THE KID VOTE IS IN AS
FAMILYFUN.COM ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF THE FIRST ANNUAL VIDEO GAME OF THE YEAR
AWARDS
Editors’ Holiday Video Game Picks
Also Revealed
North Hollywood, Calif. (November
16, 2004) – FamilyFun.com today announced the winners of its first annual Video
Game of the Year Awards
www.familyfun.com/videogameawards FamilyFun Video Game of the Year, a
new sister program to the renowned FamilyFun Toy of the Year Award (T.O.Y.), is
designed to help parents understand which video games are both family friendly
and loved by kids.
Games rated E (everyone) by the
Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) were eligible and evaluated in two
age categories. Fifteen hundred children participated in the in-home game
testing handled by Digital Research, Inc., a leading independent market research
firm that has a long history with the T.O.Y awards. Games released too late in
the year to undergo formal kid testing were considered for the FamilyFun.com
Editors’ Hot Holiday Release Picks list.
The Video Game of the Year for kids
ages 6 – 8 is Power Rangers: Dino Thunder (publisher, THQ). Players of this game
help the Power Rangers to stop the plans of the mad scientist Mesagog who is
trying to send the world back into the age of dinosaurs.
The winning game for kids ages 9 -12
is Shrek 2™ (publisher, Activision). This game, based on the movie sequel, takes
1 to 4 players on a twisted fairy tale adventure to solve puzzles, fight
monsters and complete wild and dangerous adventures.
“These were games that the testers’
parents told us they felt good about. At the same time, the kids couldn’t rave
enough about how much fun they had playing them,” said Lee Woodruff,
contributing editor of FamilyFun. “Video games often top kids’ wish lists these
days, and as parents head in to the holiday shopping season they want to know
what games kids will keep playing after December 26.”
In addition to the award winners,
FamilyFun.com editors have highlighted their “hot holiday release picks” for
games that were released too late in the year to be part of the formal
kid-testing process. They are:
Games for all ages
-
Taiko: Drum Master™ (publisher,
Namco) -
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of
Unfortunate Events™ (publisher, Activision)
Games for 6 – 8 year olds
-
The Polar Express™ (publisher, THQ)
-
SpongeBob SquarePants: The
Movie (publisher, THQ)
Games for 9 – 12 year olds
-
Spyro™: A Hero’s Tail (publisher,
Vivendi Universal) -
Fifa Soccer 2005 (publisher,
EA Sports)
Game reviews and tester comments on
games evaluated for Video Game of the Year, as well as a complete list of
editor’s holiday release picks, are available at
www.familyfun.com/videogameawards. This area of the site will be
updated regularly as new games are released.
“We want parents to have a
year-round resource for insights into the games kids are requesting and
playing,” said Emily Smith, vice president of FamilyFun.com.
Games qualifying for Video Game of
the Year were screened, tested and ranked on a 100-point scale by kid testers
throughout the country. Kid testing is augmented with comments from parents who
have played the games with their kids.
The Top-10 games from the Video
Game of the Year program are:
-
Power Rangers: Dino Thunder
(publisher, THQ) -
Pokemon LeafGreen (publisher,
Nintendo) -
Shrek 2™ (publisher, Activision)
-
Kim Possible 2: Drakkens Demise
(publisher, Disney Interactive) -
ESPN NFL 2K5 (publisher, ESPN
Video Games/Sega) -
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger™: Bush
Rescue (publisher, EA Games/Krome Studios)
FamilyFun, age 3
(Top-10 games cont.)
-
Dragon Ball Z®: Buu’s Fury
(publisher, Atari) -
Crash Bandicoot® Purple: Ripto’s
Rampage (publisher, Vivendi Universal) -
Spyro™ Orange: The Cortex
Conspiracy (publisher, Vivendi Universal) -
Crash Twinsanity™ (publisher,
Vivendi Universal)
Referred to by the Wall Street
Journal as the “Oscars of the toy industry”, FamilyFun magazine’s annual Toy of
the Year (T.O.Y.) Awards have the unique advantage of being tested and selected
by kids. As video games for kids become progressively popular, Family Fun.com
has installed this new award in conjunction with the T.O.Y. event. T.O.Y.
winners are chosen after thousands of hours of play testing and voting by more
than 1,000 children at childcare centers across the country. The finalists and
winners are featured in the November issue of FamilyFun magazine and on
FamilyFun.com. Over the years, several memorable toys such as Rescue Heroes™ and
Tickle Me Elmo were launched into the holiday retail spotlight after being
announced as winners of the T.O.Y. Awards.
About FamilyFun.com Produced by
Disney Online, FamilyFun.com is the premier online family resource for creative
solutions, combining award-winning content and related community features
focused on great ideas, practical advice, and "fun stuff to do." The site’s
popular "Solution Centers," which offer parents real answers in real time,
include: "Parenting," "Recipes," "Travel," "Arts & Crafts" and "Parties." Disney
Online also produces Disney.com, the leading kids’ and family entertainment
destination on the Internet. Disney.com features exciting neighborhoods that
live within the gates of Disney’s virtual theme park, housing a variety of
wholesome, original content that consistently reflects the magic of Disney.
Disney Online works closely with the Walt Disney Internet Group, which provides
integrated strategic and operational Internet services for The Walt Disney
Company’s Internet initiatives.
About FamilyFun Magazine
With a circulation of 1.85 million
readers, FamilyFun is the nation’s largest magazine targeting families with
children ages three to 12 years old. Published by Buena Vista Magazines, Inc., a
subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide, its lively and informative content
focuses on making the most of family time together. Other FamilyFun brand
initiatives include FamilyFun.com, Toy of the Year (T.O.Y.), activity stations
at Walt Disney World® Resort and an ongoing book series including the successful
FamilyFun Cookbook.
