A Pinoy-made online game for kiddie skills
COMPUTER games have become the pastime of the new generation. And while parents do not want to begrudge their children some fun, they have had reason to worry over the safety of their kids online and the amount of time kids spend playing these games.
Much to the relief of parents, FunGuy Studio, a Filipino company that creates online and mobile applications, has bundled learning and fun together in a kid-friendly Internet game called Sqwishland.com.
The virtual program for kids, launched just last year, was triggered by the popularity of the vending-machine toys produced by Brand Vending LLC, the same American company that tapped FunGuy to design and create a free-to-play online game.
Sqwishland is a safe and easy game that allows children to create an avatar, play mini educational games, explore the world, socialize with other kids across the world, go on countless quests, and own and take care of a pet Sqwishlander. But—and all games have “buts” because that’s where the challenge is—they must always be on the lookout for the evil Sqwabbles who keep giving the good Sqwishies a bad time.
Sqwishland characters have their counterpart squishy and collectible toys sold in capsules for as little as 50 cents apiece in the US. Each toy comes with a secret code that can be used in the game to unlock exciting features or earn premiums inside Sqwishland. Only premium members can own a pet Sqwishlander.
In the Philippines, Richwell Trading distributes the toys for P200 per tube of six encapsulated Squishies.
To stir more excitement among Sqwishy fans of all ages, Richwill has an ongoing promo until June 30 that will give away P2,000 worth of Sqwishland products to 100 winners, P5,000 in cash to 10 winners, an Apple iPod Touch to three winners (courtesy of Mobile 1), and a top prize of P50,000 in cash to one winner.
To join, all you have to do is buy a Sqwishland toy at Toys R Us or Toy Kingdom, find a code inside the capsule and enter that code at www.sqwishland.com.
Basic skills
Sqwishland teaches mathematics and geography through its mini games, already 70 in number and still counting. It also has color-identification, memory and trivia games. By allowing multiplayers, it also helps develop social and communication skills.
“Sqwishland revolves around basic education,” says Darwin Jerome Tardio, FunGuy Studio chief operating officer and cofounder.
To play the game, go to www.sqwishland.com and click on “Play Now” located at the upper right-hand corner of the screen. Register first by typing a username and a password. The new user must also provide his/her parent’s e-mail for activation. Once activated, the player can start exploring the virtual world, making new friends or playing mini games.
The starting point in Sqwishland is the Sqwungle, one of the many maps in the virtual world. Clicking on the screen will help the new user to be familiar with its gameplay. It is advisable to click on the lion, named T Mayan and with a question mark above its head, to get oriented.
Learning begins early on in this map with a click on Mighty Feathers, the sqwarrot. The red parrot sits at the center of Sqwungle and gives out facts about anything and everything under the sun.
“Parents love this game,” says Tardio.
What’s not to love? The squishy barnyard critters are adorable and irresistible to kids from 6 to 66. The developers have a “love letter” to parents to explain the game and assure them of their kids’ safety while in Sqwishland.
“We have game masters and moderators who accept inquiries and guide players,” says Tardio. Moderators, who have all received background checks, are on duty around the clock. They can very well mute, kick out and suspend an errant player.
Also endearing to parents is the game’s filter system, which catches inappropriate words used within the virtual world. FunGuy Studio constantly updates this conversation filter system, according to Tardio.
Tardio is glad that learning has become fun and more interactive through the use of the Internet.
The integration of games into education is such a hit that, in less than a year since its launch, Sqwishland.com has attracted more than 600,000 active users worldwide. Most of the players are from the US, Canada, Australia and the Philippines.
FunGuy Studio aims to reach a million users by July, in time for Sqwishland.com’s first anniversary.
Tardio is thankful for the chance to help kids and parents with what he does best.
“It started as a hobby,” he says. “My passion is to build games. And now [through Sqwishland.com] I have the opportunity to teach the kids something using my skills and this very passion.”
Tardio, who has a degree in computer application and information science from San Beda College, is hopeful about the growth of the gaming industry in the Philippines.
“When I was studying, I didn’t see many opportunities for game developers. But now I can see a bright future for developers in the country.”
As a board member of the Game Developers Association of the Philippines, Tardio works hard to achieve their goal “to bring more clients, like Zynga, EA Games, Blizzard here to create more jobs in the country.”
