Kids, Games and Learning | KidConfidence Blog

Hoverboards are Coming to Fusion Fall

Thomas — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:22:19 +0000

Back to the Future style Hover Boards will be the next addition to Cartoon Network’s Fusion Fall.

Jeff Riggall posted the following :

Well, we’ve had a lot of excitement over the past few days regarding our vehicle announcement! Glad to see everyone is anxiously waiting for the moment they’ll be able to hop on a cloud and ride away. If you missed the vehicle video posted online (showcasing in-game footage of one of our new Hoverboards) you can check (more…)

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Many Parents Ignore Parental Controls

Cola — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:53:10 +0000

Four out of five parents that use parental control software don’t turn it on, despite being concerned about their children’s online safety, says McAfee.

Research by the security firm revealed a further 52 percent of parents admitted they never changed the security settings on their parental controls software while 20 percent admitted to being unsure as to the level of security. Nearly two thirds of parents also said they hadn’t raised the subject of online security with their children.

McAfee highlighted that just under half of parents claim to monitor their children’s online activities, however 30 percent said they left their children alone in their bedroom to surf the web. The survey also highlighted that 26 percent of all five to seven year olds have a computer in their bedroom and 17 percent of them are allowed to browse the web. (For an overview on available tools, see “Keep Kids Safe Online with Hassle-Free PC.“)

Meanwhile 46 percent of parent’s said they were unaware their children had any social networking profiles on sites such as Facebook.

When it comes to maintaining the family PC, the task tends to fall to dads, with 88 percent of men saying they were responsible for installing and monitoring security software on their home PC. The survey showed that twice (more…)

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Video Game Summer Camps

Cola — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:23:10 +0000

From Game Player to Game Developer - Summer Camps

Gamers Learn to Mod and Program their Own Video Games

Are you bored playing your favorite video games again and again? Tired of the same old characters exploring the same old levels, getting destroyed at the same spots?

Wouldn’t it be more fun if you could design new interactive levels, create bold new characters and give them a whole new arsenal of mind-blowing weapons and vehicles? You could wage new wars, turn up the battle intensity and create your own unforgettable, unique experiences.

You love playing video games, so why not take a top selling hit and mod it to be your own? iD Tech Camps and the iD Gaming Academy for teens offer you the opportunity to learn these fun skills at their summer technology programs.

Unreal Tournament® 3, the world’s premier (more…)

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The Future of Gaming is Motion

Thomas — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:56:09 +0000

Regardless which camp you belong to - Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo believe the future of gaming is in motion control.

Microsoft takes the most aggressive approach and wants to eliminate the use of a controller all together:

Sony takes the middle-of-the-road approach and offers a Wii-mote on Steroids meets Webcam:

Nintendo’s Wii-mote becomes more precise with the Wii-Motion-Plus attachment:

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Donate your unwanted Video Games to Kids

Thomas — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:03:16 +0000

Video gaming is a fun and enriching activity, but it remains out of reach for many. Games cost upwards of $50 and consoles cost hundreds, so it’s no surprise that large groups of young people who are interested in playing never get the chance.

Pixel Exchange is a not-for-profit organization that is working with youth centers that serve children from households that can’t afford video games. We’ve talked with the administrators, who in turn have talked with the children, to determine the games and consoles that these kids want. But how do we get the games to them?

That’s where you come in.

By making a donation as little as $1.00, you can help bring games to these young people. One dollar might not sound like much, but it really starts to add-up as more people make contributions.

There are actually three different ways that you could help:

1.	Make a financial donation.We’ve just talked about this one. Go to the Institutions (hyperlink this) section and check out the list of participating centers. Click on one and a list of the games and consoles that it’s asking for will appear. From there, select the game and the amount of money you’d like to give. Remember, it can be as little as $1.00, but we won’t stop you from buying the whole thing.
2.	Donate a used game or console that a young person specifically requests.Instead of selling that game that you haven’t touched in 6 months for a fraction of what you paid for it, let it make a real difference for someone. Head over to the Institutions section and click on an organization. Select “Donate Item” after you click on the game or console.
3.	Donate a used game or console that is not specifically requested.Even if the item that you’d like to give isn’t expressly asked for, go to the Pixel Exchange and fill out a short form to let us know what you’ve got. We’ll review it to ensure that it’s appropriate for our audience and then post it in that section. Participating institutions will then be able to select the items that they want. If you want your donation to go to a specific institution or young person, just say so in the form.

Also, since this is an organization about video games, we thought that we would make a game out of giving. Every contribution you make will help you gain levels. Each level corresponds to an image of a game archetype, including warriors, clerics, mages, and more, that you will be able to post on your facebook profile by using our facebook app (app coming soon!). Show your friends that you’re making a difference!

