[Clickme]

I think it really all should boil down to one very simple principle:

Parents, NOT the government, should be the ones to say what their children can and cannot play.

The ESRB rating system is the top of it's class when compared to the MMPA and similar systems. Not only is hte letter rating in 4 separate places, btu it also includes the age recommendation, the definition of hte letter (ie: "E": for EVERYONE), and on hte back the letter rating is LITERALLY SPELLED OUT FOR YOU (Violence, Language, Comic Mischief, drug/tobacco/alcohol reference/use, etc). There is NO reason for a parent to say "O didn't know what I was giving my child" unless they are also willing to say either "I didn't care" or "I was too lazy/ignorant".

Also to consider is that more than 80% of underage consumers were turned away from purchasing an M-game, compared to only 70% turned away from watching an R-rated movie in a theater, only 45% denied rental/purchase of R-rated movies, and only 35% barred from purchasing Parental Advisory music. Not only is the gaming industry trying to make the rating as clear as possible, the retailers are doing a far better job as enforcing the rating systems than any other industry.

This whole California Law situation is pure bullshit.