PlayStation

Summary

PlayStation is a gaming brand created and owned by Sony. The PlayStation console has been around since 1994, and since then, the brand has grown into an ecosystem of consoles, games, accessories, and services.

Best Practices

This section includes tips and how-tos that have been used throughout different gaming programs. The following are only best practices and can be modified to best fit your programs needs and restrictions.

Popular Games

The following titles are widely used in hospital gaming programs. If included in this list, they are compatible with PlayStation 4 and newer generations, unless stated otherwise. For an in depth look at recommended games for specific therapeutic purposes, reference Child Play's Therapeutic Game Guide. For ratings of games based on age/developmental appropriateness, visit The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) website. For consumer-rated content, utilize Common Sense Media.

• Minecraft | Rated E10+
• Rocket League | Rated E
• Madden NFL | Rated E
• Fortnite Battle Royale | Rated T
• Overcooked! | Rated E
• Disney Dreamlight Valley | Rated E
• Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales | Rated T
• Fall Guys | Rated E

Policies & Procedures

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Sanitizing

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Account Settings & Management

PlayStation Network accounts grant users access to online gaming, shopping, and connecting with friends across PlayStation services and consoles.

Services & Subscriptions

To play most online multiplayer games on PlayStation consoles (PS4 and newer), a PlayStation Plus membership is required. Games can be purchased and downloaded from the PlayStation Store without a membership, however, will not be able to be played without a subscription active. Most free-to-play games do not require the membership.

PlayStation Plus

PlayStation Plus (PS Plus) launched in 2010 as a paid subscription service that offers gamers a catalog of games for one monthly price, as well as discounts on games and other exclusive benefits. Those benefits vary depending on the tier of PS Plus owned. The higher tiers of PS Plus are a cost-effective way of trying new and different games or widen the offering of game options to players of all backgrounds and experience. This service requires internet to operate. PS Plus memberships are applied to a single PlayStation Network account and cannot be shared between multiple accounts.

PlayStation Plus Essential

This tier of PS Plus provides PlayStation players with access to online multiplayer games, select free games available each month to download and keep, discounts on buying games from the PlayStation store, online cloud storage for games, and Share Play.

PlayStation Plus Extra

This tier of PS Plus provides PlayStation players with access to online multiplayer games, select free games available each month to download and keep, discounts on buying games from the PlayStation store, online cloud storage for games, Share Play, and a catalog of hundreds of games (think: the "Netflix" of PlayStation games). PS Plus Extra also includes access to Ubisoft+ Classics, a subscription service from developers, Ubisoft, that features popular Ubisoft games at no additional cost.

PlayStation Plus Premium

This tier of PS Plus provides PlayStation players with the benefits of PS Plus Extra as well as the ability to participate in limited-time Game Trials, cloud streaming, and the Classics Catalog. Cloud streaming enables PlayStation gameplay streaming access, meaning the game does not need to be fully downloaded to the console in order to play. This also means that gameplay can be streamed onto a PC, picking up from where you left off on your PlayStation console.

Types of consoles

The generations of PlayStation consoles that remain widely used across gaming programs are the PlayStation 4 (PS4) and the PlayStation 5 (PS5). Previous generations that you may encounter less often are the PlayStation 3 (PS3), PlayStation 2, (PS2), and the PlayStation (original). To identify and differentiate between all PlayStation consoles, visit the Wikipedia PlayStation Console Comparison Table.