As a nation we are gaining a greater awareness to the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating choices. The CDC reports that approximately 30% of kids ages 6 – 11 are overweight. Because my company is involved with the development of learning products for kids I’m noticing more businesses and schools paying closer attention to what they can do to be a cause for better eating choices and physical activity in a child’s daily life. I’m seeing makers of children’s television programs find ways to reach out to kids about the benefits of exercise. (Take a look at the show Lazy Town on Nick Jr. or have you noticed how Cookie Monster has changed his eating habits to be more balanced?). Great success is also occurring in the video game sector to get people off the couch and moving, with platforms like Nintendo’s Wii, dance pad products like Dance Dance Revolution and other products like Sony’s EyeToy and Hasbro’s iOn.

Soon you will see more toy companies offering technology products to get kids moving and active. Here are a few noteworthy items I saw at Toy Fair:

Smart Cycle by Fisher-Price
There was much buzz at Toy Fair with the announcement of this toy and rightly so. The Smart Cycle is a TV-based plug-and-play, cartridge-based platform that looks a like a cross between an exercycle for preschoolers and a Big Wheels, but it’s also a video game. Once the Smart Cycle is hooked up to your television, children begin peddling and can steer the handlebars to select objects displayed on the screen. Biking quests can include finding letters of the alphabet, shapes, and exploration of other early learning concepts. This product is destined to be a multi-award winner and influencer on the next generation of motion-based products. Children, ages 3 – 6, will love this product. Sadly adults will be challenged to fit into this bicycle seat!

Play TV MLB Baseball and Play TV Football 2 by Radica
Here are two new plug-and-play products to come out of Radica, a cool tech toy company now owned by Mattel. The first, Play TV MLB Baseball comes with a bat you can swing and a ball to throw. Each item has motion sensitive electronics inside which feeds information back to your TV set. Play TV Football 2 (not to be confused with last year’s release, Play TV Football) has the same tech in a football. Your teammate runs on a small pressure sensitive mat to control characters on screen to catch the pass. Both products appear to be targeting a tween audience.

Hyper Dash by Wild Planet Entertainment
Hyper Dash is a technology toy that could be used indoors or out and does not require a television or computer to use. To start the game, 5 colored electronic targets are placed around the house or yard. Then, holding a talking electronic “tagger”, spoken instructions are given to the child, like find the blue target, then the red, etc. There are different game settings that focus on math skills, team work, and timed-based searches. As a child successfully finds the requested target, the music, pace, and complexity of each new request increases. This toy is recommended for children ages 5 – 8.

Motion-based Music and Games by TikTokTech
The company TikTokTech was showing two different stand alone TV plug-and-play devices. A small camera unit is placed on top of your television to play either music games or a combination of music and art games, depending on which device you purchase. While motion-based products have really only been around for a short while, these are the only titles available that provide a freeform artistic or musical experience for kids. For those that follow motion-based games, I strongly recommend checking out the user testing videos posted at the IF Media Lab website. IF Media Lab appears to be the technology and research arm for TikTokTech. These two titles are recommended for kids ages 3 – 8.

In my next post, I’ll share with you a handful of surprises that caught my eye at Toy Fair. These finds may not make big headlines, but they have enough magic in ’em to make them stand out in a crowd.

As I mentioned in my previous post, there were fewer plug-n-play toys at Toy Fair this year than last. But of the ones that made an appearance, there seemed to be a more thoughtful approach as to what would make good use of plug-and-play technology. Here are a handful of new technology toys that have learning in mind and a couple of non-learning specific toys that are worth taking a look at:

ClickStart – My First Computer by LeapFrog
The ClickStart plug-and-play toy provides young children the experience computing in a fun and safe way, without tieing-up mom or dad’s home computer. This product includes a child-friendly keyboard and mouse, which can be set up to accommodate left or right handed users. The on-screen learning is guided by a friendly puppy named Scout. Children collect food treats for Scout as they complete games using numbers, letters, shapes and colors. This toy is a cartridge-based platform which means you can expect to see a number of different titles available to use with the base unit later this year. ClickStart is intended for children ages 3 – 6.

Easy Link Internet Launchpad by Fisher-Price
The Easy Link Internet Launchpad acts like a mom-approved dashboard to preschool-safe content on the web. Say a child would like to visit their favorite Sesame Street online game. All a child needs to do is pick up one of the many miniature figurines, in this case Elmo ( or Barney, Clifford, the Wiggles, Thomas the Train, Bob the Builder, and others) and place the figurine in its designated spot… a little like placing the round peg in the correct hole. Once inserted, the device automatically will link its user to the games section of sesamestreet.com. No typing is necessary and all content locations are child-safe with no external links to undesirable content. This product works best with children ages 3 – 6.

