"That’s just asking for disgruntled employees to go out with a bang."

Not just that. Disgruntled customers could call and file a false complaint (like, maybe, some kid who got turned away when trying to buy, and read about this online...). Or pranksters. Or busybodies like he-who-can-not-be-named could make false claims out of spite.

Not only when buying games. They have to have an adult with ID to trade in M rated games too. How much sense does that make? "You've already got it, but you aren't old enough to have it!"

Fire the employee is understandable, if rather draconian. Fire the manager is just plain stupid. The fire the employee thing will dissuade employees from disregarding the age rating in the name of making a sale. The flip side is that it'll leave potential for people to be punished for honest mistakes, and vengeful customers. Firing the manager however will just start leaving them short on managers. Yes it'll get managers to stress the age ratings more in training, but managers are harder to replace than sales clerks. And the manager is going to have less control over sales than the clerk will.

Not to mention this'll leave Gamestop managers at the mercy of disgruntled employees. I mean, if you'd had enough of your job and were ready to quit, wouldn't you like a way to cost your manager his job?

@Mr. Blond. By implementing this tough new policy, GameStop is in fact ensuring that the purchase of M-rated games for children is left entirely to parental discretion. Without a policy in place that prevents minors from purchasing M-rated games the purchase decision is no longer left to the parent, it rests entirely with the child. The 18+ policies ensure that a parent or guardian (or anyone over 18) must be present to purchase the game with the child, ensuring that an adult was involved in the decision to purchase the game.

Certainly, it is possible for a child to find someone out there besides their parents to enter the store and purchase the game for them, but frankly thats a minor problem with a good solution that avoids legislation. I can't speak for the policy of firing managers, at first glance it seems like it may be a bit draconian. GameStop does however, have far more experience running retail outlets than I do, and if these measures help increase the minor denial rate, and get the legislators off the backs of the game industry I'm all for it.

Just remember, retail policies can be changed relatively quickly and easily, legislation is significantly more difficult.

@magi

They are also acting as if they are forced by law to not sell them to minors and will send the wrong message to everyone that its a restricted substance to minors like pron.I know if someone walks up to me to buy a game and its say rated T and they are 9 years old (its happened) i would have no problems with selling the kid the product same goes for any game.

By acting like its a actual law it wont be long before it will become a actual law(same thing happened with seat belts years back)if anything this will cause many spite false claims resulting in innocent folks being terminated.

If you support garbage like this you are just as bad as a dictator plain and simple.

If GameStop in fact intends to enforce this policy as described, it will result in a slew of wrongful termination lawsuits from the managers. As many people have said here already, this is clearly a knee-jerk policy that doesn't take into account the multitude of ways in which it can be abused. It is up to parents to be responsible enough to ensure their kids are playing the appropriate games for their age. If they are not, they have only themselves to blame. I also find it unfair that these same managers will also be held accountable for the inevitable drop in sales of some M rated titles that this will result in.

Fire the manager?

Dare them to try here in Connecticut.

There would be a lawsuit so fast, it would make your head spin. As well as a Labor Dept. complaint filed.

Uh, don't act so shocked.

This is GameStop we're talking about, they treat all of their employees like crap, and only care about the customer's money. That's. It. You want to talk about unfair and harsh, ask me about my old GS manager when I worked there last year, and then ask me all about my own stories about being stepped on by "The Man".

@TheGreg

"Not only when buying games. They have to have an adult with ID to trade in M rated games too. How much sense does that make? “You’ve already got it, but you aren’t old enough to have it!”"

You don't know much about GameStop, do you?

That's for everyone, it has nothing to do with M-rated games, and if anyone tells you otherwise they're BSing you. GameStop's trade-ins work under pawn shop law, which means you MUST be 17 or older to make a trade-in. You're also required to fill out a section of paper with your name, address, driver's licence etc. It has nothing to do with GameStop's regulations, just what the pawn shop law is in whatever state it's located in- in which the laws are normally the same.

