^but until there are no more stupid uninformed parents someone has to pick up the slack

Wouldn't ratings work better if they were inline with movie ratings?

I don't know much about American ratings. But one assumes that 'R' = 18+. And so is 'M' on games. Why not have it 'R' on both (or, hell, to make it easier just '18').

Maybe that's the problem, maybe when parents go to the store, they figure that M isn't as bad as R, and pick up the game for their child anyways.

 Why?

You do know it's a good thing the more we do to keep M-Rated games out of kids hands without their parents consent. 

^you would think but some people....

 MOST retailers have signs up with a description of the ratings and what they mean.   If a parent sees or has been explained the rating system and STILL buys their kid said game, it's the parent's choice.

Well at least they're not refusing to stock M rated games.. yet. Walmart is really stupid though I remember I went there to buy Minutes to Midnight when it came out but they only carry the edited version so I ended up going somewhere else.

Walmart is the epitome of censorship, corporate evil and hypocrisy.

Wal-Mart sells guns, ammo, alcohol, condoms, dead gold fish, King Magazine, and R-rated movies (thank you Wal-Mart!). So why are video game covers such a big deal?

Good or bad, this will make parents think twice about buying M rated games for their kids at Wal-mart. Covering the label like an adult magazine will make them much more reluctant to purchase it than putting an "M" on the back.

Just be glad Wal-mart is not selling special "E for everyone" cleaned-up versions of games, like they do with CDs.

Because out of that list only video games are marketed towards kids. 

 Last I checked, Wal~Mart sells a PINK rifle.  WHO exactly is a pink rifle being marketed to?  Most women into hunting would buy a neutral or camo colored one so it would almost have to be little girls.