Digital Arts & Crafts Studio by Fisher-Price
This digital art station plugs right into the USB port of your computer. The device has a drawing tablet and a stylus for kids to draw. Drawings made on the tablet will appear on the computer monitor. A number of different creative templates are available to get kids started, like custom-designed birthday cards, party materials, and other holiday and artistic treats as well. Completed artwork can be printed out on your own color printer. Parents will be happy to know the number of printed items coming from this toy can be limited so expensive color printer ink can be used sparingly if desired.

Whiz Kid Learning System by VTech
This learning platform is unique in that it can be used with or without a computer, though it is a USB plug-and-play device. It has the ability to go where the child goes, untethered to some video monitor if desired. Up to 40 different activity pages can slide into this device for use with a stylus to make interactive selections on the tablet. Each page includes three different interactive learning activities. This product is also considered a platform, which means additional titles can be purchased to extend the learning and play experience through the base unit. (Additional titles for this product are referred to as “Wizware.”) Titles provide reading-based content as well as math, phonics, logic and creativity learning activities. Children ages 3 – 6 are intended audience for thsi product.

EyeClops by Jakks Pacific
This toy is not being released as a learning product, but I think it has huge learning potential. EyeClops plugs right into your TV and acts like a 200X microscope. Wherever your child points the camera lens the result is in a giant magnified visual on your TV screen. What does the surface of your skin look like close-up? What about that bug? What exactly is in that rug of yours? Exploration and discovery is the name of the game with this toy. The target audience is described as 8 – 12, but I think this toy has the ability to expand into other ages as well.

NetJet by Hasbro
NetJet is a clever USB connected handheld device created by Tiger Electronics, a division of Hasbro. NetJet consists of a handheld game controller and a game key. Each game key inserted into the controller allows its user to access different casual game content online. Popular games using familiar characters and brands are available through this device, but not to those without the controller and keys. The NetJet environment is also free of advertising. No banner of pop-up ads here. Kids are also kicked offline once the NetJet device is removed from the USB port. By this coming fall season, 40 different casual game titles will be available for purchase. This product will appeal to casual gamers, both young and old, but Tiger is best know for their success with the tween market. This is not a learning product, but NetJet is an excellent use of plug-and-play technology.

Digi Makeover by Radica
This TV plug-and-play device first appeared at last year’s Toy Fair. It has a built in camera which allows it’s user to take a picture of oneself, then, through the controls on the tablet, modify hairstyles, add jewelry, and apply makeup. (Note: This product has brought about much discussion in our office about female stereo-typing and the kinds of messages it sends out to young girls. In our own testing of the product, we find that kids enjoyed the product greatly when we referred to it as a “stuffed animal makeover” toy. Kids couldn’t stop laughing when they gave a giant stuffed Pikachu and other fuzzy friends a new hairdo and pearls!) What’s new here is Radica has hinted it will be releasing an newer version of the device later this year but no formal announcement has been made.

In my next blog article, I’ll take a look at more technology toys that are intended to get kids moving and active!

It’s that time of year again in New York City, which means there’s either a huge snow storm brewing or the newest crop of toys can be seen at Toy Fair. After being at the American International Toy Fair for the last three days checking out the latest technology toys, I’ve seen a few noteworthy trends to watch:

• First, there are indeed more technology toys at this year’s show than last year, including technology products coming from traditional toy companies that have not yet played in the technology space
• Plug-and-play devices, which were in great abundance last year, are less noteworthy this year
• Of those few remaining plug-and-play products, the new trend is to make plug-and-play toys that connect to the USB port of your computer instead of a television set
• And finally, guitars will be big business by holiday of 2007

When I go to toy fair I look for two things: technology and learning. Toys that use technology to deliver learning opportunities is what gets me excited about the show. When you think about technology toys and learning, the usual suspects come to mind: Fisher-Price, LeapFrog, and VTech. What was unusual about this year’s toy fair is that LeapFrog was nowhere to be found. They did not exhibit at the show. None-the-less, new products were announced by all. Over the next few days I will describe some of the highlights within tech toys, as well as a few other surprises in the coming days, but today… let’s start with just the guitars:

I Can Play Guitar by Fisher-Price
Following on the success of I Can Play Piano, the TOTY (Toy of the Year) nominated product that helps kids learn to play the piano, Fisher-Price has released this new product to help kids learn to play guitar. I Can Play Piano has a wonderful method for teaching how to site read music and translate that knowledge to keyboard playing. I didn’t have the opportunity to play with the new I Can Play Guitar product first hand, but look forward to seeing it’s instructive solution. This was one of the few TV plug-and-play products at the show and the only new guitar product that uses a screen. It’s intended for kids ages 5 and up.

