FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 7, 2005  

 

FamilyFun.com and Digital Research, Inc.
Name Top Video Games of 2005

(Kennebunk, ME):  With the 2005 holiday shopping season officially under way, FamilyFun.com and research partner Digital Research are pleased to announce winners of the 2005 Video Game of the Year (V.G.O.Y.) Awards.  A sister program to the renowned FamilyFun Magazine Toy of the Year Award (T.O.Y.), V.G.O.Y showcases family-friendly games that rank highest among kids across the country.  

Games rated E and E10+ by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) were eligible and evaluated in two age categories -- 6-9-years old and 10-12-years old.  Although both console and handheld games for all platforms were considered, two handheld games earned top honors for the 2005 VGOY award.   

In the age 6-9 category, "Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus" (GameBoy Advance) by Vivendi Universal Games won, while "Nintendogs: Dachshund & Friends" (Nintendo DS) by Nintendo dominated the 10-12 year-old category.  The top two rated console games were “Hello Kitty:  Roller Rescue” (Namco) for ages 6-9 and “ Madagascar ” (Activision) for ages 10-12.  

Other video games rounding out the Top 10 list are:  

n      “Burnout Legends” (EA)

n      “LEGO Star Wars:  The Video Game” (Eidos and Giant Interactive)

n      “Burnout Revenge” (EA)

n      “MX vs. ATV Unleashed” (Rainbow Studios-THQ)

n      “Madden 06” (EA)

n      “Donkey Kong Jungle Beat with Bongos” (Nintendo)

n      “Disney’s Chicken Little” (Buena Vista Games)

n      “Scooby-Doo! Unmasked” (THQ)  

More than 2,000 children participated in the in-home game testing. Games were screened, tested and ranked on a 100-point scale by kid testers across the country. Thousands of hours of kid testing were tabulated, together with input from parents who played the games with their kids.  

Both V.G.O.Y. and its highly successful sister program. Toy of the Year (T.O.Y.) are administered by Digital Research, a full-service marketing research firm specializing in web-based research and panel development/management.  DRI provides custom research solutions to a wide range of industries, including consumer packaged goods, pharmaceuticals, retail, media, and travel/tourism (through its Davidson-Peterson Associates subsidiary) A pioneer in the field of online research, DRI is a two-time recipient of the American Marketing Association’s EXPLOR Award (Exemplary Performance and Leadership in Online Research).   

A full listing of award winners is listed at www.FamilyFun.com.  For more information about the 2005 V.G.O.Y. Awards and DRI’s custom marketing research solutions, contact DRI at 207-985-7660 or at www.DigitalResearch.com.