For Immediate Release:

VIDEO GAME AND DVD RETAILER ASSOCIATION HAILS “MAJOR IMPROVEMENT” IN RATINGS ENFORCEMENT BY RETAILERS

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION CITES SIGNIFICANT PROGR= ESS, EMA AGREES CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT IS NEEDED

ENCINO, CA (May 8, 2008) … The Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA), which represents the retailers of video and computer games and DVDs, said that the results of the latest “undercover shopper” survey by the Federal Trade Commission (FT= C) shows that video game and DVD retailers are continuing to make significant progress in increasing the enforcement of the “Mature” rating f= or video and computer games and the “R” rating for DVDs.

“Video game and DVD retailers don’t want children to be able to purchase or rent video games and DV= Ds that their parents do not want them to have,” noted EMA President Bo Andersen. “As a result, they have made real and significant investmen= ts in enforcing the voluntary video game and motion picture ratings in their stores. The FTC’s latest ‘undercover shopper’ survey demonstrates that these investments are producing strong results, as enforcement rates continue to increase.”

The FTC’s “undercover shopper” survey released today indicates that children the federal agency sent into stores to buy Mature-rated computer a= nd video games were turned down 80% of the time and that those sent into store= s to purchase R-rated movies were turned down 53% of the time. The turn-down rate for video games increased from 58% in the previous FTC “undercover shopper” survey, which was released in April 2007, and was up from 16= % in the first survey, conducted in 2000. The turn-down rate for R-rated movies increased from 29% in the survey released last year.

“While we are pleased with the progr= ess that has been made in ratings enforcement, retailers still are not where th= ey want to be as an industry,” Andersen said. “EMA will continue to work with its members to increase video game and DVD ratings enforcement to even higher levels.”

Andersen also noted that the Coalition of Entertainment Retail Associations (CERTA), of which EMA is a member, has declared June 2008 to be “Entertainment Ratings & Labeling Awaren= ess Month.” As part of “Entertainment Ratings & Labeling Awaren= ess Month,” EMA recommends that parents take a few simple steps to ensure that entertainment is appropriate for their children:

·  &n= bsp;      Look for the movie or video game rating and content descriptors before they purchase;

·  &n= bsp;      Watch the movie or play the video game with their child. Communicate with children about what the entertainment is about and what they can learn from it;

·  &n= bsp;      Set appropriate limits and prevent entertainment time from interfering with duties such as homework, sports, a= nd chores; and

·  &n= bsp;      Make full use of the parental control feat= ures of new-generation video game consoles to lock out access to Mature- and Adu= lt Only-rated video games.

The Entertainment Merchants Association (E= MA) is the not-for-profit international trade association dedicated to advancing the interests of the $33 billion home entertainment industry. EMA represents approximately 600 companies throughout the United States, Canada, and other nations. Its members operate approximately 23,000 retail outlets in the U.S. that sell and/or rent DVDs and computer and console video games and digital= ly distributed versions of these products. Membership comprises the full spect= rum of retailers (from single-store specialists to multi-line mass merchants, and = both brick and mortar and online stores), distributors, the home video divisions= of major and independent motion picture studios, and other related businesses = that constitute and support the home entertainment industry. EMA was established= in April 2006 through the merger of the Video Software Dealers Association (VS= DA) and the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association (IEMA).<= /span>

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For more information, please contact:

Sean Bersell, Vice President, Public Affairs

Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA)

818-385-1500 Ext. 226 or sbersell at entmerch.org