It was great to see all our PvP’ing Pirates out to support our special third birthday event as talked about on the recent KI Live and on the Birthday Event page on the Pirate101 Website.
The results are in and we have our random winners! Crowns have already been distributed to the winners by our Community team. We were really excited to see all the pirates who participated—thank you for your support.
First place with 60K Crowns is Slick Mary Renner! Congratulations and thank you for participating in our PvP event.
The runner up winners with 10K Crowns each are as follows:
- Noble Wolf Hawkins
- Stubborn Duncan Freeman
- Quick Cody Dodger
- Crazy Jessica
- James
- Serious Scarlet Jackson
- Dreaming Emmaline Orleans
- Noble Madison Taylor
- Helpful Jack Silver
- Happy Jack Heath
We’d like to say that out of the bunch, Stubborn Duncan Freeman is probably the luckiest Witchdoctor of them all. He had also won Crowns during our last PvP event! The odds of winning again were less than half a percent. WOW!
Thank you all for your support for Pirate101. We’ll host more contests like this in the future. If you have a great idea for a Pirate101 contest or event, feel free to leave it in the comments below.
We’re sure you’ve taken advantage of the trivia challenges on FreeKIGames.com that can earn you free Crowns (and if you haven’t, you should!), but have you seen all of the options that FreeKIGames.com has to offer? With so many different possibilities to choose from, from learning games to action games and everywhere in between, you’re sure to find something you love. Learn about a few of the options you’ll find in the “Sports Games” category on FreeKIGames.com below:
Air Hockey
Get an arcade experience for FREE without having to head out to the arcade! Choose between easy, normal, and hard on each of 3 different modes as you take on computer challengers from all over the world. ‘”Versus Mode” gives you a classic game of air hockey where you are free to pick your competitor and be the first to score seven goals for the win. “World Mode” gives you a tournament style set up—be the first to score seven goals on each of ten challengers to win. “Arcade Mode” also gives you a tournament style set up, this time with seven markers on each side of the table. Hit each one of the markers that your competitor protects from the puck as you play to move on in the tournament. Defeat all 10 of your computer opponents from around the globe to earn a surprise challenger from a faraway land and the chance to be crowned King or Queen!
Mini Putt Forest
Mini Putt Forest gives you two different styles of courses to choose from–Night Forest or Silver Meadow. Click the ball and drag behind it in the direction of your shot while holding the mouse button to create as much power as you’d like. Collect gems and escape hazards while avoiding or using the teleporters to your advantage. Shoot for the fewest possible strokes over the course of nine holes! The combination of your gems collected and the number of shots you take determines your score.
Airborne
You’ve been drafted as a soldier in the war against the brightly colored balloons! Use your slingshot to aim and shoot at the different colored balloons, each with different levels of resistance to your projectiles, as they float up through the sky. Each balloon color is worth a certain number of points. As you earn points and money throughout the levels by popping as many balloons as possible, buy more powerful projectiles to take out more and more balloons with each shot. Don’t let your health level reach zero between popping balloons, or you’ll lose a health point! Lose all 3 health points and it’s game over.
Give these fun mini games a try and tell us your score in the comments below!
The online gaming industry is comprised of dozens of different companies and an even wider array of games. Despite this variety, most thoughtful players follow similar rules of gaming across the board, including the five we outlined here:
- Help each other out
All Wizard101 players know the frustration of running out of health as they are about to win a battle, or being unable to find a fourth Wizard to step on the sigil of a particularly tricky dungeon. The specifics of other gamers’ struggles may be different, but the general idea is the same: Everyone needs a hand from time to time. With this in mind, many people jump in to help when they see a fellow gamer in trouble—do you? - Don’t steal from people
Would you ever rush up behind someone during an Easter egg hunt and steal an egg from right under his or her nose? Hopefully, the answer is “No”! Snagging a reagent from another player is the virtual equivalent of being an egg thief, so think twice next time you’re tempted to do it. Remember, what goes around comes around!
- Give and take
Questing tends to be much easier with a little help from your friends, but there’s a difference between accepting assistance and taking advantage of the good nature of others. After someone helps you defeat a tough boss or track down all the reagents you need for your next big crafting project, ask if there’s any way you can return the favor, rather than jumping straight into your next quest without so much as a “Thank you.” There are no online gaming rules that say other players HAVE to lend you a hand (although it’s definitely a nice thing to do), so don’t take assistance for granted. - Once is enough
It’s cool to ask someone a question or request help once in a while, but don’t go overboard. If you don’t receive a response or the answer you get isn’t the one you wanted, you shouldn’t take that as your cue to bug the other person until you get a favorable reply—that’s just annoying! - Manners still exist in the virtual world
The “online” aspect of online gaming can make it easy to forget your manners, even if you always say “please” and “thank you” in real life. Although players are separated by screens, miles and sometimes even entire oceans, that’s no excuse not to be polite.
Do you agree with our five unspoken online gaming rules? What rules do you follow when playing games online?
When it comes down to it, successful educational strategies are all about engagement. If kids aren’t having fun, they’ll be less invested in the material, and a lack of engagement often translates to low knowledge retention. With this in mind, parents who are skeptical about the positive educational effects of online games for kids should try to look beyond the game factor and consider the important skills kids pick up while having a blast.
Let’s take a look at how free online educational games can enhance all stages of child development, from preschool through 12th grade.
