I was just reading about a business in Florida that was giving kids with cancer time to play on their video game bus.  I had wanted to start a mobile video gaming business a few years ago, but that was right around when the market took a bad turn.  These kids don’t have anything, but this business is bringing some fun to their lives.

If I had gotten my business off ground I probably would have tried to coordinate doing something similar because video games are my life, and I wouldn’t mind bringing the experience to them.

LEE COUNTY: The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida and its staff offer premier treatment for the hundreds of local kids with cancer. But sometimes, even the best doctors and best medicines need help. One local business is doing just that – with video games.

Seven-year-old Randy Nychyk got a real treat when Game Guys – a local business that provides games of all kinds for parties and events – met with him at the Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida.

Randy has an inoperable brain tumor. Chemotherapy, which Randy has been able to go without since 2006, stopped the tumor’s growth.

“We’re almost four years since we started – just over two years since the chemo,” explained his father, Randall Nychyk.

Randy, as his dad says, is 100-percent boy and gets into his fair share of trouble. And with his family’s guidance, Randy takes his challenges in stride.  

“He just knows he goes to the hospital more than other kids do. We don’t make a big deal out of it. He doesn’t make a big deal out of it,” Randall Nychyk said.

Brandis Rodriguez is Randy’s aunt. Game Guys, the mobile game station, is her business and they can usually to be found at parties or other big events.

But she and her husband are offering it up at no cost to the hospital.  

“We wanted to find a local charity to support. And he was our reason to pick it,” said Rodriguez. “I feel honored that we can come and do this for them because they go though so much during a day and so they can come out an hour or so and forget about that world behind them a little bit.”

For the Nychyk family, it’s a best-foot-forward kind of life – one that is made more bearable by a close-knit family, the staff at the Children’s Hospital and the love and support of a community.

“He’s going to school, to the Villas Elementary. He’s in kindergarten and doing wonderful,” Randall Nychyk said.

Barbara’s Friends is a local organization that has raised millions for local kids with cancer. Click here for more information on what they do.

ACTIVISION PUBLISHING AND GAMEMILL ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCE KUNG ZHU™ AND ZHUZHU PETS™: FEATURING THE WILD BUNCH VIDEOGAMES ARE NOW AVAILABLE

New Games Propel Award-Winning Toy Franchise into Adventure-Filled New Directions

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 21, 2010 – Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) and GameMill Publishing, Inc., in association with Cepia, LLC, today announced that ZhuZhu Pets™: Featuring The Wild Bunch for Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ and Kung Zhu™ for Nintendo DS™ are now available. Winner of three of the Toy Industry Association’s Toy of the Year Awards in 2010 – including “Toy of the Year” – ZhuZhu Pets™ have quickly become a phenomenon, and now three new games bring the Zhu-niverse™ to life in distinctive, exciting new adventures.

ZhuZhu Pets™: Featuring the Wild Bunch expands the beloved ZhuZhu Pets™ crew by introducing all new cuddly characters for players to use as they spelunk through caves, race vehicles, and shred the slopes of a newly expanded Zhu-niverse™. The action-oriented Kung Zhu™ launches an all out hamster attack as the formidable Kung Zhu™ group dons customizable battle armor and engages in 35 levels of high-energy combat, which follows the same storyline as the toys.

“Cepia has filled its toys with dynamic personalities, allowing us to be really creative in extending each hamster’s uniqueness,” said David Oxford, Activision Publishing. “Whether it’s Pipsqueak’s sweet but fearless attitude or Stonewall’s loud and crazy ways, each hamster has a different style to play throughout their grand adventures.”

Gary Miller, GameMill Publishing, stated, “We are thrilled to give the enthusiastic fans of Kung Zhu™ and ZhuZhu Pets a game that truly embodies the playful, imaginative spirit of the toys.”

The initial release of ZhuZhu Pets™:  Featuring The Wild Bunch will come with Nutters, a Collector’s Edition chipmunk. This limited edition version of the game will be available on Nintendo DS™ for $34.99 MSRP and Wii™ for $39.99 MSRP. Kung Zhu™ will come packaged with an exclusive pre-release warrior hamster, Tull, for the Nintendo DS™ for $34.99 MSRP.

