The Illinois attorney general's office issued a press release this morning stating that the state's attorney general, Jim Ryan, is asking retail stores to enforce the M rating on violent games. According to the release, a statewide sting launched by Ryan's office revealed that violent games bearing an M rating were inappropriately sold in all 32 of the staged instances. The M rating, set by the ESRB, is given to games that have "content suitable for persons ages 17 and older."

　　While it's not illegal to sell M-rated games to children under the age of 17, Ryan is nonetheless sending out letters to retailers to enforce the rating system in the same manner adopted by the movie industry.

　　"We all have an obligation to muffle the drumbeat of violence in our state and our nation," Attorney General Ryan said. "When it comes to exposing our children to violence, we must be especially vigilant. It defies common sense that we would want these shockingly violent and interactive 'murder simulators' to flow freely into the hands and ultimately the minds of our young people."

　　Ryan is also sending letters to game manufacturers, asking them to refrain from targeting children in their marketing campaigns for violent games. The latest PC game to get an M rating by the ESRB is Activision's Soldier of Fortune.