Following yesterday’s news conference where Senators Hillary Clinton and Joe Lieberman praised the ESRB’s increased effort to educate consumers, Gamestop Corporation has announced today that it will be making a similar in-store and web based effort with their “Respect the Ratings” promotion.
Yesterday’s news conference detailed a new PSA effort by the ESRB that will be broadcast on over 800 stations nationwide. Today’s announcement by Gamestop creates a new promotion designed to reinforce the ESRB ratings system at the point of sale and online by educating and equipping the consumer with the resources they need to make informed buying decisions. The promotion does not immediately address in-store enforcement or training of associates, but does indicate a new focus for specialty retailers which have not been traditionally praised for attention to the ratings policies.
A Respect the Ratings site has launched with several resources already in place for consumers including information on recognizing and understanding the ratings system, a gaming glossary and numerous “tips” for parents and caregivers. The site also provides a wealth of links to third-party sites for coverage and reviews of games as well as “family-friendly information”. Gamestop is also expected to roll out a greater presence for ESRB signage.
