On a television commercial in the electronics department at Target, Tiger Woods talks about the different ratings on video games while preparing to putt.

Tuesday, June 12, 2001

On a television commercial in the electronics department at Target, Tiger Woods talks about the different ratings on video games while preparing to putt. He says the ratings – Everyone, Teen and Mature – are given based on content.

"You’ve got to play the game that’s right for you," Woods says as he sinks the ball into the hole.

Target and other stores are making sure people are playing the games right for their ages.

Target, ShopKo and Kmart do not sell mature-rated video games, R-rated movies or compact discs and tapes with parental warnings to minors. Kmart and Target define "minor" as under 18 and ShopKo will not sell those items to children under 17.

"I think it’s a wonderful idea because so often parents don’t know what the content is," Jan Butts, a Target employee, said.

Target has had this policy for many years, Kmart started it last fall and ShopKo began its policy three or four months ago.

When an adult-rated video game, movie or CD is rung up at Target, the computer will tell the clerk to ask for identification from the customer. Kmart has a similar process.

"It’s better customer service," Tim Feist of ShopKo’s electronics department said. Before the policy was initiated, parents complained that adult-rated products should not be sold to their children, Feist said.

The congressional commission created set of criteria to rate video games in 1993, Dane Booth of Target’s electronics department said. Mature ratings are given to games that contain "a lot of animated violence, sexual themes and blood and gore," Booth said.

The rating graphic on the back of the box explains why the rating was given. Teen-rated games contain animated violence as well. Games given an Everyone ratings are appropriate for all ages. All sporting games are Everyone-rated and are also the most popular games, Booth said.

"There aren’t really a lot of M-rated games," Booth said. "The majority are E or T."

Mike Manther, manager at Target, said children who attempt to buy games but are refused usually just walk away without complaining.

But Feist has seen some protest at ShopKo.

"We have been met with some hostility by kids because they can’t buy it when they used to be able to," he said.

Feist said vendors who sell Mature-rated games do not mind the policies because less games are returned by parents who did not want their children to buy them.

The policies are generally well-received at the stores.

"It fits with our company culture, a family-oriented retailer," Manther said.

Call Cari Quam at 434-2233 or e-mail her at newsroom@austindailyherald.com.