John Davison & Ira Becker Launch New Startup Website “What They Play”

by Josh Pankratz on November 12, 2007 at 8:13 pm

Mr. John Davison and Mr. Ira Becker recently left Ziff Davis to begin work on a new startup website, What They Play. WTP focuses on what games are suitable for certain age groups of children.

The site extensively plays through each game and informs parents what scenes may be inappropriate for their children. An example from their Call of Duty 4 write-up is as follows:

“The blood and gore, though not gratuitous, is prevalent throughout. Bullets tear through body armor and into flesh, explosions throw combatants around like rag dolls, and corpses litter the battlefield in the aftermath of each skirmish. There are also multiple scenes were the player is savaged by an attack dog, and the only way to survive this is to either shoot the animal, or snap its neck.”

The write-ups serve to elaborate on the ESRB rating system, often using it as a jumping off point to discuss the “Mild Suggestive Themes” or “Intense Violence”. Though unable to offer a true review score, users can rate the game at the end based on what age group they think the game belongs in.

Be careful, because if you haven’t played through some of these games, the write-ups can contain some pretty sizable spoilers. The site is clearly designed for parents, who likely won’t be playing and enjoying these games.

In addition to the text, What They Play also takes screenshots and video of the more questionable portions of the game. With this level of disclosure, parents can see exactly what their children are getting into, leaving me with one thought: Thank God my parents didn’t have this when I was a kid.

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