Ludograph for Business
Ludograph scores games on developmental benefits and design risks using a structured, versioned methodology. We deliver those scores via API so your product can make defensible, evidence-based filtering and recommendation decisions at scale.
Recently scored
Drop-in API for filtering decisions that won't embarrass your brand.
Coverage that keeps up with UGC platforms.
Age-appropriate ratings beyond PEGI and ESRB.
Defensible content decisions for staff and parents.
Every game is evaluated against the Ludograph rubric — a structured framework covering ten cognitive dimensions (problem solving, spatial awareness, strategic thinking, creativity, and more), six social-emotional dimensions (teamwork, communication, empathy, ethical reasoning), and four motor dimensions. Each dimension is scored independently against the rubric's calibration anchors, then weighted and combined into a Benefits Development Score (BDS).
Risk is assessed separately across three scored categories: compulsion-loop design (variable rewards, streak mechanics, FOMO triggers), monetization pressure (pay-to-win, currency obfuscation, child-targeting), and social risk (stranger interaction, toxic competition, identity pressure). A fourth category — content risk — is reported as a standalone flag and does not feed into the time recommendation, preserving compatibility with existing ESRB and PEGI ratings. These three risk categories combine into a Risk Influence Score (RIS).
The time recommendation is derived from the interaction between BDS and RIS across five tiers (15 to 120 minutes). High benefit scores can extend a recommendation by one tier; low benefit paired with elevated risk drops it. Every score carries a methodology version identifier so downstream products can track and re-evaluate when the rubric updates.
Ludograph is built and edited by Johan Sjöstedt, a journalist with a background in anthropology who applies sourcing discipline and systematic observation to a question the established rating bodies structurally cannot answer: not whether a game is appropriate, but whether it is worth a child’s time — and which specific experiences inside today’s platforms actually are.
The methodology is grounded in peer-reviewed developmental psychology rather than personal opinion, and it weighs benefit against risk rather than simply flagging danger — because parents who value games need discernment, not just restriction.
Ludograph is independent: it takes no funding from the platforms it rates or from the parental-control vendors it works with. Every rating is marked with how it was produced — automated pipeline or expert review — and a named, accountable editor stands behind the methodology, the audits, and every published correction.
curl -s https://ludograph.eu/api/v1/games/minecraft \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <your-api-key>"{
"data": {
"slug": "minecraft",
"type": "game",
"score": 84,
"bds": 0.74,
"ris": 0.18,
"benefitCategories": {
"cognitive": 0.88,
"socialEmotional": 0.60,
"motor": 0.55
},
"riskCategories": {
"dopamine": 0.10,
"monetization": 0.12,
"social": 0.30,
"content": 0.08
},
"recommendedMinAge": 7,
"sessionGuidance": {
"minutesPerDay": 120,
"label": "Up to 120 min/day",
"color": "green"
},
"provenance": {
"reviewTier": "automated",
"scoringMethod": "full_rubric",
"methodologyVersion": "1.3",
"ratedAt": "2026-07-02T14:33:00Z"
}
},
"error": null,
"meta": { "apiVersion": "v1" }
}Pricing scales with query volume and coverage needs. Get in touch to discuss.
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