“Whether you are drawn to ZhuZhu Pets™ or Kung Zhu™ because of their adorable looks, playful nature, or adventurous attitude, ZhuZhu Pets™: Featuring the Wild Bunch and Kung Zhu™ offer something new for every fan to embrace,” said Natalie Hornsby, Vice President of Marketing, Cepia, LLC.

ZhuZhu Pets™: Featuring The Wild Bunch is rated E for Everyone. Kung Zhu™ is rated E10+. For more information, visit http://www.activision.com/ or http://www.gamemillpublishing.com/.

About GameMill Entertainment

GameMill Entertainment is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. GameMill is a third party publisher of various Children’s and Casual games for the PC, Nintendo DS, and Wii from Nintendo. With development across the globe, GameMill is a source of entertaining and fun games for all ages. http://www.game-mill.com/.

About ZhuZhu Pets™

ZhuZhu Pets™ are innovative, realistic, interactive, plush, and artificially intelligent hamsters that talk and move around in their own playsets.  ZhuZhu Pets include two play modes: nurturing mode where the hamsters coo and purr and adventure mode where the hamsters explore their habitat with intelligent audio and mechanical responses to various habitat stimuli.  Over a dozen add-ons can be purchased to build an ever-evolving hamsterworld for your hamster to play in and explore.  Powered by 2 AAA batteries (included), ZhuZhu Pets™ are suitable for ages 4 and up.  For more information, please visit http://www.zhuzhupets.com/.

About Cepia, LLC

Cepia was founded in 2002 in St. Louis, Missouri by a senior management team boasting over 100 years of combined history in the toy industry.  Ingenuity, creativity, playfulness, and passion are the heart of Cepia and everything it creates.  Cepia is especially known for its use of advanced technology, which is employed in such an unobtrusive way that the toys are not only fun to play with, but often viewed as “wonderful” or “magical.” Cepia’s toy brand building enterprises include Glo-e a light-up plush bear, Hydro Max a motorized water blaster, Sky Raptors, Sk8, and their newest venture ZhuZhu Pets™.  For more information, please visit http://www.cepiallc.com/.

About Black Lantern
Black Lantern Studios, Inc. is an independent interactive entertainment software developer for consoles and the PC. Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Springfield, Missouri, Black Lantern Studios is committed to providing the highest quality, richest, and most satisfying gaming experience to its customers, and delivering value to its publishers and partners. For more information about Black Lantern Studios, please visit http://www.blacklanternstudios.com/ or e-mail info@blacklanternstudios.com.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.

 Award-Winning Celebrities Featured in BioWare’s Dark Fantasy Epic                                                   

EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA – August 27, 2009 – Leading video game developer BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) has secured a star-studded voiceover cast for its upcoming blockbuster game, Dragon Age™: Origins.  Featuring Tim Curry, star of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Broadway’s Spamalot, as well as Kate Mulgrew, well-known for her role as Capt. Kathryn Janeway in “Star Trek: Voyager”, Dragon Age: Origins also includes notable cast members Tim Russ (“Star Trek: Voyager,” “Samantha Who?”), Claudia Black (“Stargate SG-1,” “Pitch Black”) and Steve Valentine (“Estate of Panic,” “Crossing Jordan”).  Dragon Age: Origins marks BioWare’s return to fantasy, created from the ground up to take players through a dark epic tale filled with violence, lust, and betrayal. 

Tim Curry will play the villainous Arl Rendon Howe.  Howe is the calculating villain, cultured and charming, with an insatiable lust for power who never hesitates to harm anyone who gets in his way.  Kate Mulgrew will lend her vocal flair to Flemeth, a powerful witch who maintains her immortality through the darkest of means, and who plays a pivotal role in the player’s survival.  Both roles provide the actors with the opportunity to bring their considerable talents to bear in their portrayal of these characters.

“Dragon Age: Origins has the largest cast of characters of any game BioWare has ever made,” said Mark Darrah, Executive Producer, BioWare.  “By working with an incredibly talented cast of actors we are able to bring reality and depth to the characters, their back stories, motivations, and dreams that our talented writers have created for them.”

