Well, I may be in the minority of gamers who actually think this is a good idea, but Washington State has passed a bill that will fine people who sell or rent M-rated games to minors.

Frankly, I don't understand why this is such a big deal. I look at it like the situation with R-rated movies. If you were to sell an R-rated movie to a kid, of course you'd get slapped with a fine. At least, that used to be the case. I think that the same standards should apply to games. It puts the onus back on the parents.

If a parent buys their 9-year-old Grand Theft Auto 3, then it's their decision, not the decision of the kid. If that kid then goes out and kills 90 people in a killing spree unheard of since the last killing spree, well, then the parents can't just say, "Musta bin dose durned videogames." and be let off the hook.

At least the EB I go to will be upfront and tell a parent or grandparent who is buying Grand Theft Auto or a similar M-rated game about why it is rated M and let the parent decide if they want to still buy it for their kid. I understand that a lot of parents don't know and don't care what game they're buying, they just want their kid to shut up. At least this way they're informed.

They are also rather strict with carding kids who are trying to buy M-rated games. I like my EB. I just wish they'd give me games for free instead of forcing me to buy them :P