Retail Reaction Statement to Rating Change for The Elder Scrolls(R) IV: Oblivion(TM)
"The pace at which the IEMA retailers reacted to the change
in the ESRB rating for The Elder Scrolls® IV: OblivionTM today stands as testament to
the effectiveness and commitment to the industry's
self-regulatory efforts. As evidenced by the most recent FTC
study, the nation's leading retailers now require
identification for the purchase of Mature-rated games at
approximately the same rate as the movie theatres do for
R-rated film admission. When we were notified of the game's
ratings change today, we alerted our member company
representatives who communicated to their stores the change
in the game's rating. The effective change in sales policy
was immediate. In fact, several major retailers changed the
cash register prompt tied to the bar code of the game (a
technology which prompts cashiers to ask for ID). Of note in
this matter is the speed at which retailers reacted and
parents were empowered -- ultimately that is what makes any
ratings system effective in the end." - Hal Halpin, pres.,
IEMA.
For more info contact:
Stuart Spencer, Dir. of GR
stuart@iema.org
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