DVDs and CDs?[/QUOTE]

And to a lesser extent, cereals and magazines? Someone could certainly argue that both of these items, placed at a lower level, could cause "harm" to a minor.

You know...because no one wants to take responsibility for parenting and all...
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']And to a lesser extent, cereals and magazines? Someone could certainly argue that both of these items, placed at a lower level, could cause "harm" to a minor.

You know...because no one wants to take responsibility for parenting and all...[/QUOTE]

They should also place all TVs, stereo equipment, video game consoles and computers on very high shelves too. All of that stuff is capable of displaying or playing objectionable content. I envision a much safer world where every Best Buy hands out stilts at the door after a valid ID is shown proving you are 18 enabling you to view the items for sale on these very high shelves. It will be GLORIOUS.
 
This is BS lol Naughty Bear is Rated T makes no point moving the Rated M games up

Basically Manhunt with Bears not that I would care =D
 
This is like going into a video store or a private video rental place that had the "curtain" where adult movies are it doesn't seem much difference, it just creates something for underage people to want to mess with and look at, it's pointless in my opinion. Are they going to set the televisions higher in the air so that the children can't see the commercials for those mature rated games as well?

- Jason
 
Nothing wrong with this really. And Best Buy already has multiple sections of games for each system, grouping some separately because of price, genre, accessories, family, etc., so the need to alphabetize shouldn't be an issue. And for those talking about the porn curtain, I'm sure this move is aimed at 6-10 year olds. The tweens can and will reach as high as they need to see what they want.
 
[quote name='ninja dog']I'm 3'4", but I'm 37 years old, so this is really upsetting.[/QUOTE]

Yes but you have a jetpack, so it balances out.
 
[quote name='javeryh']Are they going to do this with DVDs and CDs?[/QUOTE]

They probably should. Although I'd say parents are more likely to be in touch with movies since that's potentially something they enjoy also, versus videogames which they might just consider 'kids stuff'. Plus, I think the interactive/fun factor of videogames kind of by default makes them more appealing to kids than movies might be.

I don't have a problem with it, really. It would make more sense, though, to have stickers on the plastic wrapping that list the rating and justification for said rating. If GTA4 listed on the front that it had profanity, sexual themes, drug use, and graphic violence, I bet a lot less naive parents would blindly buy it for their sociopath in-the-making (because if they buy young kids those games I'm betting their parenting isn't too hot in other departments either).
 
They would have to lock them in cages 9 feet off the ground to prevent kids from getting to them, just on the top shelf wont matter.

Besides if they were really concerned about their kids they would be better parents and be paying attention to them and or explaining things to them instead of just saying "Were to lazy to be parents, so we want everyone in the entire country to hide everything from our kids we dont want them to know about so we dont have to be bothered."
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']And to a lesser extent, cereals and magazines? Someone could certainly argue that both of these items, placed at a lower level, could cause "harm" to a minor.

You know...because no one wants to take responsibility for parenting and all...[/QUOTE]

They do with magazines. Walk into a bookstore that actually openly stocks Playboy or other adult magazines and they're usually on the highest shelf, with a plastic sleeve covering all but the title. Some stores have taken it one step further by keeping such magazines behind the counter. So this is hardly an unprecedented move.
 
i'm not sure how high the Best Buy shelves are but I assume you can see what's up there, even as a kid. kids smaller than that are like 6 and under, who can't read. how bad is the cover art on M rated games anyways..?

this isn't a hard request to answer but it seems like these people just want attention.
 
As a parent, I say to other parents "Be a fucking parent. It's not Best Buy's place to take care of your kids."

It's not hard.
 
[quote name='johnnypark']Although I'd say parents are more likely to be in touch with movies since that's potentially something they enjoy also, versus videogames which they might just consider 'kids stuff'. Plus, I think the interactive/fun factor of videogames kind of by default makes them more appealing to kids than movies might be.
[/QUOTE]

I think you hit the nail on the head there. Whether putting M rated games on the top shelf would do anything, I don't know. But there is definitely a difference in the average age of people that shop for movies and games. When I go to a store like Best Buy, the video game section is always filled with mostly kids, and the movies section is always filled with adults. The truth is most adults still see games as "kids stuff" as you put it, so maybe putting M rated games in a different section could at least get the idea across to parents that there are some games out there that aren't suitable for their kid. Maybe then they will start to pay attention to what games they are buying.
 
Swing and a miss.

I can't count the number of times I have seen parents disregard what the game is rated and just buy it for their kids. How about cracking some skulls and holding the parents accountable for the doing a half-assed job.

OT: I used to work at a liquor retailer and people brought kids in there all the time. I would hate that because it would put my job (and lack of a serious criminal record) at risk
 
I'm all for educating parents and trying to help them understand what games are appropriate for their kids, but if "higher shelves" is the best idea this group can come up with... yikes.
 
[quote name='elwood731']They do with magazines. Walk into a bookstore that actually openly stocks Playboy or other adult magazines and they're usually on the highest shelf, with a plastic sleeve covering all but the title. Some stores have taken it one step further by keeping such magazines behind the counter. So this is hardly an unprecedented move.[/QUOTE]

Just because a magazine isn't labeled "adult" doesn't mean it couldn't be harmful to a minor. Look at Fangoria, Guns and Ammo, or anything else like that.
 
This is yet another in a long line of solutions that don't consider the fact that parents (or people in general) just don't care enough to educate themselves. If a parent can't figure out that a game isn't appropriate for their child, they aren't trying hard enough. Putting stuff on a high shelf isn't going to help.