In Dragon Age: Origins, players take on the role of a Grey Warden, one of the last of an ancient order of guardians who have served as protectors throughout the centuries.  Only they have the power to unite the shattered lands, defeat the Archdemon and drive back the darkspawn that threaten to destroy the world.  Players will interact with many interesting characters who may join them in their quest, and they will choose whether these characters become friends, foes, or even a romantic interest.  Featuring a deep and compelling story where every choice can have a dramatic impact on the game, Dragon Age: Origins is scheduled to release on November 3, 2009 in North America, for the PC and Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and later in November for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.

Dragon Age: Origins is rated M by the ESRB.  For more information about Dragon Age: Origins, visit www.dragonage.com.  Pre-order the game now at www.eastore.ea.com. 

About BioWare

BioWare develops computer, console, handheld, mobile and online video games focused on rich stories and memorable characters. Since 1995, BioWare has created some of the world’s best-selling titles, including the award-winning Baldur’s Gate™ and Neverwinter Nights™ series, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™ and Sonic™ Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (for the Nintendo DS™). Original BioWare-created intellectual properties include Jade Empire™ and the 2007 Game of the Year, Mass Effect™. With studios in Edmonton (Alberta, Canada), Montreal (Quebec), and Austin (Texas), BioWare is hard at work on the epic fantasy roleplaying game, Dragon Age™: Origins, Mass Effect 2™, the epic sequel to Mass Effect, and the story-driven massively multiplayer game, Star Wars®: The Old Republic™, as well as several unannounced projects. In 2008, BioWare was acquired by the world’s leading electronic entertainment publisher, Electronic Arts. For more information on BioWare, visit www.bioware.com.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA^TM, EA SPORTS^TM, EA Mobile ^TM and POGO^TM. In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

BioWare, Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Jade Empire are trademarks or registered trademarks owned by EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. in the U.S. and/or other countries. EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Xbox and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.  “PLAYSTATION” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment  Inc. Nintendo DS is a trademark of Nintendo.  All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

FAMILY AND KIDS VIDEO GAMES IN ONE YEAR

Success of Hasbro-Licensed Lineup Proves Demand for Quality, Casual Games

Across All Major Digital Platforms

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., February 10, 2010— The Play Label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that its Hasbro-branded video games have sold a combined total of more than eight million units at retail globally¹. To date, the company has launched 20 different Hasbro brands on 18 major digital platforms since the strategic alliance between EA and Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) was formed in August 2007.

EA attributes the soaring popularity of its Hasbro-inspired portfolio of video games to a combination of key market drivers such as the growing mass appeal of family-friendly video games, the ongoing demand for video games designed specifically for girls, and the rich heritage and draw of Hasbro’s iconic toy and game properties.

A recent Nickelodeon study states that 36 percent of families are playing video games together as entertainment², and according to NPD Group, Inc., more than $700 million of interactive software was purchased for girls ages 6-12 in 2008, up 23 percent from 2007³.

“EA’s Hasbro-branded lineup has experienced tremendous success in the casual games market with video games that hold great appeal for families and kids as we’ve retained the essence of Hasbro’s iconic brands while re-imagining the toy and board game play experiences,” said Chip Lange, Senior Vice President and General Manager of EA’s Hasbro Division. “We really see these products extending the reach of interactive opportunities available for players today. They made the perfect gift for the holidays, and during the rest of the year, they are the ideal content for mobile gaming devices or to play and keep in touch with friends online.”

EA has extended the Hasbro lineup beyond consoles to more interactive platforms over the past 18 months with Pogo.com™, and through EA Mobile™, with mobile devices like the iPhone®. To date, Hasbro-licensed board game properties for mobile have made it into the Top 100 Paid Apps on the App Store^SM including: SCRABBLE (in the US and Canada only), BATTLESHIP, BOGGLE, CLUE, TRIVIAL PURSUIT, THE GAME OF LIFE, CONNECT 4, YAHTZEE Adventures,  MONOPOLY, and MONOPOLY Here & Now: The World Edition.

In addition, three new Hasbro-licensed online games released by EA were added to the Pogo line up in 2009: BOGGLE Bash, BATTLESHIP and MONOPOLY Slots. These new offerings joined previously released titles such as SCRABBLE, MONOPOLY Here & Now:  The World Edition, YAHTZEE Party! and TRIVIAL PURSUIT, all of which were in the top ten of all Pogo games in terms of worldwide visitors and minutes played. In December 2009, over 4.3 million game play minutes of SCRABBLE were logged on Pogo⁴.

