UK retailers caught selling mature games to undercover teen

via Joystiq


A sting operation set up by the UK's Trading Standards organization caught 12 retailers selling games with BBFC '18' ratings to a 14-year-old -- specifically, the 14-year-old who volunteered to go undercover for the group. In the US, such negligence from cashiers would merely be disappointing. In the UK, it's illegal.

Of the sixteen retail outlets visited last week by the young narc, only four declined to sell contraband games: Gamestation, GAME, PC World and WH Smith. Some of the other retailers even had automatic warnings on their registers, which the cashiers ignored as they broke the law.

"Given the previous good compliance record with attempted test purchasing of tobacco in Dundee," a Trading Standards rep said, "it is very disappointing that so many large retailers have ignored their own systems in regard to restricted video game sales. Clearly there are issues that need to be addressed, and we will be following up matters with the retailers involved."