Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Amazon Spring Sale
  • New Games for 2026
  • Crimson Desert
  • Submit your clips. Win prizes
  • Pokopia
Don't miss these
Hello Neighbor 2
Horror Games After selling 100,000 Steam copies in a week, publisher behind 8-year-old horror game says continued investment is key
Cropped header key art for Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles
Final Fantasy For the first time ever, Square Enix is crowned top publisher on Metacritic thanks to its 2025 run of remakes
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Final Fantasy 77% of US Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth players were 30 or older, analyst says
Arc Raiders character in witch huntress skin holding a shotgun in the dark
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders Steam reviews wobble as it's called "very frustrating" and labelled "stale"
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream
Simulation Games As Tomodachi Life's lack of filter goes viral, former marketing lead says Nintendo may be "rethinking" its approach
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Gustave winces
RPGs 34-year game dev veteran says Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 "ruined" his worldview on AAA development
Leon exits his Porsche into streets at night in Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Resident Evil Requiem beats Village launch by 60%, becomes the best-selling US game of 2026 in just 24 hours
GTA 6
Grand Theft Auto Ahead of GTA 6, Take-Two CEO says "It’s hard for me to imagine" including ads in a $70-$80 game: "It would seem unfair"
Team Fortress 2 Scout in a hat and headset smiling
Games PC gamers and Steam customers are "a really bright spot" as the games industry struggles with prices, analyst says
A Warframe wields a comically oversized gun
Third Person Shooters "We've sportified Steam charts" according to Warframe boss, with gamers becoming "baseball freaks"
No Rest for the Wicked
Action RPGs No Rest for the Wicked lead says if you ever find microtransactions in the Ori studio's games, "kick me in the balls"
Team Fortress 2 meet the spy trailer screenshot of medic
Games A terrifying 20,282 games were released on Steam in 2025, and just 608 managed to get 1,000 reviews, expert finds
GTA 6
Grand Theft Auto As everyone continues to fear $80 GTA 6, Take-Two CEO wants to "deliver way more value than what we charge"
Angry Battalion
Games Sony removes over 700 shovelware games from the PlayStation Store, one publisher plans to continue
GTA 6
Grand Theft Auto Take-Two CEO, who can’t imagine anyone over the age of 17 being uninterested in GTA 6
  1. Games
  2. Nintendo Wii

Videogame retailers finish first in FTC's undercover study

News
By Matt Bradford published 22 April 2011

Undercover research finds more minors turned away at game shops than movie stores

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

The findings come from a recent undercover shopper study conducted by the FTC which showed only 13% of minors were allowed to purchase M-rated content; that is, games the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has classified as being suitable for players aged 17 and up. To put that in perspective, 33% of the secret shopping minors were granted access to R-rated movies, 38% were able to rent an R-rated DVD, and a whopping 68% successfully bought a music CD slapped with a parental advisory warning label.

"We are extremely pleased to see the Federal Trade Commission confirm not only that the video game industry continues to have the highest rate of enforcement at retail, but that it continues to climb higher than before," said ESRB president Patricia Vance. "The strong support that the ESRB ratings have enjoyed from retailers is crucial, underscoring their firm commitment to selling video games responsibly."

Of the retailers tested, Gamestop is reported to have performed the best, allowing only 8% of the minors access to the good stuff – er, M-rated games. Target and K-Mart followed closely behind at 9% and 10%, respectively.

Article continues below
You may like
  • Sam Porter Bridges in Death Stranding Discord age verification system will rely on a mix of "AI validation and human review," because that always works
  • Cropped header key art for Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles For the first time ever, Square Enix is crowned top publisher on Metacritic thanks to its 2025 run of remakes
  • Dispatch screenshots Despite all the hentai games, Nintendo won't allow episodic superhero hit Dispatch on Switch uncensored

Quick, someone call Fox News - they're totally going to want to run with this!

[Source: USA Today]

Apr 21, 2011



Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Bad Idea Corner potentially welcomes the ESRB, as it starts rating games by computer, unjudged by humans until release
This has to be fine, right? Right?



