Faith-Based Investors Commend Major Retailers for Steps
Taken to Limit Children's Access to Violent Video Games

NEW YORK, NY ///June 2, 2005/// Members of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), a group of 275 faith-based institutional investors that seeks to influence corporate policy, applaud the measures that five of the nation's largest retailers - Best Buy, Circuit City, Target, Toys "R" Us and Wal-Mart - have taken to prevent children and teens under 17 from purchasing Mature-rated video games containing violent and sexual content.

"We believe that retailers have an interest in promoting healthy communities and an obligation to protect shareholders from potential litigation. Lawsuits have been filed against some retailers who sell mature content games to children under 17, and some states are considering imposing penalties on stores who do so. It is good to see these five companies taking important steps to prevent youth access to those video games that may be harmful to children's well-being," said Cathy Rowan, co-chair of ICCR's Violence and Militarization of Society Working Group.

Representatives of ICCR member and associate organizations, including the Adrian (MI) Dominican Sisters; American Baptist Home Mission Society; the Benedictine Sisters of Mt Angel (OR) and St. Gertrude Monastery (ID); Boston Common Asset Management on behalf of the Brethren Benefit Trust; Christian Brothers Investment Services; Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Sinsinawa (WI) Dominican Sisters; Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia and Trinity Health, met with officials of these companies earlier this year to discuss their policies and practices related to M-rated video game sales. As a result of the steps taken by the companies to restrict access to these games, the socially responsible investors withdrew shareholder resolutions requesting company reports on the implementation of policies regarding the sale of Mature-rated games to children and teens.

Some of the actions these retailers have taken as a result of the shareholder dialogues include:
· Posting video game policies both in stores and on the company's web site.
· Strengthening employee training about video game ratings and policies to check identification to ensure the purchaser is at least17 years of age.
· Rewarding employees that successfully restrict access by youth to violent video games and disciplinary actions when policies are not followed.
· Auditing the effectiveness of the policy, including conducting 'secret shopper' surveys.
· Allowing consumers to shop by game rating on the company web site.

According to Julie Tanner, corporate advocacy coordinator for Christian Brothers Investment Services, "These actions will better protect retail companies in our portfolios from risks to shareholder value, including the increasing risk of stronger legislation and the reputation risk associated with negative media attention, while at the same time protecting children from inappropriate video games."

The retailers noted already had a point-of-sale identification system to verify the age of video game purchasers, an initiative encouraged by a retailers' trade association, and signs in stores explaining the Entertainment Software Ratings Board ratings system. However, recent investigations by the New York City Council and the Illinois State Crime Commission indicated that children under 17 were easily purchasing Mature-rated video games.

"We look forward to continued dialogues with these companies to follow up on their implementation efforts. We call on all retailers of interactive entertainment to create and implement policies to prevent children from accessing violent video games. In addition, we encourage retailers to consider taking additional steps, such as selling M-rated games in a location separate from other games to underscore the nature of their content and protect consumers from unknowingly purchasing them," said Dawn Wolfe, social research and advocacy analyst for Boston Common Asset Management.

CONTACT:
Best Buy: Julie Tanner, Christian Brothers Investment Services, 212-490-0800, tannerj @ cbisonline.com
Circuit City and Target: Cathy Rowan, for Trinity Health, 718-822-0820, rowan @ bestweb.net
Toys-R-Us: Sister Regina McKillip, Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters, 708-366-6244, opjustice @ aol.com
Wal-Mart: Dawn Wolfe, Boston Common Asset Management for the Brethren Benefit Trust 617-720-5557, dwolfe @ bostoncommonasset.com
Gary Brouse, Program Director, Violence and Militarization of Society Working Group, ICCR, 212-870-2316, gbrouse @ iccr.org

<< Back to Press Releases