The SF Green Festival
I went this weekend to the Green Festival in San Francisco. It was inspiring to see so many people excited about all things green, ranging from clothing, to mutual funds, from green building to organic food and beauty products. Even a Green MBA!
What I was most interested was in any kid-related offerings. Two were clothing companies, but the other two had very exciting products. My favorite is a new game called Xeko, by a company called Matter Group. I spoke with one of the founders, Sonny Spearman about her product. It's a game/collector card series that is focused on educating kids about endangered species. It's supported by and benefits the Conservation International. The kids get really excited and attached to the characters in the game, and the collecting part of it is directly related to how rare or endangered that animal is. In addition to teaching about ecosystems and conservation, it also teaches math and science. What a great concept!
I could see this as a potential direction for my project, but taking a local slant. How can I create a game that is locally based? So kids can get connected to the greenery out their front door, not just the exotic critters in lands far, far away?
Another interesting exhibitor was Eaglemont Press, who were showcasing their book series The Adventures of Riley aimed at kids ages 6 and up. The book series is also largely focused on endangered species in exotic locale, but has a unique storytelling method of combining illustrated characters with real photography. It also has side bars with facts from real scientists. Pretty cool! Thanks to Janet Corson from the publisher for taking time to chat with me about these books.
Overall, while I was sad to only see two exhibitors with products specifically targeting kids, I felt like I got really positive feedback regarding my own project. And judging from the long lines out the door of the conference hall, there's definitely a market for it!
What I was most interested was in any kid-related offerings. Two were clothing companies, but the other two had very exciting products. My favorite is a new game called Xeko, by a company called Matter Group. I spoke with one of the founders, Sonny Spearman about her product. It's a game/collector card series that is focused on educating kids about endangered species. It's supported by and benefits the Conservation International. The kids get really excited and attached to the characters in the game, and the collecting part of it is directly related to how rare or endangered that animal is. In addition to teaching about ecosystems and conservation, it also teaches math and science. What a great concept!
I could see this as a potential direction for my project, but taking a local slant. How can I create a game that is locally based? So kids can get connected to the greenery out their front door, not just the exotic critters in lands far, far away?
Another interesting exhibitor was Eaglemont Press, who were showcasing their book series The Adventures of Riley aimed at kids ages 6 and up. The book series is also largely focused on endangered species in exotic locale, but has a unique storytelling method of combining illustrated characters with real photography. It also has side bars with facts from real scientists. Pretty cool! Thanks to Janet Corson from the publisher for taking time to chat with me about these books.
Overall, while I was sad to only see two exhibitors with products specifically targeting kids, I felt like I got really positive feedback regarding my own project. And judging from the long lines out the door of the conference hall, there's definitely a market for it!
posted by Robin Casey at
4:21 PM
1 Comments:
Robin - I am intrigued by your thesis project, and just wanted to pass along some links to other "ecogames" that I have found since Xeko made me aware of the idea.
Sustainable / Ecological Games
Environmental Games.
I am especially excited by the Mighty Trees game.
I am curious to hear more about how children respond to Xeko - in my opinion it doesn't have much replay value (because it's not very well designed). But since I'm not 9 years old my opinions may not be the most important ones :-).
By
Eric Boyd, at 1:57 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home