Law | Game stores could lose their licence if they sell mature games to youth

A4

By MARY MOSZYNSKI
Canadaeast News Service

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

Speak Up

The provincial government is toughening regulations to ensure violent video games don't get into the hands of young children.

Beginning next month, every gaming store will require a provincial licence to operate.

The licence will allow the government to enforce classifications assigned to each game depending on the level of violence, sex and language, said Lisa Harrity, spokeswoman for the Public Safety Department.

"Because video games weren't classified, we had no compliance authority," she said.

Although most stores already follow the classifications system, there was no way to enforce the system or punish those caught renting inappropriate games to youngsters, said Harrity.

Movie rental stores are already licensed by the provincial government and won't need to apply for an additional gaming licence.

"So we license and regulate the retailers only. Up until now, this did not include video games," said Harrity. "For retailers who are already licensed for movies, this is not really going to have a big impact on them. There will be a small number of retailers in the province who deal exclusively in video games."

Staff members from five regional offices will perform site visits to ensure retailers are following the standards. Those stores found ignoring the classifications could receive a warning or lose their licence, said Harrity.

The province follows the classifications of the Entertainment Software Rating Board. The board assigns a rating to each game after reviewing its content.

For example, titles rated Mature aren't suitable for anyone under the age of 17. The titles may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and strong language, according to the board's rating system. A list of questionable material also appears on the back of each game.

"They provide a video game rating system that's used throughout North America," Harrity said of the board. "The issue is ensuring that our retailers are complying."

Harrity said the industry was consulted prior to the changes.