Game over for the National Institute on Family and the Media

The National Institute on Family and the Media is shutting down, as the economy forces the media watchdog group to Minneapolis-based to close its doors. The National Institute on Family and the Media, founded by psychologist David Walsh and funded mostly by Fairview Health Services, is best known for its annual MediaWise Video Game Report Card, which often criticized game makers for creating and marketing mature themed games to children.

“Thank you for 14 years of amazing accomplishments and success, said a personal message on the organization’s web site today. “Though our doors will close on December 31, 2009, our important work and programs will continue through you.”

A blog post by David Walsh further explains why the organazation is shutting down - and most of it points to the current state of the economy.

“Two years ago, the National Institute on Media and the Family’s board of directors started strategic discussions about the organization’s evolving mission and goals. The current challenging economic environment accelerated those discussions. As a result, the Institute’s board of directors made the decision to close the Institute, effective December 31, 2009 and to begin transitioning the programs to other organizations who share our mission and values.”

The National Institute on Family and the Media says that it will transition many of its programs and initiatives to other national organizations, and founder David Walsh promises to continue speaking out on the things he feels are important like the affects of violent media on children.

Video Game Tycoon goes online

The next version in the  series promises to let would-be game designers build their own video games and post them online to GAMESweet.com, a web site where anybody can play the games with the free-to-play GAMESweet Player. GAMESweet claims that the original title has been a huge success among young players, particularly in the educational market noting that some middle school programs have incorporated it into their curriculum for teaching video game design. The new online edition of the game promises to give users building blocks that they put together to create a variety of game play scenarios. Each game can have multiple levels, and each level can have many different objectives, bonuses and upgrades.

The ONLINE EDITION also offers new game types to tinker with like first-person-shooters sports games like golf, and new features like the ability to customize object images. The software also includes a simple online posting option so that players can ‘publish’ their games online to GAMESweet.com. The GAMESweet Player, which players will use to play the games people create with the software, is supported in Internet Explorer on the Windows PC platform.

You can find out more about the software by checking out www.GAMESweet.com.

National Parenting Publications Awards honors Wizard101

The family friendly MMO, Wizard101 was recently named an Honors Award winner in the 2009 National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) Children’s Products competition. Full results were announced November 1, 2009, in more than 40 regional parenting magazines across the country and online at Parenthood.com. This award recognizes video games available for children that are safe and fun.

“This multi-player online adventure game encourages social activity and collaboration among players,” said NAPPA judge Alex Chisholm. “While other online fantasy games may be too mature for some kids, Wizard101 hits a nice balance among fun, adventure and competition as players are summoned to help save Wizard City.”

Congrats to the makers of this game, which is in fact something safe and fun you can play with your children. You can learn more about Wizard101 by visiting www.wizard101.com.

Where the Wild Things Are? Retail

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Legendary Pictures have just launched Where the Wild Things Are the videogame, based on the classic and (for some youngsters) creepy children’s story by Maurice Sendak, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and Nintendo DS.

As an added bonus, consumers who purchase a copy of Where the Wild Things Are the videogame on any platform (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS), will receive a voucher inside the box good towards $7.50 off one movie ticket to see Where the Wild Things Are the movie debuting on Friday. The offer is valid at hundreds of movie theaters in the US and Canada and is valid through Dec. 1.

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EA FLIPS out for kids

Electronic Arts is developing FLIPS, a new book range created for the Nintendo DS for children. FLIPS has been designed to give children of all ages a new way to read their favorite books. EA has worked with some of the UK’s leading publishers of children’s books and magazines, including Egmont and Penguin Publishing, to bring modern classic titles from authors such as Cathy Cassidy, Eoin Colfer, Enid Blyton, and the various writers from the popular boys series, Too Ghoul for School to the DS. Each FLIPS title features multiple books and the first four titles will be released exclusively on Nintendo DS in the UK on December 4th.  Titles include:
Enid Blyton (Egmont) - The Enchanted Wood(R), The Magic Faraway Tree, The Folk of the Faraway Tree, Enchanted World - Petal and the Eternal Bloom, Enchanted World - Melody and the Enchanted Harp, Enchanted World - Silky and the Rainbow Feather

Cathy Cassidy (Penguin)- Scarlett, Angel Cake, Sundae Girl, Shine on Daizy Star, GingerSnaps, Driftwood

Eoin Colfer (Penguin) - Artemis Fowl, Artemis Fowl and the Arctic Incident, Artemis Fowl and the Eternity Code, Artemis Fowl and the Opal Deception, Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony, Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox

Too Ghoul For School (Egmont) - Silent but Deadly, The In-Spectres Call, Ghoul Dinners, The Bubonic Builders, Attack of the Zombie Nits, School Spooks Day, French Fright, Terror In Cubical Four

To today’s parents video games are the new Rock ‘n Roll

That’s how Stamford, CT., psychologist Eric Schleifer described them in a discussion with 50 parents about video games recently. This forum, called “Using Video Games to Your Advantage: A Parent’s Guide,” was co-sponsored by Wilton Parent Connection, the Wilton PTA Council, the Wilton Youth Council, and the Wilton Library.

The forum proved what kids already know and what kids our generation and every other generation before it endured: parents don’t always understand the culture kids are immersed in and its importance. In this generation parents don’t understand their kids’ fascination with games and, because of the media’s portrayal of them as being violent and catalyst for laziness and unhealthy behavior, often feel like video games are dangerous or at the very least, an unnecessary distraction. Schleifer compared gaming to rock music and comic books, both thought to be somehow evil or a waste of time by our parents and the parents of our parents.

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Where the Wild Things Are? A web site, perhaps?

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has released the official web site for the video game based on the film Where The Wild Things Are. The game is based on the books of the same name featuring a boy and his scary looking monsters who aren’t all that scary. As a little kid they scared the hell out of me. Those books were just creeptastic!

Inspired by the Warner Bros. theatrical release based on the best-selling children’s book by Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are: The Videogame lets players take on the role of Max as he journeys across the land of the Wild Things, which is on the brink of destruction. Max joins forces with the Wilds Things to find a way to escape to safety before it’s too late. Where the Wild Things Are: The Videogame launches on Oct. 13 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and Nintendo DS.