Keep in mind that's a LAW, not a policy.

Everyone's getting so hyped up over this... It's just like the policies a majority of movie theatre's have for the ratings, and no one's bitching about that.

@Yoshiko

"Everyone’s getting so hyped up over this… It’s just like the policies a majority of movie theatre’s have for the ratings, and no one’s bitching about that."

Mind listing what movie theater chains have a policy of firing both the employee and the MANAGER if an underage kid gets let into an R-rated movie?

Oy, I guess Gamestop will be the ones inciting a chilling effect. I won't be surprised to see far less M rated games on shelves because managers are too afraid for their jobs.

And as someone said, I won't be surprised if alot of bogus complaints come in,especially in the state of Florida.

@yoda

Yes, it is the responsibility of the manager to oversee the operation of the store and its employees. However the policy, as stated here, is to fire both the manager and employee over a single incident of failure to enforce corporate policy. If the employee(s) were to repeatedly sell games to minors then yes, the management should be held accountable just as they should be if an employee were to repeatedly steal noticeable quantities from the cash drawer. Firing the management over a singular incident which he or she likely isn't even present to prevent, however, will result in a slew of wrongful termination lawsuits and encourage the sort of ineffecient and paranoid micromanagement that makes working under some managers insufferable.

Dennis, can you check the blockquote tags? They seemed to have stopped working.

This is why I only shop at stores still labeled as EB Games. Yeah, they're one and the same, but For some reason, the employees are more friendly.

this is more fluster over not wanting bad press than anythign ese....I wish they would be so much effort into selling reasonably I am still annoyed they have stopped selling used PC games.

I'm not aware of any stings or firings over kids getting into R rated movies. The analogy is a perfect one, as well. Should we be celebrating this and suggesting the same for theater employees and R-rated movies, or should we asking for a bit of sanity in our society? I'm pretty sure those are the only two options that don't indicate some sort of pointless and retarded (in the literal sense) prejudice against games.

@Daniel

Most retail stores have this policy, so obviously they disagree.

and

"No Daniel, some games are not appropriate for younger audiences. Age is usually a good indicator of development when used in the appropriate context and not treated as a set in stone guide."

Since Daniel can copy and paste posts i figure I can do it to and save some time.

In esssence I happen to agree with Daniel on this one. I see absolutly no problem whatsoever with older kids and teenagers buying, renting or playing M rated video games.
When it comes to younger kids like those in their single age digits my opinion differs as young children do not yet have the full capability of knowing the difference between reality and fantasy, right and wrong, and/or what is or is not acceptable behaviour in real life situations.

"I would argue that there are SEVERAL things wrong with you, many of which ARE a direct result of your complete immersion in violent games as a kid."

This is just pure assumption on your part though Hayabusa75. I don't consider his constant repeating of himself in nearly every single post he makes nor his inability to get other people's responses to his posts to be the fault of him playing violent games as a kid and until their is a direct proven link you can't say that they are.
As for his unhealthly obsession with violent video games, i think this has more to do with Daniel's psyche (genetical or developmental disposition) then with violent video games scrambling his brain circuits as a child. I still think that Daniel had Asberger's Syndrome even if he claims he doesn't.

Dang, I wish I would've known about this before I was fired.

@Sara

"I don’t see the issue with trading in M rated games, in NY state at least you have to have a valid drivers license or some form of photo ID and be at least 18 to trade in games of any kind or have a parent with you when trading in games. I believe the 18 and over to trade in games is corporate policy (if you are under 18 you must have a parent with you to trade in games), so I do not see where there would be an issue with a kid trading in a M rated game without a parent."

@Bigman

I would agree with Hyabusa. However I think Daniel's personality is more responsible. I also think an immersion in comics, books, music, porn, movies, cars, or stamp collecting would have resulted in a similar disposition with him acting similarly in context with what ever his obsession is.

Daniels argumentative skills and interpretation skills appear to be almost non existent. I would agree with you that he has Asberger's though I have never know someone with it who was so... infuriating. I think however he missed some key lessons during his social development.