The LITTLEST PET SHOP video game franchise from EA has shown robust growth selling more than 3.5 million units since the first wave of games were released in October 2008¹. In 2009, the digital franchise expanded when the company launched LITTLEST PET SHOP Online, an Internet-based game and online community allowing girls to create their very own LITTLEST PET SHOP pets, chat with friends, play fun games and explore a dynamic online world.  LITTLEST PET SHOP is also now available on the iPhone and iPod touch®, and as DSiWare™.

For boys, the NERF ”N-Strike” video game franchise has delivered over-the-top action, and families around the world have gathered to play HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT and HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT 2, with both game franchises also selling more than one million units each¹.  In addition, MONOPOLY titles boasted strong sales selling over one million units across console platforms¹.   

EA’s Hasbro-branded games have also had a strong presence on Xbox LIVE® Arcade (XBLA), with seven games launched in 2009 under the HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT umbrella, surpassing 500,000 paid downloads.  The portfolio of games was ranked #4 in the most popular Arcade games on the LIVE Service for 2009, based on connectivity. HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT on XBLA features classic and party game modes of family favorites such as SCRABBLE (in the U.S. and Canada), CONNECT FOUR, BATTLESHIP, YAHTZEE, BOGGLE, SORRY! and SORRY! Sliders. All games are available for 800MSP each. 

“Hasbro’s powerhouse alliance with EA continues to deliver big hits for casual gamers around the world across every major platform,” said Mark Blecher, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Digital Gaming and Media at Hasbro.  “Together, we continue to re-imagine the Hasbro-branded play experience and put it at the fingertips of consumers so they can ignite Hasbro-style fun any time, any place.” 

¹ According to NPD Data for December 2009, GFK and internal EA databases

² According to Nickelodeon research study, “The Family GPS,” November 2009

³ According to NPD Data for May 2009

⁴ According to ComScore (avg. minutes per usage day, worldwide, August 2009)

About Hasbro

Hasbro, Inc. is a worldwide leader in children’s and family leisure time products and services with a rich portfolio of brands and entertainment properties that provides some of the highest quality and most recognizable play and recreational experiences in the world. As a brand-driven, consumer-focused global company, Hasbro brings to market a range of toys, games and licensed products, from traditional to high-tech and digital, under such powerful brand names as TRANSFORMERS, PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, CRANIUM and WIZARDS OF THE COAST. Come see how we inspire play through our brands at http://www.hasbro.com.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA^TM, EA SPORTS™, EA Mobile™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

About EA Mobile

EA Mobile™, is the world’s leading wireless entertainment publisher with award-winning games such as Tetris®, Bejeweled®, The Sims™, and Need for Speed™. The EA Mobile portfolio also includes casual games based on the company’s partnership with Hasbro, Inc. including MONOPOLY, YAHTZEE and SCRABBLE (in the U.S. and Canada) as well as sports blockbusters from the EA SPORTS™ brand, including Madden NFL Football, EA SPORTS FIFA Soccer and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR®. EA Mobile develops games for multiple mobile platforms including mobile phones, smartphones, the iPhone® and iPod®. For more information about EA Mobile, please visit www.eamobile.com.

About Pogo.com

Pogo.com™ is the #1 stickiest online destination in the US (1). The site is home to over 15.3 million unique visitors a month (worldwide) who play for more than 62 minutes a day (1). Boasting a wide variety of more than 100 free online games including puzzle games, word games, casino games, classic card games and board games, Pogo.com features both single-player and multiplayer games. The site offers players an easy-to-use chat feature where millions of people talk about their favorite games, best scores, or simply share stories about their lives. Pogo.com is known for its thriving online community of players who forge life-long friendships through the site. Pogo has local sites and communities in UK (pogo.co.uk) and Germany (pogo.de). The Pogo.com premium service, Club Pogo, offers players a variety of VIP features including exclusive games, no ad interruptions, private chat and avatars. Club Pogo had over 1.75 million paying subscribers at the end of August 2009.