Power Tour Electric Guitar by Hasbro
This technology toy is not intentionally positioned as a learning product, but it’s bound to influence kids to want to play guitar. This electronic toy teaches kids how to play 12 different songs but also allows an MP3 player to be hooked up to the guitar as well to play along with your favorite tunes. Lights on the fretboard appear to let the user know where to place their fingers. The device also has audio in and out ports. Hasbro worked with the guitar maker Gibson to make this product. Hasbro believes this toy will have a strong appeal to tweens.

Learn & Groove Animal Sounds Guitar by LeapFrog
This digital guitar, complete with whammy bar and buttons on it’s fret. It not only allows for musical exploration but also introduces numbers, letters, and animals in both English or Spanish. It’s suggested use is for infants and toddlers ages 12 to 36 months.

Electric Rockerz Guitar by Zizzle
This guitar is not meant to assist with learning but joins the digital guitar bandwagon. This product is the smallest and least expensive of the bunch and promotes the sequel to the Disney Channel TV movie High School Musical. It too targets tweens and is part of a collection of electronic toy instruments that will appear on store shelves later this summer.

Jam With Me Electric Guitar by KidDesign Little information is available about this digital toy but what we do know is that it has a slot to plug in an iPod Nano.

While marketers imply these toys are inexpensive ways to introduce guitar playing to kids without the price tag of a real guitar or lessons it’s more likely they’re now appearing as a result of the smash success with the video game Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero 2. The only learning that occurs in these PS2 titles is hand-eye coordination and timing, but after 30 minutes of play with these titles, or maybe with these new guitar toys, you too will want to brush the dust off of your Mel Bay guitar instruction books!

Next up, I’ll take a look at more non-musical plug-and-play products debuted at Toy Fair.

What makes a good learning game for classroom use? This is the question I was recently asked by a coworker. It’s a good question, and one that immediately brings up other questions… What is a good learning game and what should a learning game include (or not include)? What considerations are necessary? How should it be developed? What should a developer be aware of? Each question is as important as the first. There are so many different paths you can take when building a learning game. Where do you begin?

During a recent conversation with researcher Carrie Heeter, professor at the Michigan State University GEL Lab (Games for Entertainment and Learning), she shared with me the results of a project she and her colleague, Brian Winn, had recently completed. This study was called Implications of Gender, Player Type, and Learning Strategies for the Design of Games for Learning and it proved to be an excellent resource for answering our classroom learning game question.

When you think of a good video game, what kind of experience is delivered to the end-user? Most likely one that is challenging, fun, and engaging. But what about a learning game? Certainly these experiences should also occur in a learning game, but if learning is the desired outcome, the planning process of such a game might benefit from a slightly different perspective than that of a game whose intent is not specifically learning related. With the end result in mind, this research report defines four very specific characteristics for consideration in the development of all learning games. When developing a learning game for classroom use the development effort should result in a product that:

• strongly engages both girls and boys
• accommodates diverse play style preferences
• provides support where needed for learners with limited gaming experience; and
• results in deep learning through play

Let’s consider these items as the “Essential Requirements” for developing any classroom learning game.

Next, in the gaming world there are many different game mechanics to engage a user in a game and, depending on how those game mechanics are used, can make a game more enjoyable. Game mechanics can be thought of as a kind of carrot used to drive the player’s game experience. Game mechanics can also be emphasized (or minimized) through different reward structures. Some common game mechanics include things like:

• finding or collecting items of value
• eliminating or minimizing items that are considered a threat
• beating an opponent
• beating your best performance
• achieving the highest score
• beating the clock

As interest in learning games has grown over the last few years, it’s funny to see how these and other age-old game mechanics are incorporated into classroom games without much consideration, resulting in outcomes that unintentionally put certain audience members at a disadvantage. Two different studies cited in this research bring this game mechanic mismatch to light.

The first is by Maria Klawe and her colleagues (Klawe, Inkpen, Phillips, Upitis, & Rubin, 2002). Klawe observed 10, 000 children playing video and computer games at the Science World museum in Vancouver with the Electronic Games for Education in Math and Science group (E-GEMS). What these observations discovered is that boys tend to exhibit a greater interest in completing or winning a game in the shortest time possible. Girls on the other hand were much more interested in exploring through a game.

Brenda Laurel (2001) also describes similar findings. Laurel notes that boys will tend to rush through a game in an effort to beat it, whereas girls are more likely to take their time and explore. What these observations suggest is time-based games, or a “beat the clock” game mechanic, favors a masculine play style, whereas exploration favors a feminine play style.

Therefore, creating a game that rewards speedy play will benefit boys and place girls at a disadvantage. This may be fine for creating a consumer game targeting a niche audience of users, but when it comes to creating learning successes for everyone in a classroom setting, relying on speedy play results in gender inequalities (see Essential Requirements #1). One would also assume a game that relies on exploration as a main game mechanic would benefit girls over boys — or would it?

