Each time Marc Shakour would stop in at libraries or bookstores, he would notice that all reading materials were sorted by age and genre. However, when he would visit video game shops, this was not always the case.
“We really only see one thing [in terms of] criteria, and that is if it’s violent or not,” he explains. Inspired by the idea of being able to create a site dedicated to educating parents and beginners about video games, Shakour founded Écran Partagé. This bilingual website seeks to answer gaming-related questions while providing useful information and tips.
Launched in June, the website has received several thousand views. The Écran Partagé team includes Shakour, four editors, one marketing specialist, and a psychologist. “It’s all about doing research and offering as much information as we can to parents and beginner players,” he says. “We have a lot of different articles. We have editorials, tutorials, we have interviews with people from the video game industry, and advice (columns). We also have recommendations for parents who are looking to limit the time that their children play games.”
Shakour considers the website’s primary function to be its ability to allow individuals to choose criteria such as age restriction as well as the console or PC that a game will be played on, and then a list of games is recommended.
One noteworthy feature Shakour mentions is its comprehensive glossary of terms associated with gaming. This proves especially useful for those who are just starting to explore the realm of video games and who may be daunted by the many abbreviated terms and jargon.
“It’s about creating content for everyone and making everybody feel comfortable playing video games,” Shakour says. He encourages those who are browsing the website to subscribe, as they will have access to even more unique content. Subscriptions are four dollars a month or $40 per year. The website is updated regularly with new content. For more information, visit ecranpartage.ca.
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