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.

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.

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.

NERF N-Strike Elite Released

NERF N-Strike Elite for the Wii has shipped, giving youngsters a 3-in-1 NERF N-Strike Elite experience including the game, a bundled NERF SWITCH SHOT EX-3 blaster and attachable Red Reveal decoder lens. NERF N-Strike Elite lets players choose from four characters, each with unique blasters and special abilities. As part of a four-person team, they are tasked with completing a series of increasingly challenging missions with the ultimate end-goal of destroying an army of robots led by B.O.B., who has been rebuilt and is much tougher than in the first NERF N-Strike game.

Players can arm themselves with more than a dozen real NERF blasters that are unlocked as they progress through the game. Each blaster, including Hasbro’s new NERF N-STRIKE RAIDER RAPID FIRE CS 35, offers individual strengths and weaknesses adding tactical strategy to NERF N-Strike Elite.

NERF N-Strike Elite is available at retail and priced at MSRP $59.99. The game is rated E10+. For more information, visit nerf.ea.com.

EA signs deal with Claire’s for Charm Girls Club games

Electronic Arts has entered into what it calls “an extensive advertising and promotional campaign” with tween retailer Claire’s for the company’s tween themed CHARM GIRLS CLUB game series. Included in the deal is in-game branding like banners and product placement and in-game product placement. Claire’s will apparently have a store in the game’s mall where players will be able to play mini-games, and buy Claire’s branded charms.

EA will also promote Claire’s on the video game’s Web site, for whatever that is worth. As you can tell from this post I am extremly excited about this.

Fifth series of U.B. Funkeys hit retail

Mattel’s Radica and causal game developer Arkadium have launched the fifth series of U.B. Funkeys toys. These toys are action figures that are used in conjunction with a kid friendly MMO style world where the toys unlock special characters. It combines vinyl toy collecting with the world of gaming.
The newest version transports players into the cross-section of technology and nature with four new zones:

- Old Green: Nature at Its Core (Autumn)
- New Green: Conservation, Recycling, Paper vs. Plastic (Spring)
- Old Technology: Industrial Revolution (Winter)
- New Technology: Eco, Nano, Clean and Green (Summer)

The new series of toys also introduces six new characters, new multiplayer games and user-generated games.

Recent research from Nielsen shows that over the past five years the kids Web universe has grown by 18 percent, versus just a 10 percent growth rate seen in the relative mature general Web population. As of May this year, the kids 2-11 audience had reached 16 million, or 9.5 percent of the active online universe. And time spent online among kids has soared by 63 percent over the past five years.

And on a related note, youngsters will be able to collect U.B. Funkeys toys through a joint promotional program with Wendy’s. Beginning this month U.B. Funkeys starter CDs, a back pack clip, a U.B. Funkeys bobble head and 3D board game will be available in Wendy’s Kids’ Meals.

AddictingGames Showdown winners announced

Nickelodeon’s ‘AddictingGames Showdown’ has ended and the winners have been selected.  Jerry Trainor, host of Nickelodeon’s “AddictingGames Showdown”  (and one of the stars of the TV show iCarly) revealed the winners in a televised event.

According to Nick.com, over 5 million votes were cast for the winners and other games playable at addictinggames.com. The winners were announced on TV and on the “AddictingGames Showdown” microsite which drew 16 million game plays and 26.5 million page views since its launch on June 3, 2009.

The AddictingGames Showdown winners can be found after the break.

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