A major component of this study involved the development of a web-based learning game called Life Preserver (LP) to be played by middle and high school students. This game’s focus was to teach national science standards related to evolution. Many iterations of this game’s design were built and tested to balance out interests of creating a good game with that of making sure the game was pedagogically solid and real learning was taking place. This iteration process also tested to make sure both male and female players were equally successful in the game’s outcome. (For more information on this iteration process read the article Resolving Conflicts in Educational Game Design Through Playtesting, written by the same researchers.)

As the LP game development neared completion, three different versions of the final game were created to test with middle school students. Here I will compare only two of these versions. One version of the final LP game incorporated a reward structure that encouraged speedy play. The other rewarded users for exploration.

As one could predict based on the gender play preferences described earlier, girls took longer to play the speedy version of the LP game than boys, but girls did play faster than they naturally would. When exploration was rewarded in the other version of the game, boys slowed down and explored more content.

But how well did the students perform? Which version produced the greatest learning? In the speedy play mode both girls and boys made mistakes, but girls made more mistakes than boys. In the exploration version of the LP game girls scored better than they did in the speedy version, but boys also scored better than they did in the speedy play version of LP. This suggests that while the natural play pattern for boys is to race through a game, boys will focus more on content in an exploration mode and both girls and boys will perform better where exploration is rewarded.

Surveys were conducted after each group completed playing their assigned games and were then compared. Assumptions could be made that boys would find the speed play mode more fun than the exploration version. Similarly, girls would find the exploration version more fun that the speed play mode. However, the results of the survey showed no difference in enjoyment in one mode versus another. There were no significant differences found in how fun a game was for either boys or girls in any mode of play.

This research will appear as a chapter in the upcoming book From Barbie to Mortal Combat: New Perspectives on Gender, Games, and Computing. This book will also investigate other issues related to gender and technology and is scheduled to be released sometime in 2007 by MIT Press.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve been a part of a conference called Dust or Magic held in Lambertville, NJ, for many years now. This conference reviews the best interactive products developed for children over the past year. It’s attended by many noteworthy electronic toy developers, video game developers, child researchers, and content experts. This year I was asked to be the closing speaker (November 7, 2006) and I decided to do something really different.

My presentation was delivered through a parody of the successful Nintendo DS learning game called Brain Age. Before the presentation started, I handed out laser pointers to the 60 or so conference attendees. I instructed the audience to participate with my presentation through the use of these laser pointers.

The content of my presentation covered a variety of topics touching on children and interactive products, including:

• Children and the time they spend with objects that have screens. Among the stats shared, new research indicates children 1 year old and younger are watching just about 80 minutes of television a day. 19% of this demographic also has a TV in their bedroom.
• Revenue trends in the toy and video game markets. The NPD Group projects a big year for the toy industry, with supercategory leaders in Learning & Exploration (toys that teach, now showing a six year growth trend) as well as Youth Electronics (the blending of toys and consumer electronics). For the video game industry, we are just at the beginning of a new console revolution by the three main platform leaders; Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo.
• Alternatives to user input in technology toys. Expect to see more dance pad, bongos, guitars, digital cameras, and other motion based input devices.
• Opportunities to be found within the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative out of MIT’s Media Lab. Even if this initiative only partially succeeds, it has already sparked a technology race to create cheaper hardware components that run on less power and has added fuel to the open source movement.
• How best for large corporations to get technology traction in the living room. If plug and play electronic toy devices are so prevalent now, and High Definition Televisions (HDTV) are projected to overtake our living rooms within the coming years, isn’t it possible that computer products in the future will ship without a screen to be plugged into your home HDTV?
• A discussion about the idea of childhood and what we can do collectively to improve childhood for children everywhere (I called this part Childhood 2.0.) Children have remained the same throughout the ages… It’s the society around children that has changed. Being aware of this allows one to see that actions taken by adults in commerce, healthcare, government, and many other social institutions shape the idea and experience of childhood. Collectively we have the power to improve childhood for all children through our thoughtful actions.

Within the game Brain Age, the user is often asked to write down an answer to a question on the game screen using a stylus pen… a question like “What did you have for breakfast last Monday?”. I asked my audience the question “What can you do to make childhood better for children?” Each member of the audience wrote an idea down on an index card that was handed out at the beginning of the presentation. The audience later learns that the ideas they wrote down will be tied to balloons and launched into the great blue sky. (After the event, a couple of participants expressed concern about released balloons causing harm to wildlife and sea creatures. Researching the matter online I found a detailed article about Balloon Releases which states latex balloons are biodegradable and the potential harm to land and sea creatures is virtually nonexistent.)

My presentation is posted on YouTube in 6 parts (click a video clip number to see any of the posted videos: 1, 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ). The videos collectively make up a runtime length of 34’14”.