NEW YORK (CNN/Money) – As I expected, "Manhunt," the latest game from the makers of "Grand Theft Auto," is turning some heads. In a surprising twist, though, the game's over-the-top violence might end up doing the gaming industry some good.

A couple of weeks ago, I suggested the game, which features some of the grisliest acts of violence to ever be seen in a video game, had skated by the ratings board. It's rated M – which is akin to an R movie rating, but the level of violence in the game probably should have earned it an AO, which is an NC-17 in movie terms.

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Anytime the subject of video game violence comes up, the letters start pouring in – often from gamers eager to point out that it's not the industry's responsibility to raise the nation's children. So naturally, when my inbox started overflowing I wasn't too surprised. What did turn my head, though, was the overwhelming support from both gamers and game developers with my position.

"I work in the industry and couldn't agree more. ... I find it completely irresponsible of the ESRB to rate something like Manhunt as Mature (M). ... It seems as though the ESRB mimics the MPAA. Violence is OK but sex is out. Well, I completely disagree with that philosophy and think that this mistake is going to bring a lot of unwarranted attention to our industry." - Jason

"Manhunt's" sadistic action has raised gaming violence to a new level.

It definitely seems as if violence is ok in video games, while sex is taboo. Virtually every game that has received the AO rating got it because of strong sexual content. Perhaps because of that, you rarely see love stories played out in the storylines of video games. Sexuality, in fact, is existent only in the buxom form of Lara Croft or another of the current crop of gaming heroines with exaggerated curves – and all of them live chaste lives.

With the hot button of sexuality removed – and with the Electronic Software Ratings Board willing to give such leeway on violence - gaming industry opponents focus on the violent content of games. And Manhunt's sadistic content is an easy target.

"I hope your voice & the voices of others will successfully call the [ESRB] to examine itself before politicians decide to do so. It would be a tragedy if one of gaming's best defenses against legal regulation were to lose credibility." - Jimmy.

"The problem with the ESRB is that if something is 'M' rated we need to have enough enforcement in place. ... Right now it's pretty easy for a kid to get around it either at the store or by getting Mom to go get the game because she doesn't think anything of it. - Joseph

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Both excellent points. And here's where that twist I mentioned above comes into play. There's no telling whether it's in response to the outcry over "Manhunt" or simply a matter of serendipitous timing, but it looks like retailers are actually tightening up enforcement of game ratings.

The Interactive Entertainment Merchant's Association, a retail trade group which includes Wal-Mart (WMT: Research, Estimates), Kmart (KMRT: Research, Estimates), Target, Toys R Us (TOY: Research, Estimates), CompUSA and more, has unveiled a new program that will demand ID checks of anyone buying an M-rated game. Ideally, the program, which won't be totally in effect until Christmas 2004, will reduce the sales of M rated games to children and teens under 17.

Obviously, it's not foolproof. Online sales will be much more difficult to police. Retailers might argue that since a credit card is required to purchase anything online, that's an effective deterrent, but there's a pretty big hole in that reasoning. Any 13 year old can open a bank account and get an ATM card - and those cards often double as debit cards, which can be used at many online retailers.

The biggest loophole, of course, will be parents who still buy the games for their kids. And it's not like fake IDs haven't been used to circumvent these sort of restrictions before. But it's a start – and a pretty good one at that.  

Morris is Director of Content Development for CNN/Money. Click here to send him an email.