ASPCA, Ubisoft team up for Sharing and Caring Month

Ubisoft and The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and Honor Society, a New York based pop band, have teamed up to celebrate the launch of the new Petz games with Sharing and Caring Month. In support of ASPCA’s initiatives to teach youngsters about being kind to animals, Ubisoft’s Petz video games for the Nintendo DS - including Petz Nursery - will allow young players to care for and bond with a variety of virtual “petz.” For the first time, the Petz video games series will allow players to send and share their virtual petz via wireless interconnectivity between the new Petz games. Owners of the Petz video game series can also share their petz on UbiWorld ubiworld.com.

And let’s face it, kids need to learn how to take care of their pets properly. I mean, come on - have you ever seen a 4 year old carry a kitten or a puppy? Cats and dogs do not enjoy being carried by their necks. If they wanted that they’d seek out people like Lenny from Of Mice and Men..

The Petz Caring portion of the initiative will feature the ASPCA in the Petz Cause House on UbiWorld. Inside the virtual Petz Cause House, kids and their parents can play Petz mini-games and earn “pointz” to show their support for the ASPCA. Beginning today through January 4, 2010, the total number of pointz that visitors earn will be announced weekly in the Cause House explaining to kids how the accumulated points could help animals. Ubisoft will also donate funds directly to the ASPCA.

Wizard101 celebrates one year of service and five millionth player milestones

 Wizard101, the magic-themed Massively Multi-player Online game from KingsIsle Entertainment, celebrates its one-year anniversary this month. KingsIsle Entertainment says that since its launch a year ago the game has garnered five million registered players worldwide. That’s a pretty impressive number for a game and a company that isn’t necessarily considered brand name. It probably didn’t hurt that KingsIsle has been doing targeted marketing for the game on some of the most popular children’s television networks including Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network since its launch. It also doesn’t hurt that the game doesn’t suck and is fun to play for both kids and adults.

As part of its one year celebration, several decorations are being added to the game this month as well as a special surprise for all players to be revealed at a later date. Wizard101 combines collectible trading card game-based combat with the social interaction of an online multiplayer game and a parental control system that allows adults to restrict communications options for younger players, while allowing more freedom to older players.

You can learn more about the game by visiting www.Wizard101.com.

ESA: 68 percent of American households play games

When Nintendo said “everyone’s game” at its press conference today, perhaps they were on to something. According to new research from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) sixty-eight percent of American households play computer or video games, according to new research from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. The data was revealed during ESA CEO Michael D. Gallagher’s key note address on the opening day of the Electronic Entertainment Expo happening this week in Los Angeles.

“This is the new golden age of entertainment software. Our products are now being enjoyed by over two-thirds of Americans,” said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA. “As the findings of the 2009 Essential Facts illustrate, more and more Americans across all demographics are now embracing the interactive entertainment experience that computer and video games provide.”

Other findings of the survey? Forty-two percent of American homes have a video game console; the average adult gamer has been playing for 12 years - a decrease from 2008 and an indication that more Americans are picking up video game controllers for the first time; the average game player is 35 years old;
seventy-seven percent of parents believe that the parental controls available in all recent video game consoles are useful; almost half of all games sold (45 percent) are rated ‘E’ for Everyone by the Entertainment Software Rating Board; and forty-three percent of online game players are female.

In addition, the report indicates that parents are paying attention to what their kids game play. Sixty-three percent of parents who have children under 18 with a gaming console in the home believe games are a positive part of their children’s lives. Those parents are present when games are purchased or rented 92 percent of the time and report always or sometimes monitoring the games their children play 91 percent of the time.

The research for Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry 2009 was conducted by Ipsos MediaCT, gathering data from almost 1,200 nationally representative households that have been identified as owning either or both a video game console or a personal computer used to run entertainment software.

Free Realms Open for Business

Sony Online Entertainment’s free, family-friendly online video game Free Realms is now available for everyone to play at www.FreeRealms.com. Free Realms is described as a whimsical virtual world, loaded with things for gamers of all ages to do. This includes kart racing, raising a pet, exploring mystical locations or chatting with friends.

Of course, there are a number of other things you can do in the game that SOE hopes will draw players in. Players can customize their characters and become a ninja, cook a meal, battle goblins, set out on epic quests or connect with friends through a safe, social networking page. There is also a Trading Card Game built into the system along with a physical game available wherever you buy trading cards.

Free Realms is free to play but additional content can be accessed through a Membership or micro-transactions.

Get started by visiting FreeRealms.com.