Walmart, the world’s largest private sector employer, directed its workers to remove violent video game displays and signs following two deadly shootings inside of its stores. This comes the same week that Universal pulled ads in its marketing campaign for an upcoming violent thriller “The Hunt,” and after ESPN and ABC pulled the broadcast of the X Games “Apex Legends,” a newly minted esports tournament.
Walmart stores were sent a memo, which circulated on Twitter, calling for “immediate action” to remove signs and displays that “contain violent themes or aggressive behavior.”
“We’ve taken this action out of respect for the incidents of the past week, and this action does not reflect a long-term change in our video game assortment,” said Tara House, of Walmart’s Corporate Communications department, in an emailed statement Friday morning.
On Saturday, 22 people were killed and 24 injured at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, days after two Walmart managers were killed by a disgruntled employee at a different Walmart in Southaven, Mississippi. Walmart said previously it does not plan to stop selling guns. Walmart is one of the nation’s largest sellers of firearms and ammunition, with such items available in about half of its 4,750 U.S.-based stores.
“We are focused on assisting our associates and their families, as well as supporting the community, as we continue a thoughtful and thorough review of our policies,” House added.
President Donald Trump blamed, in part, “gruesome and grisly video games,” as well as mental health issues, for mass shootings in America. While often referenced by lawmakers are a cause of mass shootings, there has been little-to-no evidence that violent video games contribute to such incidents.
“We are a learning organization, and, as you can imagine, we will work to understand the many important issues that arise from El Paso and Southaven, as well as those that have been raised in the broader national discussion around gun violence,” said Walmart Chief Executive Doug McMillon. “We will be thoughtful and deliberate in our responses, and we will act in a way that reflects the best values of our company, with a focus on serving the needs of our customers, associates and communities.”
According to the memo, Walmart stores were told:
Turn off or unplug any video game consoles that show a demo of violent games, specifically PlayStation and Xbox units.
Cancel any events promoting combat style or third-person shooter games that may be scheduled in Electronics
Verify that no movies depicting violence are playing in Electronics
Turn off any hunting season videos that may be playing in Sporting Goods, and remove any monitors or displays that show the videos
Check all signing throughout the store and remove any referencing combat or third-person shooter video games