While Daniel may not have phrased his argument very eloquently, I have to agree. You say kids just aren't mature enough to handle the content. Can you be a little more specific? What is there really to understand (well, they may not fully understand the finer aspects of complicated storylines)? To most kids, it's just mindless entertainment. The only side effects would be that they just shoot at each other with toy guns and kick at each other in play. Are you saying that younger kids who play violent games are more likely to just pick up a gun and start blowing people away? Violent behavior with the deliberate intent to seriously injure or kill someone is the only truly dangerous harm, and as seen time and again, that has never been proven. So, some kids, especially boys, are fascinated with that kind of graphic depiction of violence in entertainment. Like you weren't at 10, 11, 12, 13? Is it any more dangerous than the violent fantasies and pretend games many kids come up with and act out on their own?

Though, Gray darling, I do owe you an apology. You weren't being an ass in your original post, honestly. You just rub me the wrong way.

@Bigman-K:

"This is just pure assumption on your part though Hayabusa75. I don’t consider his constant repeating of himself in nearly every single post he makes nor his inability to get other people’s responses to his posts to be the fault of him playing violent games as a kid and until their is a direct proven link you can’t say that they are."

Hold on, you can't get on me for making assumptions (which I didn't really, I just said I could argue the point) about Daniel and then in the same breath make assumptions yourself about what I was actually talking about and also what's wrong with Daniel. We make assumptions and inferences about people we don't know everyday on this site, it's nothing new. For the record, I never made any specific claims, I just made that statement as a rebuttal. You can think Daniel has Asberger's, but for all you or I know, he might just be a run-of-the-mill idiot.

@Mr. Blond:

I understand all that, but making blanket statements that ALL games are a-ok ALL of the time for ALL ages irresponsibly ignores the fact that this is a many-layered issue.

@Yoshiko:

Easy, easy. Danielitis can affect us with varying levels of intensity.

Kids can buy rated R movies at many movie stores and nobody says a thing

You know, there always seems to be reason enough for my posts to consist entirely of analysis of Daniel's "issues" than the topic of the article I'm responding to...

I just deleted a 250-word essay on Reality For The Intellectually Impaired rather than post something tangential.

The first two comments to this article sum up my thoughts, really. So... what they said.

50-something comments is alot to root through, but I have to ask.. How will they enforce this system?
Consider this, the store Managers and the employees below them are all aware that they'll start losing their jobs if they slip up. The main issue is that M rated games should not be in the hands of young children, so obviously, none of them will be letting copies of Manhunt and Resident Evil and all of those happy games slip through the cracks.
Now, both employees and managers know their job is on the line if one of these instances occurs. So what's going to happen? Nothing. I don't forsee any employees calling down to corporate office and confessing unless it's another employee who hates the both of them. It's like calling the police to confess a murder.

Now, unless there's a big hotline number posted above the register that customers can exploit at the sake of helpless employees, I can see this as a problem, and GameStop will likely scramble for new workers all over.

The upside to all of this.. I needed a job anyways.

If there was an actual motivation for people to work at those establishments I could see this as being effective but the average sales person gets paid in peanuts and to lose that job would not be a huge hit. This is why these places already have a high turnover rate. With the lack of job security these places offer (especially now) you may as well get paid in contractor wages.

"I strongly suspect that the fire everyone and their dog toto too policy is a scare tactic to get the attention of the manager and the employees who might not have been taking store policy too seriously. "

I can't believe it took 7 posts before somebody realized this.

It is great that GameStop is finally taking some initiative. Obviously they aren't actually going to fire any managers over an employee selling an M-rated game while the manager isn't there. But if the manager is there, and knows that it happened, and still allows it... well then he's breaking company policy and deserves to be disciplined. This might mean firing, this might mean suspension, or it might just mean a stern talking-to from the boss.

You sign an employee handbook when you take a job. You can't file a wrongful termination suit if you willingly and knowingly broke the rules. Get rid of a few of the lazy clerks that don't care, and the rest of them will shape up real quick.


