The problem is that the ESRB is fucking toothless— and has been since its inception. Minors are going to get access to these games, no matter what the rating on the case says.
Many parents are too weak to say no to their kids when it comes to video games with questionable content. And then you have other parents who are supremely confident that their children are mature enough to handle any content, even if it’s not meant for them.
When parenting fails, and when there are no consequences for buying inappropriate content for children, there’s not a whole hell of a lot you can do. There won’t be a ban. There won’t be a tax. These things will face lawsuits up the ass, and fold like cheap tents.
The *only* thing that could help is if someone would pay for wider studies to demonstrate any effect on children of prolonged exposure to violent video games. Only if these games are positively determined to be a health risk— which I doubt, despite firmly believing that they do lead to more anger/aggression in children— can further regulation and limits be considered.
“Thats just stupid. Those games aren even supossed to be played by kids. Im all for enforcing that. Heavy fines or stuff like that to establishment that sell those games to kids, ala cigarretes or alcohol, but a tax on the product is insane.
There is ESRB enforcement on the retailer side. Secret shops are held pretty often to try and catch retailers napping when it comes to age and ID checks. The problem isn’t the retailer; it’s the parent who buys the game for the kid anyway, despite knowing that it’s not really appropriate for the child.
