Elf Island Launches Kids Virtual World

By Blackwings

151 views

Elf Island (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.

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.”