Disney: We Created 'Tween' Market (Video Game News)

by Tim Ingham Source: MCV

US giant’s interactive boss says he’s glad ‘other publishers are finally waking up’ to space's potential

Disney boss Graham Hopper has told MCV that the firm is glad other publishers are “finally catching up” to the 'tween' market in games.

Speaking in an exclusive interview, Hopper said that Disney felt it “has been part of the creation” of the market, which is driven by young female consumers.

The firm has grown to become a dominant player in the space, with recent releases such as Hannah Montana: The Movie Game.

Hopper told MCV:

“I’d like to think that we were part of the creation of the tween gamer space. It was completely unattended by publishers before. We got into it slowly, with a little on GBA and then on DS, and over time have put a lot of energy into developing content girls like.

“It’s not easy to do, for sure: it’s about thinking about what girls enjoy, what content they want, how they might play games differently, how the gameplay evolves and the difficulty grows. You have to talk to that audience – we have done a lot of focus testing. I’m glad other publishers are finally waking up to it and realising that there is a whole generation of gamers out there that will play provided we make games for them.”

To read MCV’s full interview with Graham Hopper, click here.

Study Sees Fatalism Behind Some Risky Teen Behavior

Original Post: LA Times

A sizable number of teens may take chances 'because they feel hopeless and figure that not much is at stake,' a researcher says.

Chicago -- Nearly 15% of teenagers think they are going to die young, leading many to drug use, suicide attempts and other unsafe behavior, new research suggests.

The study, based on a survey of more than 20,000 young people, challenges conventional wisdom that says teens engage in risky behavior because they think they are invulnerable to harm.

Instead, a sizable number of teens may take chances "because they feel hopeless and figure that not much is at stake," said study author Dr. Iris Borowsky, a researcher at the University of Minnesota.

That behavior threatens to turn their fatalism into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Teens who thought they would die early were seven times more likely than optimistic teens to be subsequently diagnosed with AIDS. They also were more likely to attempt suicide and get in fights resulting in serious injuries.

Borowsky said the magnitude of teens with a negative outlook was eye-opening.

Adolescence is "a time of great opportunity and for such a large minority of youth to feel like they don't have a long life ahead of them was surprising," she said.

The study appears in the July issue of Pediatrics, released today.

Tween Designers Hold Runway Show w/ Celeb Cred

Posted by: Martinne Geller

REUTERS

Television shows like “Project Runway” and “The Fashion Show” feature a host of ambitious designers angling for their big break. Last weekend, a Manhattan middle school took the amateur fashion show to a whole different level.

Featuring outfits designed during seventh- and eight-grade art classes, Manhattan Academy of Technology (P.S. 126) put on a real runway show, which was hosted by Stacy London, from the TLC network’s instructional fashion program “What Not to Wear”.

Dresses were the most popular design, but ranged in style from casual sundresses to metallic-sheened party dresses to an asymmetric gown. Two even featured recycled materials.

For these talented 12 to 14 year olds, one thing seems clear. If they keep it up, they could make a killing come prom time.