Thomas and Cola are on-site at the 2008 Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco this week. This is a special year for us at the GDC, because KidConfidence is getting access to a lot of larger media companies than we’ve had in the past.

In fact, with all the video interviews and special events that Thomas and Cola are covering, they are starting at 7:00am and wrapping up around 11:00pm every night! I talked with Thomas last night and he said he doesn’t even have time to download all the video he’s shooting before starting the next day.

We’ve got some great interviews coming with executives and designers from: Nickelodeon, Neopets, Sony, Electronic Arts and many more.

Stay tuned!

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Nintendo’s “Endless Ocean” video game may not have been designed for educational purposes; However, I can’t think of a better way to get your kids excited about the world’s oceans and coral reefs. -Regardless of your geographic location and from the comfort of your own living room. Sea-sickness not included.

Did you know: 2008 is the “International Year of the Reef”?

Having your kids being interested in a subject like Coral Reefs also makes for a great introduction to using Keyboard, Mouse and the Internet (Google) to find answers to (more…)

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Here is a great article about Webkinz in Knowledge @ Wharton. If you are a parent and are trying to figure out what Webkinz is all about, and wondering if it is ok for your kids to play, you should read this. It contains perspectives from parents with a variety of backgrounds including college professors and an educational psychologist. It also contains some nice vignettes of families and what the kids find to be so interesting about the Webkinz phenomenon. If you are curious about Webkinz, it’s well worth a read!

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A new section at “The Game Career Guide” website answers parents’ frequently asked questions about videogames as a career.

Video games represent an important new media, one that is quickly becoming as pervasive as Television, DVDs, movies and books. Because video games are relatively new as a medium, they are often mis-understood by many parents, particularly those who were not exposed to them as kids. Many even view games as anti-social, promoting violence. (Which is part of the reason why we founded KidConfidence).

Parents may wonder if making video games for a living is even possible, and if so what education does it require? Other concerns addressed on Game Career Guide are: “What is the likelihood that my daughter/son will be able to get a job upon graduation?” and “Some of these games schools are really expensive. Do I have to send my child to one?” (more…)

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Google just released the “Fastest Rising Search Terms” for 2007 and guess what? Children’s video games occupied two of the top 10. Webkinz and Club Penguin were the second and sixth fastest rising search terms on Google in 2007. I’ve played both of these games with my daughters, and found them to be safe, positive learning environments for them. And best of all, they are truly “fun” games.

Hmm…. I wonder if Video Games are becoming mainstream!?

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