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GameStop Offers Its Top Picks This Holiday Season

Gaming Specialists Offer Advice on Selecting the Season's Hottest Gifts, Giving Power to the Players

With interest in gaming growing well beyond the hardcore enthusiasts, today's game titles offer much more than car chases, space quests and warfare. In fact, an estimated 69 percent of American heads of households play computer and video games, according to the Entertainment Software Association. What's more, a recent study by Forrester Research found that four out of 10 people play games at work to de-stress or re-charge.

"The popularity of casual gaming is growing exponentially," said Bob McKenzie, Senior Vice President of Merchandising, GameStop. "Thanks to advancements like the Nintendo Wii that has moved gamers off the couch and into action, people of all ages are picking up the controls."

With more than 500 titles to choose from this holiday, GameStop can simplify the game-selection process and give power to the players. As the world's leading gaming specialty store, it has the widest assortment of titles and an experienced staff to guide gift selection for ages six to 60.

Looking for something specific? GameStop has compiled a list of some of the season's most popular titles to help guide your gift selection:

-- The Music Enthusiast - Activision's Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and MTV Games' Rock Band should be big hits with the music lovers in your circle. Rated Teen, both are suitable for the 13 and older set.

-- The Academic Gamer - Nintendo's Touch Generation titles have spawned interest in games that give your brain a workout. Brain Age, Picross, and My Spanish Coach, are all great picks in this category and suitable for everyone on your gift list aged six and older!

-- The Avid Gamer - This holiday, there are a large number of highly-anticipated new titles to choose from, including: Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, Bioshock, Crysis, Half-Life 2: The Orange Box, and Unreal Tournament III. Rated Mature, these titles might be best for gamers who are 17 or older.

-- The Gamer on the Go - Handheld gaming is more popular than ever and new games offer something for all ages and skill sets. The Nintendo DS Lite and newly-designed Sony PSP provide hundreds of titles to choose from including Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for DS and Final Fantasy Tactics for PSP, two of this year's most popular handheld releases that are appropriate for just about everyone.

GameStop's knowledgeable staff can also help adults make informed decisions about selecting the appropriate titles for kids. In partnership with the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), the Company recommends that parents check the ESRB ratings that appear on every game package. Using both the rating symbol, which appears on the front and indicates age-appropriateness, and the content descriptors, which appear on the back and provide information about content that may have contributed to the assignment of the rating or may just be of interest or concern, adults can select the most appropriate game. There are six rating categories in all. Here are some recommendations on choosing games by ESRB rating category:

-- If the intended gift recipient is a tween, GameStop and ESRB suggest games that have either an E (Everyone) or E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) rating, which are comparable to a PG rating in movies. Sample titles include Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction for PlayStation 3 and Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, and DS.

-- If your gift recipient is in their adolescent years a rating of T (Teen) is likely the most suitable. Games that are great for ages 13 and over include Rock Band for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, available on all platforms.

-- Games that carry an M (Mature) rating are suitable for gamers over 17 years of age. Favorites in this category include Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, and Mass Effect.

For additional information about the ESRB rating system and choosing age-appropriate games, visit www.esrb.org.