Casual Games Help ADHD

The Casual Connect Conference shows up in Seattle this week - leaders in the casual game space will be on hand - both from the PC environment as well as mobile and the Movaya team will be attending. It is a full 3-day event and we'll try to report on any interesting mobile news we hear.

I was poking around the site and saw this recent release from Popcap about the benefits of casual games for ADHD sufferers:

A new survey has discovered that casual games appear to have a therapeutic effect on ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).

According to the survey conducted by Information Solutions Group on behalf of PopCap Games, the titles appear to lessen symptoms of ADHD by increasing attention span, providing stress relief, and improving memory strength and focus.

Moreover, because of the increased sense of accomplishment experienced in playing the games, survey respondents reported enjoying this form of therapy.

New York-based psychologist Dr. Carl Arinoldo said: "It seems that children with AD/HD often lack that sense of control that comes much more easily to their non-AD/HD peers. Playing casual games such as Peggle and Bejeweled, among others, is one area in their lives in which these children can experience some sense of control with the added benefit of achieving success in something. Both of these aspects, taken together, can serve to enhance the child's self-concept and self-esteem."

A total of 13,296 casual game players responded to the Information Solutions Group survey, with 2,728 respondents claiming they, or someone in their care, were suffering from some type of disability.

Of these, 422 were identified as children, ranging in age from five to 17-years old, the majority falling between the ages of eight and 16. Of the children, over half (52 per cent) were said to be suffering with a mild (30 per cent), moderate (55 per cent) or severe (15 per cent) form of ADHD.

The second largest group was children with autism (21 per cent), followed by Dyslexia (8 per cent) and Down Syndrome (3 per cent).

Hottest Casual Games for Mobile Now Available Off-Deck from Sandlot Games

Online Store Powered by Movaya Offers Cake Mania, Slyder for Mobile

BOTHELL, Wash — November 27, 2007 — Sandlot Games® (www.sandlotgames.com), the world's premier developer and publisher of casual and family-friendly games, and Movaya (www.movaya.com), a leading provider of mobile content distribution software solutions, today announced the availability of mobile games direct from Sandlot Games web site.

Through Sandlot Games' branded online store, powered by Movaya's mobile game e-commerce solution, consumers can now purchase popular mobile game titles including Cake Mania® and Slyder®.

"Now consumers have a very easy, instantaneous way to get the most popular Sandlot Games' on their phones," said Daniel Bernstein, founder and CEO of Sandlot Games. "Movaya's e-commerce mobile game solution is a great fit for our online store and we expect it will dramatically improve sales of our mobile titles."

In addition to powering the online store's mobile game distribution, Movaya processes mobile game order transactions, provides real-time reporting services, and offers customer support services.

"Movaya is focused on the off-deck distribution of mobile games in the U.S. via websites and WAP sites," said Phil Yerkes, CEO of Movaya. "By taking advantage of our mobile game distribution platform, Sandlot Games can expand its mobile game sales opportunities by offering customers a user-friendly experience directly from their own website."

Popular casual game titles for mobile, including Cake Mania and Slyder, are now available for purchase at www.sandlotgames.com.

About Sandlot Games
Sandlot Games Corporation, headquartered in Bothell, Washington, is the world's premier developer and publisher of casual and family-friendly games. Sandlot Games boasts a captivating portfolio of popular game titles and franchises including Cake Mania®, Glyph®, Super Granny®, Tradewinds® and Westward®. Sandlot Games reaches millions of game players worldwide through a variety of distribution channels including online, PC, PDA's, handhelds, videogame consoles and mobile phones. Since 2002, over 100 million games have been downloaded by its loyal fan base. For more information or to play one of our award winning games, please visit us at www.sandlotgames.com.

About Movaya
Movaya (www.movaya.com) is a Seattle-based technology company, whose mobile-content management and distribution software system allows mobile game publishers and online retailers to effortlessly extend their businesses to the growing off-deck mobile gaming marketplace. Movaya PlugNPlay is the company's flagship product, which brings together Mobile Game Publishers, Online Retailers and consumers in one marketplace for Mobile goods. Movaya is powering the off-deck, mobile gaming industry.

Contacts:
Jared Nieuwenhuis
Sandlot Games
425-486-5822 x291
jared@sandlotgames.com

Justin Hall
Voxus Inc.
253-853-5151 x234
jhall@voxuspr.com

Etch A Sketch Game Coming Online and to your Mobile Phone

In case you need more support for the coming convergence of gaming across platforms, Player X announced today that they have partnered with online games developer FreezeTag to co-launch the latest version of the classic family toy Etch A Sketch across online and mobile games.

Addressing the industry need for convergence across casual games, the mobile game of Etch A Sketch will be available in December and the online game will be released a month later.

“Etch A Sketch is an ideal example of how a traditional toy can cross over into casual online and mobile games. By launching the mobile game at the same time as the online version, we are ensuring the audience has an opportunity to play wherever they happen to be,” said Tony Pearce, Player X CEO.

“With Etch A Sketch’s extraordinary brand recognition, we are confident that kids and adults alike will enjoy these new Etch A Sketch games,” said Craig Holland, CEO of Freeze Tag.

The mobile version received a Bronze Award from Pocketgamer after they reviewed it last month.