UK retailers caught selling mature games to undercover teen

by JC Fletcher on Apr 20th 2009 1:40PM

A sting operation set up by the UK's Trading Standards organization caught 12 retailers selling games with BBFC '18' ratings to a 14-year-old -- specifically, the 14-year-old who volunteered to go undercover for the group. In the US, such negligence from cashiers would merely be disappointing. In the UK, it's illegal.

Of the sixteen retail outlets visited last week by the young narc, only four declined to sell contraband games: Gamestation, GAME, PC World and WH Smith. Some of the other retailers even had automatic warnings on their registers, which the cashiers ignored as they broke the law.

"Given the previous good compliance record with attempted test purchasing of tobacco in Dundee," a Trading Standards rep said, "it is very disappointing that so many large retailers have ignored their own systems in regard to restricted video game sales. Clearly there are issues that need to be addressed, and we will be following up matters with the retailers involved."

Source

Tags: bbfc, mature-rating, trading-standards, uk

Reader Comments (58)

Entrapment?

Entrapment is rarely viable as a defense in the US considering how many exceptions there are. In other countries it is non-existent.

Nope, 'entrapment' specifically involves law enforcement setting the trap.

It's called a test purchase. Many local police forces do it with alcohol and tobacco.

No, entrapment is when the person is tricked into, or or given little choice but to brake the law. When you're given an obvious and easy way out, and you don't take it, they can have you.

....point taken.

Is the photo in the article the volunteer or are is the standard sting where they get some freakish giant 14 year old who looks 20 and act all shocked he doesn't get IDed?

I was about to ask that. I wouldn't be surprised.

Do you have to ask for ID to sell 18+ rated movies over there? If so I can understand this.

Yes you do, at laest if you suspect the purchaser to be younger than the age rating on the film.

I live in the UK and as far as I know there was no law passed specifically to prohibit the sale of restricted games to underage kids but rather that games are automatically covered by the existing laws that regulate cinema and video / DVD films.

The BBFC review all films and some games but any publisher has to submit a game to them for review if the publisher thinks the game might require a certificate i.e. if it contain sex / drugs / violence.

Not QUITE what I was looking for, but
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dkJlBmyI9g&feature=related

This is why I ID anyone I'm not 100% certain about when selling 18 rated games. One guy was with his kids and told me he was 26. I told him it was about time he got some ID.

Yeah, it's really the best way to go. There might be some legitimate misunderstandings (an honest 25 year old leaving ID at home), but I don't know what a working adult would be doing going outside without a driver's license or valid ID anyway. Cashiers should not be afraid to ask for ID.

Yeah, and at the end of the day there is no reason why I as a retailer should put my neck on the line. I don't care how old you are, when the risk is a fine, losing my job, jail time or any mix of all three then if I'm not certain how old you are, I'm gonna ID you. Simple.

That 14 year old is sure to make friends in high school with this accomplishment.

While I don't agree with retailers selling mature titles to underage kids, I find using an underage child in a 'sting operation' to be questionable at best.

What's questionable about it? It's not like he's keeping the games for himself.

How else do you verify whether retailers are obeying not only the law, but their own processes?

What's questionable about it?

I don't think It's appropriate to use an underage kid in an 'undercover' capacity to expose illegal activity. It has the potential to get the kid into trouble, which he may be completely unprepared for.

What if he had been exposed during the 'sting'? What if people are angry about this and the kids identity is uncovered?

While it's unlikely that anything dangerous would happen in a game shop, the fallout of the incident could be more serious.

I still don't understand your point? "It has the potential to get the kid into trouble"? What kind of trouble? He's not going undercover in a street gang. Worst case scenario: retailer says "Sorry we need to see ID or have a parent present".

I agree that it's unlikely that something would happen in-shop.

But what of the employees that will likely lose their jobs because of this? Don't you think their going to be pissed at this kid after the fact?

The point is that if these people are selling titles to underaged kids, they're doing it all the time. I work in retail and with the amount of people I serve each day I couldn't point most of them out in the street after a few days. You don't memorize the face of each customer you serve, it's just the daily grind. So they will almost certainly not know which particular kid it was that went undercover.

Also, this isn't anything new. They've been doing this for ages, like years and years. I've not once heard of someone getting fired for selling age-rated goods to a minor, getting fired and then tracking down said minor.

This would make a great southpark episode.

Butters being used to see if a retailer sells games to underage people. Wal-mart gets busted and hires hitmen to find the undercover kid. Then kyle/stan find a moral at the end of the episode.

Awesome.

you make it sound like they are using kids to go undercover in a child porn ring

Kids are not in danger when they are asked to go into a store and try to buy cigarettes/beer/games, it happens all the time. I dont know why you would think that.

Oh. crap!

Anyway, I wonder what games the kid tried to get. I bet they were AWESOME.

