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Why is it permisable for Toys R Us to sell 'M' rated games?

R

richiek

steals Justin Bieber DVDs
Saw this deal on Reddit, in which you can get a $10 gift card for buying Grand Theft Auto V at Toys R Us. Here's the link btw:

http://www.toysrus.com/graphics/media/trus/HO091713A_GrandTheftAuto_Vcoupon.pdf?q6370322=1

This is something that always puzzled me. Why is it okay for a kids oriented store like Toys R Us to sell M rated video games? Especially for a game like GTA V in which
torture
is a gameplay mechanic. I mean, you don't see any R-rated torture porn movies on sale there. Why aren't parents concerned about this?
 
F

frankie_baby

Member
cos shops can sell whatever they like, its their business, my local butchers shop sells a little bit of fruit and veg is that not allowed either?
 
G

gwiz210

Member
I used to work in the Toys R Us game section.
Adults buying mature rated titles makes up for a VERY large portion of R'Zone sales.
So to answer your question, because it makes money.

Edit: Btw, yes, Toys R Us cards people for every M-rated game we sell.
 
stuminus3

stuminus3

Member
Being a parent that is often in Toys R Us with his kids that will often check out the games section while I'm there, I'm going to go with the fact that parents buy games for themselves, just like me.
 
A

AutumnAve

Member
EL OH EL. really, OP? What precisely should they sell?
KuGsj.gif
fucking hell.
 
G

grandjedi6

Master of the Google Search
Cuz they make money on it. And M-rating doesn't have the same stigma as R-ratings for movies, so they don't get shit from local interest groups. And video games are still viewed as a toy by many.

Also, I don't mean to shock anyone, but lots of kids play M-rated video games.
 
S

Speedwagon

Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel. Yabuki turned off voice chat in Mario Kart races. True artists of their time.
I remember trying to buy tekken 6 for the psp there when I was in middle school. they wouldn't sell it to me because of the rating, so I had to get my sister who dropped me off to buy it.
 
Space Runaway

Space Runaway

Member
More money to make. Parents must be there to purchase.

It's not like they even have graphic cover art most of the time. Meanwhile the Toys R Us by me sells those Hellraiser toys that have cenobites with exposed organs and shit.
 
digita1alchemy

digita1alchemy

Member
I bought a Dolph Lundgren Expendables 2 (rated R) action figure from Toys R Us last week. Not quite the same. Just to guess, Toys R Us is a well known video game retailer and there is money to be made on these games.
 
S

ShockingAlberto

Member
Kids don't go in to TRU alone and it is up to parents and adults whether they want to buy their kids games. Not all kids are the same and they may accept mature depictions of violence differently.

Also GTA V will sell a lot, so TRU doesn't give a shit.
 
Jawmuncher

Jawmuncher

Member
EightBitNate said:
It's still pretty weird. Kid store sells things not made for kids. Imagine seeing Scarface at Toys R Us next to Bop It and Scrabble.
Click to expand...

Well to be fair some of the toys you can grab at Toys R Us can be pretty graphic. Whether it's Walking Dead Zombie figures and what not.
 
J

jooey

The Motorcycle That Wouldn't Slow Down
yeah why can't Toys R Us also be content police, I mean Walmart does it, what's the big deal?/????
 
D

Dishwalla

Banned
Why does Wal Mart have no problem selling M rated games and R rated movies(hell, even unrated versions), yet you can't buy an uncensored CD there?
 
A

aly

Member
It's up to the parents on what to buy their kids. They have the money and it may also depend on the game and kid. For example my mom didn't ban all R or M rated games and movies, but she did pay attention to what was in them. I also imagine some parents buy for themselves.
 
E

EightBitNate

Member
ShockingAlberto said:
Kids don't go in to TRU alone and it is up to parents and adults whether they want to buy their kids games. Not all kids are the same and they may accept mature depictions of violence differently.

Also GTA V will sell a lot, so TRU doesn't give a shit.
Click to expand...

Yeah but the media doesn't see it that way.

Honestly, I'm surprised Fox News isn't making a bigger deal out of this specifically. It's probably the only thing I see wrong with the whole "parents + kids = mature game" relationship. M-rated games probably shouldn't be sold next to toys. They're completely different categories.
 
G

grandjedi6

Master of the Google Search
digita1alchemy said:
I bought a Dolph Lundgren Expendables 2 (rated R) action figure from Toys R Us last week. Not quite the same. Just to guess, Toys R Us is a well known video game retailer and there is money to be made on these games.
Click to expand...

Yep. The OP's question is basically an aside to this long-time question: How can toy makers and stores sell kids toys based on adult properties? And the answer is that many kids watch those shows regardless since most parents ignore content-warnings.
 
Z

ZealousD

Makes world leading predictions like "The sun will rise tomorrow"
Looks like the only person who has a problem with this is the OP.
 
E

Eusis

Member
Dishwalla said:
Why does Wal Mart have no problem selling M rated games and R rated movies(hell, even unrated versions), yet you can't buy an uncensored CD there?
Click to expand...
This is probably an even better question, admittedly it's sort of been odd to have the M exception for games at TRU when you stop to think about it (they DO sell movies, but I don't think they go past PG-13. Unless they stocked Watchman or something then NEVERMIND) but they did it forever and it's not as if any law explicitly forbidding them would fly because what criteria would you even be using, and who else could get hit by it? GameStop, Amazon, and Walmart? But Walmart having those arbitrary barriers and getting to act as a moral watchdog to some extent IS kind of bullshit, they are within their rights but they're also grossly big, so it's kind of frustrating anyway.

... I guess that just means both have the same answer: corporate wants to, laws to force the issue are likely to be very messy, so just shake your fist at the execs or something.
Ludist210 said:
They sell PG-13 movies (saw them when my daughter and I were in there last weekend), so it doesn't surprise me.
Click to expand...
Admittedly back in the 90s that would've been generally fine or at least wouldn't clash that much, PG-13 went past PG but not like it seems to these days, and I imagine the biggest possible example (Jurassic Park) was selling TONS of toys at Toys R Us anyway so, hey, Jurassic Park movie being sold right by Jurassic Park toys! Though come to think of it I bet you could find Halo toys and probably could've found Metal Gear toys in the past there.

EDIT: WELL THAT WASN'T HARD.
 
R

Ridley327

Member
The last time I was in a Toys R Us, they were selling Argo in the movie section, which is an R-rated film.

As long as they're carding, why does it matter if they sell stuff like that?
 
M

Madness

Member
Damn OP, relax.

It's a toy oriented store, but it does not say exclusively for kids anywhere. I've bought video games from there before.

It sells anything and everything that has to do with fun/entertainment and yes it's kid oriented. It's also a business. Why would they only sell Barbie, Minecraft or some other games and not COD or GTA? Hell I was in line yesterday for the GTA V launch and saw a lot of dads with their kids or moms etc.

It's a wonder society even advanced this far if you think children are too precious to comprehend what is a game and what isn't. Playing GTA won't turn you into a lunatic you know.
 
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