 (1 ) According to ComScore (avg. minutes per usage day, worldwide, August 2009)

EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile, POGO, Pogo.com, Need for Speed and The Sims are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc.  Tetris is a registered trademark of Tetris Holding, LLC.  Bejeweled is a registered trademark of PopCap Games, Inc.  BATTLESHIP, BOGGLE, CONNECT FOUR, FAMILY GAME NIGHT, LITTLEST PET SHOP, MONOPOLY, Here and Now,  NERF and N-STRIKE, SORRY!, SCRABBLE, (in the United States and Canada), TRIVIAL PURSUIT and YAHTZEE are trademarks of Hasbro and are used with permission.  John Madden, NFL, FIFA, Tiger Woods and PGA TOUR are the property of their respective owners and used with permission.   Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSiWare and Wii are trademarks of Nintendo.   Xbox LIVE is a trademark of the Microsoft group of companies and is used under license from Microsoft.  App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc., and iPod, iPod touch and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc.  All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

You can check out the site at: Aftertheimpact.com.

A trailer to RAGE can be found below.

The new PSP is said to be able to play games without a UMD.  UMD stands for Universal Media Disc.  They are small in size, and it is technology that Sony developed.  The new PSP is rumored to be using a memory stick for games, and movies.

•  3.8-inch display (No resolution information as of yet)
• Claimed to be lighter than the PSP-3000
• 16GB of Flash storage
• Built in Bluetooth
• No UMD drive
• Memory Stick Micro slot
• Full PlayStation Network support (Games & Movies purchases and rentals)
• Integration with PlayStation 3

Other features that have been released are:

• Go!Cam – Using the Camera, which attaches via the High Speed USB connector, Go!Cam turns your PSP into a video and stills camera. With a 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo inserted in your PSP, you can record over two hours of video footage, instantly being able to play back the action on the PSP system’s screen.
• Go!Explore – Go!Explore incorporates a GPS receiver attachment for PSP and a software UMD featuring your chosen maps. A collaboration with market leaders TeleAtlas and NavNGo, Go!Explore offers the very latest in map data and navigation software, including 3D Maps of major cities.
• Game Sharing - Making full use of the PSP system’s in-built Wireless capabilities, a growing number of titles let you send full levels and game demos to a friend’s PSP (and sometimes more).  Making full use of a feature called Ad Hoc Mode, Game Sharing lets you pass game content to your friends, whether it is demos of the game itself, a level you have created or access to multiplayer modes using only one UMD.  You can let a friend sample games like WipEout Pure and LocoRoco, passing the information directly from your PSP to another. They can even take the demo away with them and, as long as they don’t switch off their PSP, they can keep playing for as long as they want.  Actually sharing your game is very easy. In almost all cases, titles that have Game Sharing will give you the option to transmit data in the game’s menu screens, and all you have to do is check the WLAN switch is in the ON position.  Similarly if you want to receive a demo or new level from a friend, just switch on your PSP, again making sure the WLAN switch is in the ON position, and select Game Sharing (under Game in the Home Menu).

Leeann is a 9 year old that will be reviewing Nintendo DS, Wii, and Sony PSP games.

I will be typing up what my daughter gives me as her review of games.

Debbie is a 37 year old that will be reviewing Nintendo DS, Wii, and Sony PS3 games.

Welcome Guest Bloggers.

While I think Disney could come up with a new way to have their park maps put out, I don’t think that the DS way is the best. Between possible theft, and also possible breakage, there lies a lot of issues that could arise.

Has anyone heard anything further on this idea of Disney’s?

Disney could go one better, and find a way to make a system that would work on cell phones. Everyone has them, and then there is nothing anyone can blame, other than themselves. I have been to a few sites that have already put there own wait times, and such for the general public.

While Disney seems to be 100% into something now, they will gradually drop to 50% productivity. This will then cause Disney to scrap yet another good thing that they have, just like they did to VMK. (Disney’s Virtual Magic Kingdom) Basically they must realize that they aren’t making money like they were when they started the venture, so they phase it out. My Pal Mickey was another venture that Disney had, and now they are only selling what is left in inventory. The system is “Stated” as fully operational, but I am sure that some of that computer server has been delegated elsewhere, or will be in the future.

What would Walt really think of the parks as they have become today?

Would Walt have done any of these things?