What They Play

What They Play was a video game-centric website aimed at helping parents learn about content in video games, helping them decide what games their children should play. It was the first of several websites to launch under "What They Like, Inc.", other sites featuring books, movies and music followed.

What They Play
Type of site
Gaming, Parenting
OwnerNews Corporation
Created byJohn Davison, Ira Becker
URLwww.whattheyplay.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationOptional (required for contributing reviews)
LaunchedNovember 12, 2007

History

The site was launched in 2007 by two former Ziff Davis members Ira Becker, executive vice-president of the Game Group, and ex-1UP.com writer and Senior vice-president of the Game Group John Davison.[1] Davison announced his departure from Ziff in August 2007, with Becker's announcement soon following. The two raised over $3 million to fund the creation and launch of the site.[2] The site was launched in beta in on November 12, 2007.[3]

Acquisition

On September 24, 2009, the site was acquired by News Corporation.[4] As of September 2011, the site no longer appears operational, and all links redirect to IGN.com or its affiliates. The site's Twitter account has been inactive since February 2011, though no official word of closure exists; it is unclear when and why the website shut down.

Format

The site contained a database of over 16,000 games divided by console, genre and ESRB rating.[5] The site employed a small editorial staff of seven to play and review games based on their content, but also allowed parents to leave comments and reviews under each game describing their thoughts on the game's content and/or their child's reaction to the game.[6] Parents could also submit an age-appropriateness rating, assigned on a scale from 1-17.

References
  1. "Bail out: John Davison leaving Ziff Davis Media to start a new website (Update - 1UP confirms)".
  2. Snider, Mike (February 20, 2008). "'What They Play' gives parents helping hand". USA Today.
  3. "Site to give parents a play-by-play of the action their children see". articles.latimes.com. Archived from the original on 2008-08-07.
  4. "IGN buys WhatTheyPlay.com".
  5. Lisa Guernsey (January 31, 2008). "A Site to Bring Parents Up to Speed on Video Games". The New York Times.
  6. "Call Of Dragons Vs. Rise Of Kingdoms: Which One Is Better?". 2023-03-17. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
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