Archives for children category
The United Kingdom’s Department for Transport has launched a free browser MMO, Code of Everand, that teaches traffic safety to children. It does so through a fantasy theme with direct parallels to real world dangers — streets are Spirit Channels, glowing energy streams populated with many dangerous beasts. The Spirit Channels crisscross the map of Everand and make travel perilous. That’s where the players come in as Pathfinders, explorers trained in the techniques that allow for safe passage across the Spirit Channels. Pathfinders learn important safety lessons along the way in their journey to discover the secrets of Everand.
Code of Everand was developed for the UK Department for Transport by NYC-based firm Area/Code over the course of two years, reports Game Set Watch. Area/Code has a long track record of creating cross-media games for advertising and media firms, television networks, and even major consumer brands. According to Area/Code’s site, they’ve taken innovative approaches to games in the past — “online games that respond to broadcast TV in real time, simulated characters and virtual worlds that occupy real-world geography” and “game events driven by real-world data”. Interesting concepts. If you like the idea of games used as an effective educational tool, you can see the animated trailer for Code of Everand after the jump.
Continue reading Code of Everand browser MMO teaches kids about traffic safety
Filed under: Real life, MMO industry, New titles, Tips and tricks, Free-to-play, Browser, Kids
Code of Everand browser MMO teaches kids about traffic safety originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted on November 19th, 2009 at 5:00pm by James Egan
Filed Under: areacode, browser, children, code-of-everand, department-for-transport, educational, edutainment, f2p, free-to-play, gamesetwatch, kids, mmo-industry, new-titles, nyc, pathfinders, real-life, safety, spirit-channels, united-kingdom
MMO Family is your resource for leveling a gaming-specced family … From tips on balancing gaming with family life to finding age-appropriate niches for every family member, MMO Family offers you advice on MMO gaming of the family, by the family and for the family.
Nestling somewhere in between MMOs and social networking, virtual worlds are a virtual sandlot for millions of kids worldwide. Think avatar-based chat and mini-games alongside other kids of the same age range and interests, and you’ll catch the appeal of these kid-friendly destinations. While a gaming parent might consider virtual worlds mere training wheels for games still to come, kid-friendly virtual worlds seem to fit the attention spans, chatty nature and niche-y interests of kids to a T.
The sheer variety of worlds appealing to children makes it easy for kids to find a spot where they’ll want to hang out. As of early 2009, kids could choose from 112 virtual worlds designed for children and teens, according to Engage Digital Media, with more than 80 new worlds under development. The numbers of kids who’ve found a virtual home in these worlds rivals even the fat figures of MMO big dog World of Warcraft. Research firm eMarketer estimates that in the United States alone, 8 million kids hung out in virtual worlds regularly during 2008; that number is projected to swell to more than 15 million by 2013.
Continue reading MMO Family: Virtual worlds for kids
Filed under: Club Penguin, There, Habbo Hotel, Gaia Online, Barbie Girls, Kids, Moshi Monsters, MMO Family
MMO Family: Virtual worlds for kids originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted on November 13th, 2009 at 6:00pm by Lisa Poisso
Filed Under: action-allstars, barbie-girls, bella-sara, build-a-bearville, children, dizzywood, family, featured, parents, pixie-hollow, poptropica, ridemakerz, roblox, seapals-world, secret-builders, teen-second-life, toontown, tootsville, tygirlz, virtual-worlds, webkinz
Many congratulations go out today to both Wizard 101 and Ether Saga Online, as the two online games have both claimed themselves a National Parenting Publication Award (NAPPA) from Parenthood.com.
What does this mean exactly? Well it means that parents can rest easy knowing that these two games are fun, informative, and free of questionable content. If your kid plays either of these two games, you don’t have to look over their shoulder to police what they’re doing. The game takes steps to keep your kids safe and to make sure they’ll have a good time too!
Other recipients that weren’t from the online MMO category included EA’s Spore, and Guitar Hero On Tour, so it certainly speaks to the quality of these two titles for kids when they’re put in that sort of company.
Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, Wizard101, Ether Saga Online
Ether Saga Online and Wizard 101 take home parenting awards originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted on November 12th, 2009 at 7:00pm by Seraphina Brennan
Filed Under: award, breaking, child, children, eso, ether-saga-online, kingsisle-entertainment, nappa, national-parenting-publication-award, parenthood.com, parenting, perfect-world-entertainment, safety, wizard-101
MMO Family is your resource for leveling a gaming-specced family … From tips on balancing gaming with family life to finding age-appropriate niches for every family member, MMO Family offers you advice on MMO gaming of the family, by the family and for the family.
Whether yours is the kind of family with “screen time” limits or the type that takes a more laissez-faire approach to logging in, there comes a point when enough is enough. Plenty of pixels and ink have been devoted to the debate over whether or not internet and gaming overuse should be considered an “addiction.” What we’re here to discuss is how gaming affects your family. As parents who game, we should be in a unique position to appreciate, respect and guide our children’s attraction to games. But sometimes in the crush of day-to-day living, it’s easy to let those last few minutes slip into half an hour … past an hour … into the evening … into a habit that’s begun eating away at family balance.
To help parents recognize when their children’s gaming may have passed what’s reasonable and productive for them as individuals, we touched base with psychiatrist Dr. Kourosh Dini (author of Video Game Play and Addiction: A Guide for Parents and himself a gamer). Statistics on gaming use, he explains, show that most gamers manage to balance gaming with their daily lives without negative consequences. “In fact … sometimes what one can gain from a game is quite profound,” he observes. “The person’s mind and the video games together set the stage – either for benefit or for detriment.” A gaming schedule that suffocates one child’s motivation and energy might buoy another through social problems at school. Our mission: to keep the mix healthy, productive and fun.
Continue reading MMO Family: When enough is enough
Filed under: Kids, MMO Family
MMO Family: When enough is enough originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted on October 30th, 2009 at 5:00pm by Lisa Poisso
Filed Under: addiction, balance, children, family, featured, parents, quitting, schedule