"...the average sales person gets paid in peanuts and to lose that job would not be a huge hit."

Many GameStop employees work there because they get to borrow games and play them for free. That alone makes it better than flipping burgers. Anyway, have you ever met anybody with a college degree that is hawking games in retail? I'm not saying they are "stupid" or anything like that (some of them are using it to pay their way through college), but it's not as easy for a kid working retail to just go out and get another job.

To all who worked at Gamestop

Do you have to ask for some kind of id before ringing up the game? or does it ring up on the register that says "please check id" before printing the receipt?

also, do you/ is there the same check for movies?

I personally don't think that this is a bad policy. Basically, had the managers and store employees been doing their jobs and follow company policy about selling to underage buyers, especially when the industry is under such heavy watch by critics ready to tear them apart, this would have never happened.

Is it a stunt to get good publicity? Of course. Is it way too harsh? Of course. But I doubt that there will be a rash of employees getting back at their managers. This is the wake up call that they have to crack down, that they have to get tough, and they have to enforce the rules.

Now some bemoan the fact that under 18 gamers can't buy violent video games without their parents, that these stores are engaging in censorship, and I think they are missing the point of these rules completely. These policies exist so that stores have a good rapport with parents and the community. Most parents would object to their 6 year old child playing GTA, and the store is helping them out by refusing to sell the game to that child. The cries of censorship miss the point completely. It really is not in the spirit of censorship. Censorship is the outright banning of materials usually with the intention of thought control. Keeping six year olds from playing a game where they can kill a prostitute for her money after having sex with her is, well, on a different level. Plus, it's not like nobody can purchase these games. Yes, technically it might meet the definition of censorship, but the spirit is a touch different.

For those of you concerned about false complaints, keep in mind that there are usually cameras in most stores pointed at the register, that these registers print out a piece of paper containing information about the sale including the date, who did the sale, the product purchase, the price, and how the sale was completed.

And finally, for those of you concerned about honest mistakes - that's life. I worked in two stores that sold cigarettes, and if you sold to an underage customer once, you were to be fired. This is not like you are trying to make a judgment call that is tough, you are just making sure that only people who are old enough are buying M rated games. There aren't honest mistakes in this area, only disobedience of policy. Most of these stores say ID to an age where there is no mistake that they over the legal age. And if there is a gray area, then you ID anyway. And if the customer complains, well, it's store policy for both you and them. And if they aren't following policy, then you don't do the sale.

I'm sorry for the long post, but I think a lot of people here are turning this into some evil policy when it really is just a company cracking down on constant disobedience of company policy. And if you are so adverse to company policy, then you don't shop or work there.

@Yoshiko

Did that same check also occur for DVD movies rated R, or was it solely for video games?

@ anyone who worked at a movie theater,
Was there any age checks for movies Rated R?

@Jer

Yeah, it did the same for movies.

I happen to agree with TBone and Canth, better a Retailer take to enforcing a strong store policy than it come down from a Legislative Body. If you're too dumb to check someone's ID you SHOULD be flipping burgers.

@Zippy:

Not even close, man. Not even close. =)

... and of course i use the wrong word. Shit.

@Daniel again

There is a good movie, Its called hotel Rwanda. It is about the civil war between the Hutu's and the Tutsi in Rwanda. It goes something like this.

Paul: I am a Hutu, leave these people alone.
Hutu Militia Leader:... They are Tutsi, they are cockroaches.
Paul: They are my friends, leave them alone.
Hutu Militia: Are you sure you are a Hutu? You sound like a Tutsi traitor. I don't think you are a Hutu, why don't you shoot one of them and prove that you are a Hutu.

Not the best comparison but I think it serves it purpose.

Daniel, your attitude of your either with us or your against us is annoying.