It's what someone earlier said... until the general public is educated enough to *not* see videogames as 'kid stuff', it won't matter. If you're a parent that thinks that way, surely any game is okay for little Johnny. It sounds fucked, but that's a mindset that a ton of people seem to have.

Oh, and if this was any store other than Best Buy, it'd be a little different. Honestly, Best Buy doesn't even *have* high shelves, and I can barely find anything in their 'alphabetized' sections anyway. God forbid I want to know a price. Maybe my Best Buy just sucks.
 
How about Best Buy employees just card customers buying M rated (I'm sure they do this already) and parents learn how to be parents.
 
When I worked at Target briefly in 2002, we were in the middle of converting the Electronics section to the design they just got rid of this year, and one day I was working at putting the PS2/XBox games in their new spaces and the Nintendo rep for southern Illinois came in and complained about this same thing. Of course Target's games were in a glass case, but she still thought the M-rated games should only be on the top spots.

I thought it was strange a vendor was complaining to me about it as I had zero power to do anything. I just polietly said this (showing her the document) was the new Target plan and this is the order they want the games in. If she wanted I could get the MoD and she could talk to them about it or they could give her the corporate Target info to talk to them about it but then she just shut up and went back to fixing up the Nintendo sections.
 
If Suzy Soccermom would stop talking to her girlfriends on her cell phone and pretending to be sooooo important for five minutes and actually BE A PARENT and monitor and take an interest in her little brats this would be a non issue.

I can't even tell you the number of times I've nearly been bowled over by brats running through the aisles in Kmart/Target/etc because 'mom' is too busy yapping about her life to her friend on her cell phone.

Stop ignoring your kids. You had the fun to make 'em, now make sure they're not exposed to anything you might find objectionable.

This country has become a place where knee jerk reactions are the norm, whereas taking proactive steps PRIOR to a situation being 'offensive' or out of control would've been the much better solution. But that's what amuses me most, is that it's always 'about the children'. What about the other millions of game players who are 18-34(or older)who actually may be ok with this content? I guess WE don't count.

Personally though, I think Phyllis Plum really needs to get fucked, literally and figuratively. Maybe it'd loosen her up.;):D
 
You fools! Think of the black market this would make available to us CAGs! We could roam the shelves at Best Buy and charge kids five bucks a pop to utilize our mighty reaching-the-top-shelf skills.
 
It's not an outrageous request until you figure out that 80% of the games released this generation are M-rated games with guns, sex and alcohol. Longest top shelf ever.
 
[quote name='KingBroly']It's not an outrageous request until you figure out that 80% of the games released this generation are M-rated games with guns, sex and alcohol. Longest top shelf ever.[/QUOTE]
20280_284325298999_77687788999_3247542_233485_n.jpg

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=282050889170
 
[quote name='Strell']You fools! Think of the black market this would make available to us CAGs! We could roam the shelves at Best Buy and charge kids five bucks a pop to utilize our mighty reaching-the-top-shelf skills.[/QUOTE]

Would it look like this?

futured.jpg


Sorry for the poor "shop skillz"
 
That's an interesting piechart Tanuki. Now I'd like to see one that excludes the Wii & DS.

EDIT: Found one on Gamasutra from 2007 that shows each console separately:

esrbdistributions007.png
 
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I guess I'd be a liberal parent. I wouldn't have any problem with kids playing violent games. I would have a problem with something that's sexy, like Bayonetta for instance though.
 
The Darkness being played by a 5 year old can't be good for them, I mean that things EAST HEARTS close up the the screen. As for moving them to the top shelve? What the hell is the point? They can still see them and there's never anything like violent on the back or anything.

Porno mags have plastic wrapping so kids got in them but they can still look at censored tits on the cover, it's not like they don't have the ability to look up. I think this is a rather pointless request, now game shops selling 18 titles (thats the M rating to you american folk) to kids is the actual problem now isn't it? I don't know about there but here a kid has no chance of buying a game like GTA, you need ID if you look young.

Now if a parent buys the game for the Kid, that's up to the parent and I have no beef with it.
 
[quote name='Goemar']The Darkness being played by a 5 year old can't be good for them, I mean that things EAST HEARTS close up the the screen. As for moving them to the top shelve? What the hell is the point? They can still see them and there's never anything like violent on the back or anything.

Porno mags have plastic wrapping so kids got in them but they can still look at censored tits on the cover, it's not like they don't have the ability to look up. I think this is a rather pointless request, now game shops selling 18 titles (thats the M rating to you american folk) to kids is the actual problem now isn't it? I don't know about there but here a kid has no chance of buying a game like GTA, you need ID if you look young.

Now if a parent buys the game for the Kid, that's up to the parent and I have no beef with it.[/QUOTE]
But that's the thing though, Goemar. In this country you have absentee parents who buy whatever the lil bastards want, then plop them in front of the tv with the game and the parents then go on about their own not so self important lives.

If it isn't mommy or daddy buying it for them it's grandma or grandpa. They go into Gamestop with their grandparents, the grandparents ask what game they want, the kid points to GTA(or another M rated title) and they oblige the kid by buying it for them.

In the second case it's the kid manipulating grandparents to get what they want, the first example is just lazy parenting.

But instead of actually being educated about what their kids are exposed to on a daily basis, parents will just ignore it until there's a problem, which is always the best solution, right?:roll:
 
Moving them to the top shelve want stop that though now will it? Unless Grandma has a bad back
 
[quote name='Goemar']Moving them to the top shelve want stop that though now will it? Unless Grandma has a bad back[/QUOTE]
If it's at a place like Gamestop the clerk would just go get a copy either from the back or whatever for the customer, as I've seen done many times. All the kid would have to know is the name of the game and that's it.
 
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