Does it matter? All junior has to do is yell enough and mommy/daddy will buy the game for them to shut them up. And then, when they do something stupid, they'll blame the game, not the s***** parenting that got them there in the first place.

Self-censoring is such a shitty practice

Britain will ban all 18+ games just to save money and reaffirm their Nanny State title.

Unlikely.

Bah... I got ID'd for a 12 rated game once at age 16...

LOL, I was with a mate when he got ID'd for a 12+ STRATEGY GUIDE When he was 16 the whole store just stood still and laughed

My dad bought me Duke Nukem 3D back in 1996. I was 10, and it was the first time I ever saw a boob. Pixelated or not, it was exciting.

I wouldn't want the children of today to be denied such experiences.

I'm similar. My dad bought me GTA: Vice City when it came out. He let me and my brothers watch RoboCop when we were young. But he was a responsible parent, he knew the content he was letting us watch or play and believed we could handle it, which we could. The problem is that not all parents agree with this way of thinking, which is of course, their decision to make regarding their own kids. Children shouldn't be able to just walk in and get this themselves.

Hey, we're just trying to have a good time, narc. Why do you want to destroy us?
Don't commit your hate crimes here. HATE CRIME!

At GameStop, you're supposed to ID anyone who looks younger than 35. Same with drinking in most places in the U.S. I think you should always ask for ID. Sometimes obviously older people get pissed 'cause they don't have it on them, but what are they doing without ID anyway? Don't they drive? And you need ID to use a credit card anyway.

You need ID to use a credit card in the US??

Wow..

i work in a GAME store in bristol and its very hard to sell an 18+ game to someone who definatly isnt old enough to play without doing so purposefully - especially this year as the 'Challenge 21' policy now applies to Games and that was applied sometime before christmas

stupid folks, but i wouldnt be surprised if the BBFC hired someone who looked a little older - but still older than 21! i dont think so haha

Only got ID'd once for a game at 17. It was an Alone in the Dark clone Ecstatica, back before they actually used BBFC ratings, so it was just a non-legally binding guideline. the game probably wouldn't get a T nowadays.
It so happened that my Dad walked by the store just at that moment, so in front of the clerk I said, "here's the game and the money please buy this for me Dad".

Oh well, hey, if it's illegal...

Doesn't suprise me, brother picked up, God of war 1 & 2, all the GTAs, Madworld and several other 18+ games without being asked for ID.

They care more about a child getting into the cinema underage illegally then teen drinking, teen sex, teen smoking, 18+ rated games and film rental.

Yeah, I remember movie people carding me for a PG-13 movie and being assholes about it when I was 18.

I remember getting into Sin City as normal, very easily back in 05 and I was 17, a friend of mine who had forgotten her ID but was the only one of all of us that was 19 and legal to get into the film wasn't allowed in, lol.....sigh....those were the days :D

TBH, I think the only time I've been IDd is when clubbing, was kinda strange showing my driving liscense for that cos I was used to getting anything and into anything with relative ease.

This happens everywhere! Whether it's booze, smokes, movie tickets, or games, I'm always in line behind someone who, to me looks like they are 14, just walk up to the cash register and never show one piece of ID before being handed their receipt.

Also, why do some people get so upset when they get asked for ID? Who cares! They are just doing their job. Is it really a big deal?

This doesn't really surprise me, i could get 18+ games when i was like 14 just because i had like 1 hair on my chin. In fact, i probably get ID'd more, now that i am over 18 then ever before.

to behonest i dont see the point in this rated system anyway because parent dont look up games a dont relise what they are buy there kid anyway, because they will get the game they wanted by asking the parent to buy it for them, like with my parents, my little bro ask for GTA IV, and he got it even though i personal dont beleive he should play it, but hey it up to the parent to monitor what there kids do,
this post my seem pointless but, i believe they should let u buy the game nayway cause that kid going to get the game one way or the other, with movies its a different story,

"such negligence from cashiers would merely be disappointing. In the UK, it's illegal."

Illegal for BBFC rated games, but not PEGI. I know it's BBFC rated games you're talking about here but just thought I'd point that out.

Call the cops as i'm one of those bad people who have bought an 18 for a minor!
I had a mate drive me into town so i could buy him GTA4 as he was about a month away from his 18th. I also thought i would buy myself a nice bottle of Whisky. I was of course ID'd for the game and drink, but because my mate was with me being 17 i was only sold GTA
Sucked because i never got to buy myself a drink but my mate illegally got GTA

Just play Call of Duty 4 for one night...I guarantee you'll hear some 10-year old British kids playing and cursing you out.

If i recall correctly, that game is PEGI rated so is not legally binding

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UK retailers caught selling mature games to undercover teen

Reader Comments (58)

Posted: Apr 20th 2009 1:47PM WiredKnight said

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