Elf Island
Do-gooding virtual world for kids gets updated and officially launched this week.
ATLANTA, April 7, 2009 – Elf Island ( www.elfisland.com <http://www.elfisland.com> ), the first virtual world to use gaming, storytelling and social interaction to empower kids to make a difference in the real world, is adding a wealth of new features and a unique gifting program with its official launch this week. While giving kids the fun virtual experience they expect, Elf Island brings a special twist to the experience by instilling redeeming values and social responsibility, with a “mirrored gaming” concept that transforms online games into real world actions.
Leading a trend the company has coined, “Gaming for Good,” Elf Island works directly with non-profits to identify real world projects to support, and then mirrors an online GoodQuest™ game to bring the project to life. Kids are truly empowered to succeed by hearing, seeing and telling the stories of others.
(more details below – Liz Kronenberger – 404.771.8724 – liz@elfisland.com)
Mirrored Gaming
On Elf Island, kids participate in virtual GoodQuests,™ “mirroring” real world activity through partnerships with selected non-profit organizations, from building homes in Honduras to protecting sharks in the Galapagos. To heighten the excitement and help other non-profit causes that kids are passionate about, Elf Island continually launches new GoodQuests through rolling campaigns.
Already, GoodQuests have included partnerships with:
WildAid: Protecting virtual sharks helped protect real sharks in the Galapagos Islands. Polar Bears International: Tracking virtual polar bears and polar ice caps helped protect real polar bears and their environments in the Arctic. Plant-It 2020: Planting virtual trees helps plant real trees in Niger (April 2009).“Over the past few months Elf Island has grown into a large, unique community of kids, ranging in age from eight to 17, who are passionate about doing Good in the world,” Craig Kronenberger, president and co-founder of Elf Island. “We have spent these last few months listening and working with the community to create the ‘special sauce’ that truly empowers kids to do Good in the world through gaming."
Praise for Elf Island from Media, Non-Profits, Education/Gaming Experts and Parents:
Media <http://www.elfisland.com/newsandmedia.php> , educators, non-profits <http://www.wildaid.org> , experts <http://www.robinraskin.com> and parents in the virtual gaming world have been unanimous in their praise of Elf Island:
“There are over 200 virtual worlds that cater to young online kids. Only a handful attempt to do something to effect the real world. Elf Island is a mission-based, fantastic-looking virtual world. But, what makes it truly outstanding is that as they play kids are also changing the real world for the better.” -- Robin Raskin, a technology writer and Founder of Kids@Play. “Engaging kids and having them support our mission by Gaming for Good has really shown us the social movement this virtual world is creating.” – Jason McArthur, WildAid. "I am thrilled, as an educator and a parent, to have access to an educational, action-packed, adventure -- in the world of gaming -- that addresses the positive and the goal oriented good in a child's imagination! It gives me hope for the future of challenging yet caring educational gaming for children. The creators of Elf Island really thought this one through!" -- Lee Schreiner, Educator “An enchanting place to share time with my child, play games, make friends and help our world.” – Cheryl, mom to an Elf Islander “Children try to make a difference in the world by doing good works in the virtual world.” -- Atlanta Journal-Constitution “If kids are playing video games, why not do some good while they’re at it?” -- Associated Press “… the good will doesn’t thrive only online.” -- Columbus DispatchNew Features and Gifting
With the full launch, Elf Island now offers members a number of new features:
Clothes & Goods – Exclusive digital goods and clothing options Awards – Special awards and prices to those who are going above and beyond with gifting, trading, questing and playing Prize Room - Award tickets can be redeemed for special goods in the prize room Sell Back - Members can sell their items at better prices than non-members Members-Only Goods – Special items available in the marketplace Allowance – An allowance of digital coins each day when Elf Islanders log in Upgrade Home - Members can add additional rooms to their homes Dancing - Members can dance like one of the Elf Island animals. At the completion of three GoodQuests, members can dance like a robot.Elf Island is offering special pricing for membership -- with a 50% off savings of $27.95 until April 15th. To extend the premise of Good and helping others, Elf Island is giving people the option of gifting a membership.
“The movement within Elf Island has really humbled us,” said Kronenberger. “We knew kids would have an interest, but the social movement and the age range in our players really validates that game play and altruism are a compelling combination.”
Elf Island instills positive social and environmental values in a child’s life while they are having fun.
More than 78% of kids ages 6-11 play video games online* 83% of kids believe they can make a difference** Every element of Elf Island’s game play supports individuality, self-expression and character building: Kids have access to 2,000 variations of personalization; include gender, hairstyles, skin, hair and eye color, and eight different action sequences for their avatars. To heighten team building, belonging and collaboration, the site will soon offer a tribe feature for Elf Islanders. Every member will have the option of joining or starting a tribe. The kids maintain their individual identities, but gain a sense of belonging. Elf Island fosters healthy friendships through interaction with elves and animals. The animals give a personal response and provide tips, guidance and clues about Elf Island, ultimately leading to the secret of Elf Island. Elf Island uses real moderators and robust dictionary chat to ensure safety is maintained and enforced at all times.About Elf Island <http://www.elfisland.com>
Elf Island is the first kids’ virtual world specifically created to instill positive social and environmental values into the world’s future stewards. Elf Island turns online gaming efforts into tangible offline results through non-profit partnerships and Mirrored Gaming. Elf Island invented Gaming for Good, Mirrored Gaming and GoodQuests and is an independent children’s interactive entertainment developer that delivers entertaining game play for kids that inspires, rewards actions and builds awareness of social issues around the world. Craig and Liz Kronenberger are a dynamic husband and wife duo, parents to twin boys, and veterans in the online gaming industry, who founded Elf Island in June 2007( www.elfisland.com <http://www.elfisland.com/> ).
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Elf Island, Play Games. Do Good. Gaming for Good, GoodQuest and Mirrored Gaming are the exclusive trademarks of Good Egg Studios.
*MediaMark Research and Intelligence, December 2007
**Just Kids, Inc., September 2008