Whenever the issue of violence and sex in videogames arises, the majority of us say that it's the parents' responsibility to monitor what their children are playing and their job to check and understand the ratings system. But do they? Do parents care about ratings and is it influential to them when they buy games? A study was conducted across the pond, commissioned by the Entertainment & Leisure Software Publisher Association (ELSPA) to find out those answers.

"Parents perceive age ratings as a guide but not as a definite prohibition," he commented, going on to mention that while many parents weren't entirely happy with the content of the games being played by their children, few would take action to prevent it. ... "The research is on the money," he told GamesIndustry.biz this morning, "but anyone working in a games store has known this for a long time. The number of copies of Grand Theft Auto I've had to sell to parents accompanied by their ten year old kids, who I had refused to sell a copy to just a few minutes before, is absolutely sickening."