One way that the Intel Atom Developer Program and its forthcoming application stores adds value is through its validation: customers will be able to buy applications in the knowledge that they have been tested and approved by Intel. For a developer, it means there are specific guidelines they need to satisfy before they can sell their work through application stores powered by the Intel Atom Developer Program Store Framework.
When they submit an application, developers must first rate which age segments it is appropriate for. The guidelines include clear guidance on what kinds of content are suitable for which age groups, with specific reference to levels of violence, sexual activity and the handling of personal data.
Although it doesn’t say so in the IADP validation guidelines, I think it’s important to draw a distinction between the minimum maturity required to view particular content, and the target market of an application. You might have an office application, for example, which has no objectionable content and so could earn a 3+ rating, even though most users are likely to be adults. Conversely, you might have a puzzle game that’s simple enough for tots to master, but which includes objectionable language in the game over sequence, which would restrict its rating to at least 10+.
From a marketing perspective, it makes sense to ensure your applications have as broad appeal as possible, which means limiting the use of strong language, violence, nudity or other more mature themes. If you’ve created a war game that uses realistic animated deaths of soldiers, for example, you could broaden the game from 17+ to 10+ or even 6+ if you used an aliens vs Earth scenario instead. Violence against fantasy figures is acceptable in the 6+ and 10+ categories, but violence towards humans or animals requires a 13+ rating. The question for the developer is whether the game will have more appeal to older players if the characters are more realistic, and whether that will result in more sales overall despite a smaller potential market.
Adult-only sexual content is not permitted in the application in any context, although mild sexual content and nudity for educational purposes may be permitted.
Here is the current guidance on age ratings from the validation guidelines:
| Rating | Applications with this rating may contain… |
3+ |
|
6+ |
|
10+ |
|
13+ |
|
17+ |
|
18+THIS CONTENT IS NOT ALLOWED |
|
For the latest guidelines on age ratings and other validation requirements, see the latest version of the Intel Atom Developer Program validation guidelines.
Filed under: application design, Intel Atom Developer Program Tagged: | Intel Atom Developer Program