Donate Your Video Games Here

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Lots to download for your Wii

Cola — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:50:03 +0000

Nintendo Downloads for the Week of June 15th

Mario Calculates the Time Needed to Catch Toasted Rainbows in Space

Nintendo’s downloadable content this week features the first-ever kitchen appliance with martial arts training. Throw in some rainbows and a game of catch, and you have a pretty interesting WiiWare^™ lineup. But that’s not all: There are Mario-themed Nintendo DSiWare^™ applications and a classic arcade game for the Virtual Console^™. Let’s get to the details:

WiiWare

Eduardo the Samurai Toaster
Publisher: Semnat Studios
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points^™
Description: Fight your way through 13 diverse locations on your own or with up to three friends in this frenetic and stylish side-scrolling action game. Play as Eduardo and his fellow toaster buddies as you fire an assortment of pastries at all kinds of dastardly food products. Hop onto laser-mounted scooters and fly across the screen in rocket packs, and learn to cooperate with your teammates or simply annoy each other in an awesomely fun way by throwing each other around the screen. The choice is up to you.

RAINBOW ISLANDS^™: TOWERING ADVENTURE!
Publisher: TAITO
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: In Rainbow Islands: Towering Adventure!, players control the rainbow-magic-wielding Bubby or Bobby as they climb the seven seamless areas of a tower reaching the heavens while defeating enemies with their rainbow powers. Bosses controlled by the scientific genius Dr. Crescent await players at the end of every area. Race through every area within the allotted time to meet the rainbow-colored Holly’s Comet. There are three game modes: Story mode, which tells the tale of Holly’s Comet; Challenge mode, where players attempt to climb as high as they can; and Time Attack, where players select an area and see how fast they can climb it. Rainbow Islands: Towering Adventure! is an exhilarating action game where you use rainbows to climb into the heavens.

Let’s CATCH^™
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief, Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: Play catch with friends in multiplayer party games and compete for high scores using your Mii^™ character and others. Choose from six different single and multiplayer modes such as Speed Catch, which tests your ability to catch a fastball, and Bomb Catch, an elimination party game for up to four players. Select from a variety of characters or use your Mii character to play other favorite catch games. Unlock special features when you own both Let’s TAP and Let’s CATCH.

Nintendo DSiWare

Mario^™ Calculator
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: N/A
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points^™
Description: Mario and Luigi^™ take a break from their normal adventures to dedicate their heroic talents to working with numbers. Mario Calculator features the full functionality of a traditional calculator, including a Memory key and the ability to display up to 13 digits, and adds a layer of atmosphere reminiscent of the original Super Mario Bros.^™ Use the Unit Converter to (more…)

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Video Games against Teen Dating Violence

Thomas — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 07:36:55 +0000

The Jennifer Ann Crecente Memorial Group has announced the winners of the 2009 Life.Love. Game Design Contest, a competition to raise awareness of teen dating violence through interactive media.

The contest’s top prize of $1,500 went to Jared Sain for his Flash-based interactive story about a teen’s escape from her possessive boyfriend.

Brian Crick and TORONJA Concepts won runner-up prizes of $100 each for their entries in the competition. An additional door prize of $100 went to Bence Joful.

Judges for the content included Kotaku’s Brian Crecente, Jennifer Ann’s Group founder Drew Crecente, Gamasutra and the IGF’s Simon Carless, GameDaily’s Libe Goad, Persuasive Games’ Ian Bogost, and Savannah College of Art and Design’s Brenda Brathwaite.

This year’s contest saw 40% more entries than last year’s competition, and featured its first international winner.

All winning entries in the 2009 Life.Love. Game Design Contest are playable for free at The Jennifer Ann Crecente Memorial Group’s website.

\source via Gamasutra

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A new video game brand created specifically for tween girls

Thomas — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 20:45:47 +0000

Ubisoft releases a new video game brand created specifically for the tween girl market in North America. Building upon Ubisoft’s leadership on the Nintendo DS system, the Style Lab games were developed specifically to take advantage of Nintendo DSi(TM)’s camera and web functionalities. Each Style Lab game will be focused on how tweens can virtually create their own style – from designing jewelry to exploring new hairstyles, looks and more.

With the new Style Lab line, Ubisoft, the no. 1 third-party publisher for Nintendo DS, including the popular tween brand Imagine® and the best-selling Petz® games, offers 8- to 12-year-old girls a full range of games that allow them to discover their own personal styles while having fun.

“Ubisoft’s goal is to continue to raise the bar in the tween games… (more…)

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Nintendo Introduces New Social Entertainment

Cola — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:45:46 +0000

For decades, Nintendo has endeavored to provide the most creative and immersive experiences in the world of video games and to lead the industry in new directions. At its media briefing in advance of the E³ Expo, the video game industry’s premier trade show, Nintendo announced products for social entertainment that stretch far beyond the current notion of what a video game can be, all while continuing to provide avid gaming fans with the challenges and thrills they desire. “Nintendo continues to challenge how both new and longtime players perceive – and play – video games,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “From modern updates of our most iconic franchises to the introduction of inventive devices, we are continuing to add entirely new dimensions to the video game experience.”