Preschool
According to a June study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, the beloved television show “Sesame Street” is much more than just a fun way for its preschool audience to pass the time. In fact, NBER researchers found that kids who watched the show had more advanced literacy skills, superior social abilities and greater dietary health awareness than non-viewers. “Sesame Street” has been around since the ’60s, when many people were doubtful about the educational benefits of watching TV. Today, much of that doubt has been transferred to online educational games for kids, despite evidence to the contrary.
In just one example, a study conducted by the Education Development Center and SRI International found that young children’s literacy skills increased when their preschool classrooms used a curriculum that included computer games and videos. The positive effect was particularly pronounced on low-income children, who are often not as prepared for kindergarten as their more affluent peers.
Elementary School
Entering “big-kid school” is a big step for children. Elementary school students need to multitask, pay attention and stay organized in a way preschool simply didn’t require—and that’s where online educational games and even video games can prove helpful. As ABC News reported, studies have found that gaming can improve skills such as decision-making, paying sustained attention and juggling several tasks or concerns at once.
“If you think about it, the attentional and working memory demands of video games can be much greater than other tasks,” said psychology professor Michael Stroud of Merrimack College in Massachusetts.
Middle School
During the time they attend middle school, kids exercise skills like logic and analysis more than they did in elementary school. This comes naturally for some but presents more of a challenge for others. Many online games for kids enhance children’s critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, which may help them perform better in the classroom.
The middle-school years are also a time when children tend to develop strong preferences for some subjects, and equally strong aversions to others. A kid who avoids math homework like the plague can end up having a ton of fun playing a math-based game online, which may help him or her keep up in class.
A survey of more than 30,000 Wizard101 players conducted by researchers from Trinity University in partnership with KingsIsle found that gamers learn valuable social skills such as teamwork and cooperation—abilities that are sure to serve middle-schoolers well.
High School
In high school, teens must pick up a stream of unfamiliar concepts back to back, retaining knowledge they just learned as they move on to new information—a process known as consolidation of learning. Parents often try to steer their high-schoolers away from online gaming during the critical years before college, but this might not be the best idea. In fact, a study conducted by researchers from Brown University found that gamers exhibit quicker consolidation of learning and have better visual processing skills than non-gamers.
“It may be possible that the vast amount of visual training frequent gamers receive over the years could help contribute to honing consolidation mechanisms in the brain, especially for visually developed skills,” the researchers wrote.
The Bottom Line
Parents who have a knee-jerk negative reaction to online games for kids may not be aware of the advantages of gaming. Whether a kid is just starting school or wrapping up the grade school chapter of his or her life, a little game play can go a long way.
This past summer, “ultra” was the word of the season for fans of the Wizard101 free online game. Of course, there are also some other updates that have little to do with the “ultra” trend—except for being ultra-awesome, of course.
Ultra Dungeons
You might remember Rattlebones as one of the very first bosses you ever fought in this Wizard MMO, way back when you were a newbie tentatively navigating through Unicorn Way. At the time, his health score of a whopping 135 was enough to make you quake in your Level 1 boots, but nowadays you’re way too advanced for the likes of him, right? Wrong! In the latest update, Rattlebones is back and stronger than ever. Go toe to toe (well, toe to phalange) with the undead skeleton in his one-shot Ultra Dungeon gauntlet, then move on to battle with Krokopatra from Krokotopia, Meowiarty from Marleybone and Zeus from Mount Olympus. If you manage to vanquish these foes once and for all, they drop some sweet rewards like high-powered gear and rare pets. Of course, that’s a big “if”…
Image via Wizard101.com
Ultra Pets
The “ultra” news keeps coming! If you thought you were done leveling up your pets because they’re all at Ancient (nice job with that, by the way), then think again. Once you reach Ultra, equip your pets’ collars with Ultra Jewels and enjoy new talents and awesome bonuses galore!
Ultra Seeds
We weren’t kidding when we said “ultra” is a prominent theme in the latest update of this free online game for PC users. Not only do Ultra Seeds grow into plants that are less needy and attract fewer pesky pests, but they also give awesome rewards like housing items and pets! (Of course, you still have to keep them alive until it’s time to harvest them, and as we all know, that can sometimes be easier said than done.)
Image via Wizard101.com
Oh, and guess what, green-thumbed Wizards? Seeing your backpack all cluttered up with seeds doesn’t have to be the norm anymore! Purchase a Seed Vault from the Crown Shop or fire up your crafting table and get the recipe from Toshio in Mooshu.
School-themed mounts
Has your Wizard dressed head to toe in his or her school colors ever since you completed your Wizard101 free download? Ever stitched stats from one item of gear to another so your ensemble will still match? Did you spend forever saving up to buy the house that corresponds to your school? If that’s not enough school spirit for you, crafting a school-themed mount may be just the ticket. Make sure you’ve completed the Into the Clouds quest then earn a Mote of Transport from the new Ultra Dungeons and pay a visit to Aquila, where Khalkos Coppersmith is waiting to give you the recipe. Get ready to show your school pride like never before!
Image via YouTube
PvP 3.0
Another PvP age is upon us, and it looks like the third time’s the charm. In addition to a rank reset, this new age features cutting-edge Level 100 tournament gear and never-before-seen arena pets. For Wizards who are so pumped about PvP that they want to bring the spirit of battle into their houses, the combat music player housing item is a must-buy.
Image via Wizard101.com
Current Wizard101 fans are probably logging into the game as we speak to check out these updates for themselves. For the readers who are still with us, what are you waiting for? Play Wizard 101 for free and join the fun today!
KingsIsle Blog 