ClassicRadar: "Mature" games that are actually mature
Appealing to adults with more than sex, blood, swears and nudity

CATEGORIES
PC Gaming Nintendo PlayStation Xbox Platforms
Matt Bradford
Social Links Navigation

Matt Bradford wrote news and features here at GamesRadar+ until 2016. Since then he's gone on to work with the Guinness World Records, acting as writer and researcher for the annual Gamer's Edition series of books, and has worked as an editor, technical writer, and voice actor. Matt is now a freelance journalist and editor, generating copy across a multitude of industries. 

Read more
Sam Porter Bridges in Death Stranding
Games Discord age verification system will rely on a mix of "AI validation and human review," because that always works
 
 
Cropped header key art for Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles
Final Fantasy For the first time ever, Square Enix is crowned top publisher on Metacritic thanks to its 2025 run of remakes
 
 
Dispatch screenshots
Adventure Games Despite all the hentai games, Nintendo won't allow episodic superhero hit Dispatch on Switch uncensored
 
 
Aaron Paul's character Robert Robertson in Dispatch, stood holding a dog in an elevator filled with strange superheroes
Adventure Games After superhero hit Dispatch arrives on Switch with mandatory censorship, Nintendo says don't blame us
 
 
Team Fortress 2 meet the spy trailer screenshot of medic
Games A terrifying 20,282 games were released on Steam in 2025, and just 608 managed to get 1,000 reviews, expert finds
 
 
Fortnite character dancing
Games Epic says only 16 to 18% of people claiming free games on the Epic Games Store buy games there afterwards
 
 
Latest in Games
Crimson Desert: Cliff Macduff looking out into the distance during the new game, Crimson Desert.
Open World Games Crimson Desert "makes me feel a sense of wonder I've not felt since Oblivion," says Palworld publishing chief
 
 
Divinity
RPGs Larian chief says Divinity's development has progressed to the point "where you sense that a game is coming alive"
 
 
Players attack a frontier building in The Legend of California
Survival Games Jeff Kaplan has "over 5,000 hours" in Rust, which is "the pinnacle of PvP games"
 
 
Pokemon Pokopia gameplay showing Ditty in human form, frowning in front of a lighthouse
Pokemon Pokemon Pokopia player builds straight-up jail for their least favorite 'mons: "They are (mostly) comfortable"
 
 
Let Me Solo Her sits cross-legged on the ground
Action RPGs Even Let Me Solo Her can't always solo her, as the legendary Elden Ring player admits defeat
 
 
Raccoin raccoon crying tears of joy
Games "That is an $11,000 gold texture": Steam researcher says "supporter packs" make a lot of free money
 
 
Latest in News
Crimson Desert: Cliff Macduff looking out into the distance during the new game, Crimson Desert.
Open World Games Crimson Desert "makes me feel a sense of wonder I've not felt since Oblivion," says Palworld publishing chief
 
 
Divinity
RPGs Larian chief says Divinity's development has progressed to the point "where you sense that a game is coming alive"
 
 
Homelander waking Soldier Boy in The Boys season 5
Superhero Shows Homelander sentences Billy Butcher to death by Soldier Boy in The Boys season 5 teaser
 
 
Homelander smiling smugly in the Oval Office of the White House
Superhero Shows The Boys' final season is done as creator Eric Kripke says farewell to the r-rated superhero show
 
 
Players attack a frontier building in The Legend of California
Survival Games Jeff Kaplan has "over 5,000 hours" in Rust, which is "the pinnacle of PvP games"
 
 
Pokemon Pokopia gameplay showing Ditty in human form, frowning in front of a lighthouse
Pokemon Pokemon Pokopia player builds straight-up jail for their least favorite 'mons: "They are (mostly) comfortable"
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Crimson Desert: Cliff Macduff looking out into the distance during the new game, Crimson Desert.
    1
    Crimson Desert "makes me feel a sense of wonder I've not felt since Oblivion," says Palworld publishing chief
  2. 2
    Larian chief says Divinity's development has progressed to the point "where you sense that a game is coming alive"
  3. 3
    Homelander sentences Billy Butcher to death by Soldier Boy in The Boys season 5 teaser
  4. 4
    Jeff Kaplan has "over 5,000 hours" in Rust, which is "the pinnacle of PvP games"
  5. 5
    The Boys' final season is done as creator Eric Kripke says farewell to the r-rated superhero show

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...