We’ve just witnessed a ground-breaking year for children’s interactive media. Twelve short months ago, “iPad” and “Kinect” were just funny words. Today, both represent products that have shifted the way children interact with microprocessors; moving beyond the keyboard and mouse. Welcome to the second annual Kids at Play Interactive (KAPi) Awards, a celebration of the past year’s people and products that raised the bar of excellence for children’s interactive media. The KAPis are a cooperative effort between Robin Raskin’s Living in Digital Times and CTR.
We started our KAPi search by sifting through 562 products with a 2010 copyright date (or determined to have a significant update). This year, these included online submissions and nominations from Dust or Magic attendees, a group of product managers, reviewers and researchers that meet each fall. The pioneers were selected from a list of fifteen individuals nominated by the Dust or Magic attendees that included the likes of Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg.
Next, the jurors started narrowing the list using Google docs and conference calls to bridge the distances. There was a lot of healthy debate, and we all learned a lot. (Note that each juror was required to disclose potential conflicts of interest, and was not allowed to vote on related products). This year’s selections consisted of nine products, plus two individuals deemed to be children’s new media “pioneers.” The award ceremony will be on January 7 during CES in Las Vegas. Here are the winners with commentary.
AMAZING PRODUCTS: Apps, Toys & Hardware
1. Best Children’s App. Of the hundreds of children’s apps released in 2010, many deserved recognition, including Motion Math, Park Math, Cut the Rope and the Tickle Tap Apps series. But the winner by a strong margin was Magic Piano ($1, Smule). Jurors: “Smule’s Magic Piano playfully taps the social media potential of the iPad. It helps a child feel that ‘music is something I can do.’”
2. Best Technology Toy. Which toy best tapped the power of tech for kids this year? Top considerations included Scrabble Flash, Sing-a-ma-jigs and MobiGo, but in the end, jurors settled on the SpyNet Secret Mission Video Watch ($50, Jakks Pacific). Jurors: “The SpyNet Watch has rechargeable batteries and the ability to capture photos, sound and video. And it tells time, too!”
3. Best Video Game. Pushing the envelope for creativity on the game console or handhelds was Kirby’s Epic Yarn, Sony’s Little Big Planet 2, LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4 and Kinectimals. But when all the dust settled, Art Academy, by Headstrong Games took the prize. Jurors: “Transform a Nintendo DSi into a sketch pad, complete with pencils, water colors and an art teacher to show you how to use them. The ability to use the camera to capture a model to sketch is a superb use of the DSi.”
4. Best Educational Title or Service. Which products would make a teacher smile? Most jurors wanted to recognize YouTube but were swayed by YouTube’s lax parental options. After discussing KidPix 3D, they voted for the augmented reality features in Star Walk ($3/$5 for iPad, Vito Technology). Jurors: “This app puts a real time universe at a child’s fingertips.”
5. Best Music, Movement or Rhythm Experience. Future musicians had a lot of products to celebrate this year, as music peripherals continue to expand. At the top of the list, Harmonix, for leveraging the potential of Microsoft’s Kinect in Dance Central ($50, Harmonix). Jurors: “Makes anyone feel like they can dance.”
6. Tools for Digital Creativity and Empowerment. Everyone has played games like Super Mario or Pac-Man. But how many people have ever made one? GameStar Mechanic ($free, $6/month, eLine Media) edged out the uDraw Game Tablet, Little Big Planet 2, and KidPix 3D. Jurors: “GameStar does an excellent job of introducing the basics of the most common types of casual games.”
7. Innovation in Virtual Worlds. The mix of zany humor and educational validity found in Moshi Monsters ($free/$6 month) earned it the prize. Jurors: “Moshi Monsters has managed to grow with a sense of a humor and nod toward learning.”
8. Hardware. The answer to the question “What specific hardware device, that was born this year, has done the most to improve the state of play for children?” had one word: iPad. Jurors: “The combination of 9 hour batteries, a large multi-touch screen, Wi-Fi and a limitless-seeming app store makes the iPad an incredibly important innovation for children.”
9. Award for Innovation, or “Novito.” The iPad stole a lot of bandwidth this year, but nobody expected Kinect for Xbox 360 ($150, Microsoft) to be so fun and easy to use, earning it the prize for innovation (“novito,” in Italian). Jurors: “Kinect has paved a new road to a child’s mind and body that has never before been explored.”
AMAZING PEOPLE: Electrical Engineers Who Care About Children
10. Upcoming Pioneer. In 2006, Krista Marks co-founded a company with a funny name to “fundamentally change how kids interact with computers.” In 2008, Disney recognized the potential of Kerpoof.com, and acquired the Colorado-based company, and Krista. Kerpoof Studios is responsible for the “Create” area at Disney.com, a web-based platform for digital self-expression. Krista’s prior engineering career has included high energy physics, and she’s received awards for her work on three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy, plus a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory award for outstanding achievement in engineering. She holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of South Carolina, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa. Said jurors: “The combined passion and vision Marks brings to her work is inspirational.”
11. Legend Pioneer When it comes to stepping into the future, Jim Marggraff shows no fear. While he was at Leapfrog, his NearTouch technology served as the foundation for both the Explorer Globe and the LeapPad, and his work on the FLY Pentop computer introduced him to the concept of paper-based computing, LiveScribe, and his current project, the Echo Smartpen. Jim has used his degrees in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT for the benefit of children, very effectively. Last fall his pen was profiled in The New York Times Magazine (see “The Pen that Never Forgets”). Jurors: “Marggraff was an easy choice for this award.”
Jurors
We’d like to thank the volunteer judges. Each had one vote and was not allowed to comment or vote on a product in which they had a conflict of interest. In addition to me (WB) and Robin, Jurors were:
Alice Cahn, Vice President of Social Responsibility, The Cartoon Network
Carolyn Handler Miller, Author & Consultant
David Kleeman, President, American Center for Children and Media
Ann M. McCormick, President and CEO, Learning Friends; Co-founder of The Learning Company
Frank Migliorelli, Sr. Vice President of Design, ESI Design, Inc.; Faculty at NYU
Reyne Rice, Trends Specialist at the Toy Industry Association
Mark Schlichting, President, Noodleworks; creator of Broderbund’s Living Books
Andrea Smith, Producer, ABC Radio News
Aleen Stein, CEO, Organa, Co-Founder, Voyager and The Criterion Collection
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January 8th, 2011 at 2:06 am
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