@ Brokenscope

By doing something dirty, I mean playing a violent game everyday and running down anti-game activists everyday. If I do that, I don't think there's much chance that I'll ever be like Jack Thompson. If I absolutely do everything I can to not become what I most despise, chances are, I won't. I have to try everyday to not become what I most despise to persevere.

@ Daniel

Just because you're "booksmart" doesn't mean you're intelligent, it only contributes. When I talk about intelligence, I talk about common sense, which you lack greatly.

"Hey, Yoshiko, are you actually a gamer? Do you play video games? I’m seriously starting to doubt it and doubt that you’re on our side. I think you said up there that people used to try to discourage people from buying Mature rated games for young people because it was the moral thing to do. What gamer would say that? If you believe it’s immoral for a young person to play violent video games, then you belong on Jack Thompson’s sidelines. I don’t think you’re a gamer at all. You sound a lot like an anti-game activst. You sound like they do, at least, it seems that way to me."

I'm just going to say "lol". I can't have my own opinion? I either have to be completely for one specific topic, or be on the "other side".

That's like saying if you're a Democrat you ABSOLUTELY have to be PRO-LIFE, and if you're not PRO-LIFE then you HAVE to be a Republican. Seriously, you are the definition of being single-minded. You are so fucking selfish, locked in your own bubble thinking that only YOU are right and anyone that disagrees with your specific opinion is the devil.

You. Are. Jack Thompson.

You don't even deserve to hear my defense because you won't even bother to look at it, because after all: You're always right.

I am a gamer. I have been since I was 4, when my brother got his NES for Christmas. I watched him play Mario and DuckHunt/Clayshooters all day long. Eventually I started playing it on my own. I stopped playing for awhile, then when I moved to Arizona my friend introduced me to the Playstation, and FF7. I fell in love with RPGs. I then went back and played Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, FF1, FF3 and FF5. As the rest of the Final Fantasy series came out, I bought and played them. When FFXI came out, that became my first MMORPG. I didn't like it so much, so I stopped playing- However I did start playing World of Warcraft when it came out and I've been playing that since release. Don't believe me? Make a Horde character on the server Deathwing and I'll log in for you on my mage simply to prove it.

I've played Counterstrike (not Source, F-that), Half-life, Doom, some occasional Halo, Legend of Dragoon, Elder Scrolls series, Myst, NCAA, Tetris, Shadow of the Colossus, Indigo Prophecies, Okami, GTA, Genji, Shadow Hearts, Kingdom Hearts, almost every single fucking game on the PS2 that has 3 out of 5 stars or more I've played. Do I need to go on?

I love video games. That's why I'm going to major in Video Game Design at the University of Advanced Technology in Tempe, AZ this Fall. It's my goddamn passion, not just a fucking hobby, AND PEOPLE LIKE YOU ARE RUINING IT FOR EVERYONE ELSE.

The difference between me and you is that I have common sense, morals, and basic linguistic skills.

Oh. Yeah.

AND I'M NOT A FUCKING LUNATIC.

Tell me, OH GREAT HISTORY MAJOR WITH A B+ ON HIS ENGLISH TEST, why the HELL should an 8 year old be playing something like Gears of War? Seriously.

You think age doesn't matter. Age is completely irrelevant to everything.

Should a 10 year-old be driving a car?

Should a 13 year-old be able to walk into a bar and order a glass of Jack and Coke on the rocks?

Should a 15 year-old be able to walk into any store, buy a pack of cigarettes and smoke their way to an early grave?

I'm not saying kids don't do the second two at that age, I know I was at 15-16ish. But not legally- That doesn't make it right.

I'm sorry that your parents failed to teach you to be human. I can only hope that you'll kill yourself in the near future to save the gene pool- Or we can just take the safety tags off of everything and let the problem solve itself.

One last thing before I go. The reason why I'm not on the anti-video game activists side is because I don't believe that violent video games cause extreme violent behavior, nor do they correctly simulate and/or train for real-life murders. They CAN affect an exception of people who are already psychologically impaired to begin with, but for the majority of people, they don't. They ALSO do have short term effects of vi