That green top is off limits until I level up...

Lately, we’ve received a few questions about ranks so we thought this would be the perfect time to take you behind the scenes and show you how ranks work. The ranks at JumpStart.com are powered by stars…JumpStars that is! As you earn JumpStars, you’ll level up and reach new ranks.

Wondering how many JumpStars you have? Just click on your JumpStart Communicator and select the JumpStars tab. You’ll be able to see your current rank as well as how many stars you need to level up.

Yipee! Level 4.

So where do these mysterious JumpStars come from? Great question! Jumpeez are rewarded with JumpStars for exploring new areas and playing new games! There are stars waiting to be earned in MainStreet, in the Lands (FutureLand, MarineLand, AdventureLand & StoryLand) and in the downloadable games that are included with a JumpStart membership.

In MainStreet, try playing new levels of Ghost Town Grab or stop by the Sound Bop or Robo-A-Go-Go kiosks in the arcade for stars. In the Speed Drome, race your way through the various levels of Buggy Racer to see if you can level up! In the Lands, complete missions and try all of the learning game levels – each new level that you achieve mastery (more than 80% correct) in will boost your star count! Finally, if you are a member, make sure to try out the downloadable games…there are hundreds of additional JumpStars waiting to be earned!

Now that you’ve got the scoop on the best spots to land some JumpStars, make sure to keep an eye on the competition in the Hall of Fame. There, you’ll be able to see how you stack up to Jumpeez around the world.

Such talented Jumpeez!

So next time you’re in one of the shops DownTown and discover the item you want is locked, head on over to a learning game and give a new level a try. You’ll earn JumpStars, rake in some coins and train your brain, all at the same time!

It is time to strut your stuff on the Merllywood Runway! You can find this game first by entering MarineLand, swimming through Ship Wreck Reef, splashing your way through Rubble Ruins until you end up in Merllywood. When you are ready to show off your fashion skills go find the game Trendy Tides.

In this creative and resourceful game you compete with other Jumpeez for points and express yourself through the art of fashion!

Strike a pose!

First) Choose your collection. Pick the fashion theme that best suits your style from  silly wear, to grown up clothes, to arghhhhhh even pirate attire!

Second) Now that you’ve got your focus, design the best outfit that follows the instructions given. Will you pick a red pirate hat or a purple one? Maybe some cow pants or a leopard skirt? With so many possibilities it is up to you to pick out the best outfit for your runway collection

Now that is my kind of outfit.......

Third) With that confidence and style, you’re ready to work it on the runway!  Press the right buttons and strike a pose!

Strut you stuff!

Lastly) Listen to what the judges have to say about your outfit.  

Simon and Randy have nothing on these judges

Now the question is will you be the next Trendy Tides fashion star? Check it out for yourself!

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Wondering what you might find down in that undersea kingdom?

Say hi to Jean Claude the sea monster

Compete in a Fashion Show

Explore deep sea ruins

Meet a mermaid

And so much more! Once you’ve had a chance to play MarineLand with your kids, we would love to hear what you think. Plus, stay tuned here for some secret tidbits about the game.

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Hi Gang,

There has been quite the demand to have a closer look at the ever-elusive Water Punk-Punk, Abrachius optigigantus.  Our team of JumpStart biologists has managed to capture images of these creatures in their natural habitat.  These incredible pictures have allowed us to create detailed illustrations for further study.

Detailed sketch of Abrachius optigigantus (Water Punk-Punk).

Artist renderings of the Water Punk-Punk.

Notice how the Water Punk-Punks differ from their terrestrial cousins (see below).

Image of the land-dwelling Punk Punk, Abrachius tomentosus.

Image of the aquatic Punk-Punks in their natural surroundings.

Watch out! This Punk-Punk is on the attack.

Another rare image of Water Punk-Punks in their natural habitat.

I hope everyone enjoyed today’s Williams’ Wild Kingdom of JumpStart.

Good times, everyone!

Chris “the Ref” Williams

Twitter @JumpStart_Chris

Missed Part 1? Read it here.

This week, I’m going to talk about story in games, or the “flour” in our game cake. Story can fill your game out and bring together the other key elements (characters and game play), or it can really get in the way. Too little story, and everything seems to be disconnected and random. Too much, and you can sit through long conversations between characters to move the colossal plot along. There are many elements to a story in games, but I’m going to focus on these three key elements: a familiar story, adventuring in a fantastic world and, most importantly, “breadcrumbing.”

