GAME "very disappointed" by underage sales blunder

[Shrygue]

via Games Industry


High Street retailer GAME has told GamesIndustry.biz that it is "very disappointed" that one of its stores has sold an 18-rated game to a minor.

Consumer group Which? sent teenagers to a number of retailers to test age restrictions in the UK, and found that three chains – GAME, entertainment retailer Woolworths and electronics store Maplin – all sold 18-rated games to youngsters.

"We are very disappointed that this incident occurred," said GAME. "A full investigation has been conducted, and we have taken appropriate action to ensure that it does not happen again."

The High Street retailer – the dominant games specialist in the UK – said that it takes its legal obligations seriously, and that its in-store staff receive extensive training to ensure age-ratings are adhered to.

"GAME is a responsible retailer and takes its legal obligations exceptionally seriously.

"At GAME we want to sell the right games to the right customers. To ensure that this happens our store teams receive extensive and regular training about their responsibilities and our procedures to uphold the law, but this is only one element of our comprehensive systems," added the retailer.

Under the video recordings act, the maximum penalty for selling a mature-rated game to a minor is a GBP 5000 fine and/or six months in jail.

Sarah Kidner, editor of Which? Computing said: "It's shocking and surprising that 18-rated games have been sold to a child as young as 15 by household names."

GamesIndustry.biz has contacted Woolworths and Maplin for comment.

[goity]

That's a ridiculous fine imo for such a minor offence.

[Triv1um]

GAME sucks for this.

They wouldn't serve me for MGS, when i had my preorder receipt. and im 16 and look quite old for my age. (get served in most places for cigs and beer etc.)

I went back home for my ID took it to them, and then told them to shove it up there ass and got it from gamestation. Lol.

[Eviltaco64]

Who gives a $#@! these days?
All a minor has to do is pirate.

[pibs]

GAME sucks for this.

They wouldn't serve me for MGS, when i had my preorder receipt. and im 16 and look quite old for my age. (get served in most places for cigs and beer etc.)

I went back home for my ID took it to them, and then told them to shove it up there ass and got it from gamestation. Lol.

Yes I know how u feel, last year I tried purchasing Bioshock but couldn't because I had no ID yet I was 18.... I told them I had a birth certificate I could show them and they just laughed. I didn't want to purchase a damn ID because no way I was spending $25 when I could just wait for my drivers liscense to arrive.

As a lesson I realized Gaming Laws are stupid as hell and always purchase ur games online

Who gives a $#@! these days?
All a minor has to do is pirate.

Apparantly lame brains like Consumer Group do LOL

but yea I agree with you that the strick age laws are fueling the piracy in gaming also the over expensive crappy movie based games... Do they really expect us to pay over 30 bucks for an unpolished game?

[Eviltaco64]

Apparantly lame brains like Consumer Group do LOL

but yea I agree with you that the strick age laws are fueling the piracy in gaming also the over expensive crappy movie based games... Do they really expect us to pay over 30 bucks for an unpolished game?

The most of a movie-based game I've ever played is Monster's Inc on GBA once. It SUCKED.