The Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA) has announced a merger with the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association (IEMA) with the object of forming a trade association representing movie and game retailers.  Faced with a continuing decline in its core movie rental business the VSDA has been looking for partners for some time -- a previous courtship between VSDA and the even more desperate NARM (National Association of Recording Merchandisers) never happened.

While the VSDA and NARM might have worked together to attempt to stop illegal downloads, the new combination of VSDA and IEMA (as yet unnamed) will partner up with the express purpose of fighting legislation aimed at controlling and punishing video game retailers who fail to observe industry-mandated age restrictions (a recent FTC study using undercover shoppers found that underage buyers were able to purchase age-inappropriate games at 42% of the videogame stores surveyed -- down from 85% a year earlier).

The two organizations have some members (Blockbuster) in common, but are in other ways quite dissimilar.  The IEMA has only 29 members (Wal-Mart, Target, Blockbuster, etc.), yet it accounts for an estimated 75% of video game sales.  The VSDA, whose membership has fallen drastically over the years as the industry has consolidated, still has over 1,000 members ranging from mega-chains like Blockbuster to mom and pop video stores.