Games’ Age Guidelines a Pawn to Focus Groups

ChessMates, the first game released by Interplay Productions’ new children’s game division, is designed for people “ages 9 through 101.” It says so right on the box.

But those age guidelines have more to do with market research than biological maturity, said Brian Fargo, chief executive of the Irvine-based maker of computer games.

The game is actually meant for children as young as 6 years old, he said, but focus groups have found that today’s youngsters turn up their noses at games they consider baby stuff, even when they’re not much older than babies themselves. What’s more, parents of young children often buy games meant for a slightly older audience because “they always believe their kids are so smart,” Fargo said.

Greg Miller covers high technology for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-7830 and at greg.miller @latimes.com.