FamilyFun.com announces Video Game Awards
by Jolex Del Pilar

Monday, May 3 2004

FamilyFun Magazine sister site to launch awards event.

FamilyFun.com today announced the First Annual FamilyFun Video Game of the Year Awards, a sister program to FamilyFun magazine’s renowned Toy of the Year (T.O.Y.) Awards. This new award, designed to showcase games of 2004 rated E (Everyone) by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) that kids and parents rate as the most fun and must-haves, will cover games released for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2, Game Boy and Game Boy Advance, Gamecube, and Xbox platforms. Information and entry forms are available beginning May 3, 2004 at http://www.familyfun.com/videogameawards.

“Video games are a major entertainment category for young kids today, and yet their parents have concerns about game content and need more information to help guide their purchase decisions,” said Emily Smith, director of product development for FamilyFun.com. “These awards will let parents know what video games are both appropriate for families and loved by kids, because a game isn’t good if your kid doesn’t want to play it. That’s why we decided to build on the kid-testing tradition of FamilyFun’s T.O.Y. program, which over the past 13 years has become a trusted source for parents looking for the hottest new toys as determined by kids.”

The FamilyFun Video Game of the Year Awards will be awarded in various categories based on genre such as; Adventure/RPG; Strategy/Puzzler; and Action/Sports. Age appropriateness will also be considered through sub-categories for games suitable for 6-8 years old and 9-12 years old. Call for entries run through September 20, 2004 and winners will be announced in mid-November.

"E-rated games can provide hours of fun for parents and kids alike. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is pleased they are receiving both popular and critical recognition," said Patricia E. Vance, President of the ESRB. "E (Everyone) is by far the largest rating category, accounting for more than half of all games rated by the ESRB."

The Award’s evaluation process will be handled by a leading independent market research firm Digital Research, Inc., the research firm that currently tests the FamilyFun Toy of the Year. Digital Research, Inc. will select a panel of more than 2,500 kids to screen, test and rank the games on a 100-point scale. Digital Research, Inc. will develop the ratings system. The top three scoring games in each category will be named finalists and the top scoring game in each category will be the winner. Additionally, there will be a list compiled of the 10 best Video Games of the Year.

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. Digital Research, Inc. administers the program. The winners are chosen after thousands of hours of play testing and voting by several hundred children at child care 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.

--- Jolex Del Pilar