Gameplay Styles - Game Design Essentials - page 40

One such site can be found at www.funbrain.com , which is part of the Education
Network and caters to K-8 students. The site hosts games to help improve math
and reading skills. It also provides resources to parents and instructors and
launched Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

educational games
designed with a
combination of
learning material
and entertain-
ing gameplay are
often referred to as
edutainment .

entertainment software Rating Board

As noted, certain types of games tend to be violent. The Entertainment Software
Rating Board (ESRB) rates games based on this and other criteria.
When designing games, you should understand what ESRB ratings mean and
why they're important. Table 2.1 displays the seven ESRB ratings icons along
with a definition of each rating.

the eSrB was
formed in 1994 as a
nonprofit self-regu-
lating organization
by the entertainment
Software Association
(eSA). to learn more
about eSrB, visit
www.esrb.org .

TaBLe 2.1 ESRB Ratings

icon Rating and Description

Titles rated EC (Early Childhood) have content that may be suitable for
ages 3 and older. These titles contain no material that parents would
find inappropriate.

Titles rated E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for ages 6
and older. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fan-
tasy, or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language.

Titles rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) have content that may be
suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain
more cartoon, fantasy, or mild violence, mild language, and/or mini-
mal suggestive themes.

Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and
older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes,
crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent
use of strong language.

(Continues)