ePLAY Launches Kids' Web Site - With Bugs!!!

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 16, 1998--

Eplay.com Features The eBUGS Adventures With On-Line and Off-Line Activities That Enrich Learning Through "Smart Play"

The eBUGS(TM) are invading the Web's newest site for kids, eplay.com, but there's no reason to panic! Unlike nasty computer bugs, the eBUGS are out to save the Net, not crash it. These cyberheroes and their adventures are just one of many interactive attractions at the new on-line children's community launched by ePLAY(TM) Inc., a children's edutainment company.

But eplay.com is not just another bug story. And it's not just another point and click site for kids. Eplay.com is a "smart play" site. According to Jill Arnold, ePLAY's founder and CEO, "smart play" is multidimensional on-line and off-line play that appeals to the different ways children learn. This concept of "smart play" is derived from Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences which states that each child has a unique blend of eight intelligences: logical/mathematical, verbal/linguistic, musical, visual/spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist.

ePLAY's content and product development is based on extensive research into children's play and learning patterns, particularly relating to technology. As well as conducting one-on-one and group research to explore how children use the Net, the company conducted research - led by child psychologist Dr. Tracy Heibeck - into children's play and learning patterns. As a result of this work, the research teams concluded that children learn and play in different ways; correctly structured, multidimensional play helps make children smarter; and the broader the play experiences, the smarter children can become.

ePLAY's goal is to become the leading children's edutainment site accessed from home and school, says Arnold. Targeted at children 8-12 years old, as well as their teachers, eplay.com features daily episodic programming that includes the eBUGS Adventures(TM); related, kid-relevant information on history and cultures; games such as MAPIT ZAPIT(TM); "smart play" on-line and off-line activities; and lesson plans to enrich social studies curriculum. The site's content changes daily and is free to all visitors. In addition, eplay.com's safety features ensure that kids can learn and have fun while their parents and teachers have peace of mind.

"ePLAY's characters, stories, games, and activities bring world history, and culture to life for kids at home and at school," stated Arnold.

The eplay.com site features:

The eBUGS

Four teenagers from around the world - Sasha(TM), Malcolm(TM), Tatsuo(TM) and Ali(TM) - turn into eBUGS. These cyberheroes team up against the mad computer cyber-villain, Dr. Xed(TM).

The eBUGS Adventures

These history-based, sci-fi adventures pit the eBUGS against Dr. Xed, who's bent on corrupting history by crashing the Internet. The eBUGS' mission is to track down Xed's nasty computer virus, the VAMP(TM), which hides in Internet files of past and present times.

An integral part of each serial eBUGS Adventure is an interactive detective game. The game's objective is for kids to find the VAMP and earn points by answering each episode's challenge question. Each two-week adventure has six episodes, with new episodes every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Each adventure takes place in a different country and time period and introduces history and culture related to curriculum in grades 3-7.

EXPLORE

This content-rich area offers interactive, kid-friendly information that complements each eBUGS Adventure. In EXPLORE's Famous Faces, Famous Places, and Wild Things, children discover fun facts about a country's history and culture and can take part in interactive polls. In Stuff to Do, on-line programming extends children's play to off-line activities. These activities appeal to the multiple ways kids learn.

MAPIT ZAPIT

ePLAY's MAPIT ZAPIT is a game of skill and knowledge grounded in world and U.S. geography. Kids score points when they "zap" the names of countries or states into their appropriate geographic beds. MAPIT ZAPIT will feature a total of 13 maps that, together, make up a complete map of the world.

Bug Libs

Every Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, kids get a new wacky writing activity from one of the eBUGS. Each Bug Lib also reflects the personality and interests of its eBUG "author."

eBUGS Club & Mail

Web-crawling kids can join this club free-of-charge. With membership, kids can save their game scores, see how their scores rank compared with other players, and maybe even earn membership in a game's Hall of Fame. In addition, kids can exchange mail with the eBUGS and Dr. Xed.

Lesson Plans for Teachers

Teachers in grades 3-7 who wish to enrich their social studies curriculum will find four lesson plans related to each eBUGS Adventure. New lesson plans are posted every two weeks when the eBUGS Adventure changes to a new country and time period.

Each lesson plan extends on-line programming to off-line activities that appeal to kids' multiple learning styles. The main activity in each lesson supports the National Council of Social Studies standards. In addition, an annotated list of recommended children's books accompanies each set of lessons.

Arnold hopes that teachers will use the site for classroom activities, games, research, and homework assignments: "We want to build a community where teachers can connect and share ideas, as well as ask us questions about play and learning. Our chief researcher, Dr. Tracy Heibeck, will respond to questions in a weekly newsletter."

Business Model

ePLAY has created a new business model that extends ePLAY's brand from on-line programming to the off-line marketplace, and vice-versa. Central to both businesses are shared characters, stories, and activities that involve kids in multidimensional play and learning.

Currently, ePLAY is developing a line of collectible and series-based merchandise and initiating licensing opportunities. As with the content at its site, ePLAY's product line is designed to appeal to kids' different styles of learning and play. The company expects to make announcements regarding partnerships with on-line and off-line companies in the near future.

Founded in 1996, ePLAY is a privately owned company based in San Francisco with a team of approximately 15 people. A children's edutainment company, ePLAY provides high-quality Internet programming and complementary play products that motivate children to explore multiple forms of "smart play."