“Play-and-learn games for kids” plus 2 more |
- Play-and-learn games for kids
- THQ highlights 1.2m uDraw units in Q3 earnings; wants more uDraw, fewer kids movie-based games
- China now lets parents control kids’ access to online games
| Posted: 03 Feb 2011 12:00 AM PST
As a busy working mom, I'm big on multitasking. I want to clock some quality time with my little one while also having fun and teaching him a thing or two. Too much to ask? Not at all! These family-friendly eco-games will teach your kids about complicated environmental issues (e.g., What is climate change, anyway? Why are some animals endangered? How do I really reduce my carbon footprint?) while they're having fun! High-tech Fun Older kids (7 to 14) can spend hours playing games on MeetTheGreens.org. The site features 11 animated webisodes about Izz and Dex, teens who take on everyday eco-issues. The coordinating games are just as cool. Thrifty Threads lets kids create new designs out of old clothes, Light It Right is a fast-paced exercise in using energy wisely, and Inconceivable delivers eco-stats in hip, kid-friendly language (e.g., "We get most of our energy from oil and coal, but we can also get it from wind, waves, the sun, corn, cow poop, algae and many other sources."). Very fun! Eco-friendly Board Games Younger players (4 and up) can join the fun with "A Beautiful Place." This simple, cheerful eco-game encourages everyone to work together to make Planet Earth beautiful. A Greener Deck of Cards Marisa Belger's work has appeared in Travel + Leisure Family, Natural Health, Prevention and TODAYShow.com, where she wrote a column about eco-friendly living. She was an editor at Lime.com and collaborated with author Josh Dorfman on his bestselling books, The Lazy Environmentalist and The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget. Copyright (c) 2011 Studio One Networks. All rights reserved. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| THQ highlights 1.2m uDraw units in Q3 earnings; wants more uDraw, fewer kids movie-based games Posted: 02 Feb 2011 02:19 PM PST While a large slate of AAA titles is expected from THQ's Core Games unit in its Q4 2011 and 2012 fiscal periods, its fiscal Q3 2011 (October–December 2010) financial results are all about the less high-profile Kids, Family and Casual Business which had an unexpected hit with the North American release of uDraw Game Tablet for Wii last November. In less than two months, THQ managed to move over 1.2 million units in North America alone; an international release is expected "in the March quarter" (by the end of March this year). And it's a good thing, too! THQ also "reevaluated the sales potential of games based on its kids movie-based licenses" for its Q3 statement and, "consistent with recent industry trends," it "lowered expectations for this category." That cost the company an impairment of $30.3 million which was excluded from its Q3 non-GAAP results (which we're getting to, hold on!). Instead of licensed kid's games, the Kids, Family and Casual Business is "increasing its focus on popular new play patterns and devices such as Kinect for Xbox 360, PlayStation Move, the uDraw GameTablet and Nintendo 3DS." Makes sense, right? Now for the numbers: For the three-month quarter ending December 31, 2010, THQ posted net sales of $314.6 million, an eight percent drop year-over-year, resulting in a net loss of $14.9 million compared to a net income of $542,000 in the same period the previous year. In addition to the aforementioned $30.3 million impairment, THQ also excluded "a charge of $9.9 million related to the cancellation of Company of Heroes Online and WWE Online" from its non-GAAP results. So, with those things in mind, THQ reported non-GAAP net income of $28.5 million for the quarter compared with net income of $26.6 million for the prior-year period. We're on the THQ earnings call now, and will report back any updates. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| China now lets parents control kids’ access to online games Posted: 02 Feb 2011 03:40 PM PST While most of us enjoy playing games regularly, we know when to stop and go do something else. That's a bit harder to do when you're playing online games when there's always something you can be doing and your party needs you there. In China, online gaming is huge and it can lead to a lot of gamers spending every waking minute online, therefore neglecting their education, jobs, and in some cases even their health. This addiction is a growing problem, and the Chinese government is trying to figure out ways to control it. For younger gamers, the responsibility is now being placed on the parents to monitor their time playing games. To support this the Ministry of Public Security has issued new rules that come into being on March 1. These rules state that a parent should be able to monitor and control their child's gaming wherever they choose to play. So a parent can put in place time limits and spending limits on a per weekly or monthly basis. The problem with this is anyone operating a gaming establishment has to support the system, which requires logging the identity of the child gamer and associating it with registered parents or guardians. That gamer's time and spending then needs to monitored and limited when appropriate. All that additional work will cost money and staff time which the companies running these places will have to pick up. For young gamers who spend double-digit hours a week playing games, it's going to come as a shock. The guidelines from the Chinese government are that anyone classed as a child shouldn't be playing more than two hours a week online, or spending more than 10 yuan ($1.50) a month. Read more at AFP, image courtesy of The Telegraph Matthew's Opinion If you are a family in China who already has a child spending too much time at the local online gaming establishment, this is going to be a welcome new system. Sure, it will make the kid very angry when they get cut off automatically, but if it helps get their attention back on school, sports, and remaining healthy, it's worth it. For others, it will seem like yet more restrictions in a country already heavy regulated and controlled by the government. This is a parental control rather than government led, but this new set of data that needs to be stored per person could be used by the government too. Gaming establishments have no choice but to accept the new rules or most likely get shutdown. It will be a rush to get the system implemented before March 1, and in doing so they may see a big decline in revenue as they are forced to cut access to some of their most profitable young gamers. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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