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An undercover investigation has revealed New Zealand's retail giants are willing to sell R18 video games to children as young as 13 an offence punishable by a $25,000 fine or three months in prison.
In an undercover camera sting, TV3 show Target found nearly 70 per cent of stores offered to sell restricted games with violent and pornographic content to a 15-year-old actor.
In another sting, half of those stores offered to sell the items to a 13-year-old Target actor five years under the legal age to buy restricted computer games.
Censors and psychologists have voiced concerns over the number of children playing R18 video games and have warned that children could struggle to separate fantasy violence from reality.
Retailers such as Bond and Bond, Dick Smith and The Warehouse were among those caught by the show, and were warned last Christmas by the Department of Internal Affairs to not break the law.
A fax sent by the censorship unit reminded stores it was a crime to sell restricted games to minors and said Internal Affairs was prepared to prosecute offenders.
Target found 13 stores across Auckland were willing to sell games such as Grand Theft Auto in which gamers can have sex with prostitutes then kill them, Playboy Mansion and The Godfather to the 15-year-old actor.
Target producer Simon Roy was shocked by the results.
"The figures were just outrageous. A lot of the time people weren't looking at the actors, let alone checking their age," said Roy.
"These games are often blamed for desensitising kids, mainly glamorising violence and sexual violence against women. Unbelievable.
"We have it on camera and we have named and shamed on television. But it's up to Internal Affairs whether or not they are prosecuted."
In both surveys, the sale was not completed as the Eftpos transaction was purposely declined by the actor, meaning Internal Affairs was unable to prosecute on the findings of Target, spokesman Trevor Henry said.
The department preferred voluntary compliance, Henry said, but retailers should be aware they would be prosecuted if that approach did not work.
Roy said one assistant at a major retailer suggested the 15-year-old get a family member to buy the game for them also an illegal offence.
Anyone who supplies restricted games or movies can be fined $10,000, or imprisoned for three months, and their employer can be fined $25,000.
Even failing to have R18 notices on display can lead to a $2000 fine.
Video games such as Grand Theft Auto are accused of desensitising children to violence and glamorising sexual violence against women.
Dr Claire Fletcher-Flinn, a psychologist from Auckland University, said studies had shown a link between teenagers playing violent video games and increased aggressiveness.
As violence is rewarded in video games, Dr Fletcher-Flinn said, adolescents can learn that aggressive behaviour is also rewarded in the real world.
Some video games were very realistic and similar to real-life situations, said Dr Fletcher-Flinn, so children might become desensitised and learn to use violence to solve their problems.
In 2005, the Film and Classification Office was alarmed at a survey of 331 students aged 15 to 17, which showed 62 per cent had played an R18 game, said manager David Wilson.
Many parents were unaware that games were treated exactly the same as films or DVDs and there was a misperception that all games were for children.
Movies that have sex and violence were for adults only, said Wilson, and games harmful to children were restricted for the same reason.
Games like Grand Theft Auto have been blamed for murders overseas, and in Christchurch the 2005 murder of a prostitute was linked to Carmegeddon, in which players are rewarded for hitting pedestrians in cars and dragging them to their death.
Target, TV3, 7.30pm, Tuesday
