1st Amendment Freedom for -18...

[Ronin13]

Well Sand, I would say good luck finding a game that's not rated by the ESRB, considering many companies like Gamestop, Walmart, Best Buy, etc. refuse to sell any games not rated by the ESRB. And there at those stores no one under 17 can buy anything rate M (for Mature) or higher when in fact the actual description of the rating M is:

Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.

The key word is MAY be suitable... well who decides at what age someone is suitable to tolerate violence, gore, blood, sex, etc? Certainly not a group of people sitting around some table looking at the content of things and going from there... maybe the parents should be making these decisions for kids -18. Same goes with movies, when I was 17 (old enough to go) and trying to take my 15 year old brother to an R rated movie way back when, they wouldn't allow it because it's policy. Well my mother buys (back then VHS) movies for us that are R all the time! And our parents figured we were mature enough to handle that kind of thing. WTF? Who are they to tell me what we can and can't handle or see? Let parents make the decision not some group of people randomly appointed to make these decisions.

[DeusExMachina]

All games are rated. It is the parents' responsibility.

The Constitution won out today. I am happy they struck this down.

It also provides valuable precedent that video games are protected free speech.

[Ronin13]

All games are rated. It is the parents' responsibility.

The Constitution won out today. I am happy they struck this down.

It also provides valuable precedent that video games are protected free speech.

While it's the parents' responsibility they don't let that happen when little Johnny goes to Walmart to buy the new Call Of Duty or other video game while mom waits in the car... the employees say to Johnny that at 15 he can't buy a game "intended" for 17+. System=Flawed.

[DeusExMachina]

While it's the parents' responsibility they don't let that happen when little Johnny goes to Walmart to buy the new Call Of Duty or other video game while mom waits in the car... the employees say to Johnny that at 15 he can't buy a game "intended" for 17+. System=Flawed.

There is no law preventing them from selling it to him, but stores can have policies preventing it. Stores are not forced to sell anyone anything. California was trying to force stores to have this policy.

[TS12000]

I do agree that there shouldn't exist law against it, but I also believe that a store can choose to do business with whomever they please.

And there it is, if the stores allow these agencies to exist and use those ratings as a control measure for who they will sell to that is their business. Wal-Mart isn't using the system to prevent kids from getting the games, it's using the system to prevent having to deal with screaming lunatic moms as much as is possible. "Sorry Mrs. our store doesn't sell these games to children so either your husband or little Johnny's brother must have bought it, not our problem".