For our audience, a story that is familiar and recognizable is great. Lots of kids enjoy knowing what is going to happen next. Shows like Dora the Explorer, Thomas the Tank Engine and even Pokémon have consistent characters and story structures. The characters don’t change, and the story always ends up pretty much where it started, except that a mystery has been solved, a wrong has been righted or a badge has been earned.  In JumpStart World, the players went on little missions that led them to a bigger quest that had something to do with the final story or goal. That main goal never changed, no matter what they were doing. The objective might have been solving the mystery of Grizzly McGuffin or returning color to JumpStart World. In our new online adventures, we are trying to focus even more on simpler stories while still allowing players to go on an adventure.

Taking players on an adventure in a place they’ve never seen is also effective. Hogwarts doesn’t exist, but it is fantastic, with giant clocks, ever-changing staircases and living pictures. Setting adventures in an amazing new setting can instantly engage players. They want to explore every nook and cranny to find all of the new things that are there. This can not only entertain, but also help guide players to where you want them to go. In one of our upcoming games, players explore an ancient sunken city where a broken statue literally points them in the direction they need to go. It’s a great way that a world can help guide game play without the necessity of a lot of dialogue to tell players where to go.

Where to go?

We’ve learned through testing that players can easily be overwhelmed with too much information. It’s important to “breadcrumb,” or string along, both the game play and the story. Providing too much story in a single scene can disengage the players or simply bore them. All games struggle with this; a large percentage of most games’ stories are skipped over completely. So it’s important to give players just enough to get them to the next crumb of story until they finally find their way to the end of their adventure.

Story can do so many great things for a game, but if there is too much of it, you end up with a game, or “cake,” that’s nothing but filler.  Next time, we’ll take a look at how game play fits into our game cake. Is it the frosting, or something more?

Hi Gang,

Whew! The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is finally over. It has been a busy last couple of weeks and I’m excited to show all of our loyal JumpStart fans some new screen shots of our upcoming world – MarineLand! Can’t wait, huh?

You have seen the concept art*… NOW experience the final super-cool 3D worlds. (Well, not exactly final; but pretty close anyway.)

Look out behind you!

I wonder if there's treasure in that ship...

It's pretty dark this far underwater!

Check out those awesome flippers and that cool captain's hat!

I will post more during the week.

Good times, everyone!

Chris “too big for the Frankie suit” Williams

Twitter @JumpStart_Chris

* Check the JumpStart Blog archives – the concept art is there… trust me.

For the last few days, I’ve been hanging out at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) at the Los Angeles Convention Center. I got the chance to meet a lot of great people from the computer and video games industry. As I explored E3, I also met a lot of other computer and video game characters, like Mario, Sonic and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

The JumpStart Team and I also got to hang out with the staff of Woot, an online community and store. And guess what! They chose me as the best mascot of E3 2009! loved playing games with the Woot staff, and I’m glad they had a great time too.

Some of my favorite demos included EA’s Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince video game. The game allows you to play your favorite characters and duel with different spells using the Wii remote as a wand. I was also blown away by the new Beatles Rock Band! Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr from The Beatles, along with Yoko Ono, made an appearance to premiere the new game. This includes some of my favorite songs such as Octopus’ Garden, Here Comes the Sun, and Day Tripper.

Happy exploring,
Frankie

For those of you who love both social networking and gaming (we do!), you might be interested to know that Microsoft has announced integrated Facebook and Twitter functionality will be coming to Xbox 360 this fall. If straight gaming is more your thing, be warned that Microsoft is on the verge of making gaming possible with no remote at all! Their new camera attachment for Xbox captures full-body movements to let players control games without wielding a remote of any sort. Watch a preview! Sony is also developing a whole new way to play games and showed off a prototype of a new motion controller at a recent press conference.

Over at the JumpStart booth, Executive Producer Jeffrey Kessler and Associate Producer Jeremy Holmes gave a number of great demonstrations of the new JumpStart Pet Rescue game. A few lucky visitors had the chance to try their hands at the game, and quickly managed to teach their virtual pets to backflip, jump, spin and dance with the help of the Wii remote – such fun! We also showed off MarineLand, our upcoming addition to JumpStart.com, complete with mermaid tails and underwater Punk Punks! We’re currently gearing up for E3 Day 3 and hoping it will be as busy and fun as the first 2 days of the show!

If you happen to be attending E3 this year, be sure to stop by Booth #2461 in the South Hall to say hi. If you aren’t attending, stay tuned here and @JumpStart_Erin on Twitter for updates on the show!

Fashion Clam

Sea Horse Statue

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