The GameStop corporation ran a full page ad in today's USA Today touting the company's policy of refusing to sell M-rated video games to anyone under the age of seventeen. The policy, which is now enforced via very extreme measures, is aimed at keeping violent and sexually explicit content out of the hands of kids... and GameStop Corp. out of the courts next time some yahoo files suit against them.

The ad reads:

We share your responsibility. GameStop is committed to helping your family choose games that are appropriate for your child's age and maturity level. We support the Entertainment and Software Ratings Board (ESRB) rating system and enforce our policy not to sell M rate game to kids under 17 without their parents' permission.

In order to help, GameStop and EB Games have created RespectTheRatings.com. This valuable tool provides parents and concerned adults with a detailed explanation of the ESRB rating system, helpful tips and resources for monitoring game play, as well as an informative gaming 101 section. ESRB ratings information is provided to customers at all 3,700 U.S. GameStop and EB Games store.

Full scan, courtesy of Rye, after the jump.

This is a smart move by GameStop, but this sort of action needn't stop with one full page ad in USA Today. I hope that the nation's specialty retailer will be more proactive about informing its customer base on ESRB ratings, making an effort to inform parents of the system during any sales transaction. In particular, I'd like to see the ESRB and GameStop push for more awareness during the holiday shopping season in an effort to educate once-a-year video game shoppers on the ratings system.

What do you think? Is GameStop doing enough to illustrate the importance of the ESRB? What has your experience been like when shopping at one of their locations? How else can the gaming industry get the word out on ratings and descriptors? Michael McWhertor