A summary of Nintendo’s major announcements:

Wii^™

Wii MotionPlus^™: Nintendo’s Wii MotionPlus accessory offers motion-controlled precision when combined with specially designed games. When connected to the Wii Remote^™ controller, it delivers on Nintendo’s promise to provide even more immersive physical reality in its games. The device senses subtle motion and can locate where and how players hold the Wii Remote controller in 3-D space. It pushes active gaming to new levels of immersion and a new standard of control. Wii MotionPlus will complement a host of third-party games launching in the next few weeks.
Wii Sports Resort^™: Nintendo showcased the versatility of the Wii MotionPlus accessory in demos of some of the activities included in Wii Sports Resort, an immersive, expansive active-play game. Wii Sports Resort includes a dozen fun resort-themed activities that maintain the wide-ranging appeal that attracted millions to the original Wii Sports. Wii Sports Resort is easy to pick up and play, but comes coupled with deeper levels of play that are sure to challenge even the most experienced gamers with precise controls. The Wii MotionPlus accessory will help players come much closer to the physical reality of engaging in the actual sports. The Wii MotionPlus accessory launches June 8 at a suggested retail price of $19.99, and comes bundled with Wii Sports Resort on July 26 at a suggested retail price of $49.99.
Wii Fit^™ Plus: Wii Fit^™ attracted millions of new players to the world of video games, and now Wii Fit Plus offers a range of new features and enhancements, along with exercises and balance games designed to keep workouts fun. Players will find an additional dimension to the Wii Fit experience as they easily set their own customized daily workout routines or choose 20-, 30- or 40-minute workouts based on how much time they have available. Users will also be able to choose from specialized workout routines that help players strive toward specific objectives, like toning tummies, tightening arms or even reducing stress. Workouts combine the original Wii Fit activities and selections from 15 new balance games and six new strength training and yoga activities. Wii Fit Plus will come packed with the Wii Balance Board^™ accessory, and also will be sold separately as software for people who already have a Wii Balance Board at home. Both will be available in fall 2009.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii^™: Developers at Nintendo have dreamed of creating a simultaneous multiplayer Super Mario Bros. game for decades. The Wii console finally makes that dream come true for everyone this holiday season. Now players can navigate the side-scrolling worlds alone as before or invite up to three others to join them at the same time on the same level at any point in the game for competitive and cooperative multiplayer fun in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. With the multiplayer mode, the newest installment of the most popular video game franchise is designed to bring yet another type of family entertainment into living rooms and engage groups of friends in fast-paced Super Mario Bros. fun.
Super Mario Galaxy^™ 2: This upcoming adventure for the Wii console marks the first time a second 3-D Mario game has arrived in the same console generation. In the game, Mario rides his trusty dinosaur companion, Yoshi^™, to new stars and the fantastic worlds found there. This 3-D platforming adventure (more…)
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More family friendly Wii games for 2009.

Cola — Fri, 29 May 2009 00:49:46 +0000

More family friendly titles for the Nintdeno Wii coming your way in 2009.

The upcoming titles include Jakers! Let’s Explore, an all new interactive adventure video game for PC and Wii™ and Moomin: The Mysterious Howling, an intriguing exploration game that takes players on a fascinating adventure for PC and Nintendo DS™.

“Family entertainment is increasingly one of the more popular segments of the interactive entertainment industry,” says Kenneth Hurley, CEO of Signature Devices, Inc. and Graffiti Entertainment, Inc. “With the introduction of more family focused content, parents are progressively becoming more involved with the entertainment consumed by their family. They even are starting to consider video games as an educational tool in which to interact with children, and our family focused lineup fits right in line with this market shift.”

Graffiti Entertainment’s 2009 family focused lineup includes the following games:

Jakers! Let’s Explore (Wii / PC) - Inspired by the PBS Emmy award-winning animated children’s TV series, the Jakers! video game is told as a flashback of the main character, Piggley Winks, as he tells childhood stories to his grandchildren of growing up in rural Ireland. Each storyline presents simple educational points such as sharing and working together while still being funny, entertaining and clever.

Moomin: The Mysterious Howling (DS / PC) - Moomin takes players into a world of adventure, mini-games and exploration where a loud and mysterious howling has been bothering the residents of Moominvalley for some time. Players must help Moomin find the source of the howling and put a stop to it so the town will be at peace once again. Based on the popular Moomin cartoons created by Tove Jansson, Moomin: The Mysterious Howling includes all the most popular characters - Moomin, Snork, Snufkin, Little My, Hemulen - and a recreation of Moominvalley.

Moomin: The Mysterious Howling

Jakers! Let’s Explore and Moomin: The Mysterious Howling are currently (more…)

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