Monday, May 23, 2011

A Better World Facebook Game is a Hit With Both Mom & 13 Year-Old Daughter



Just got back from a major multi-day women's blogging conference called SheCon '11 Conference in Miami last night.  

Whenever I have to travel for business, like lots of other moms with careers, I really do miss my family and kids and this trip was no exception.  I've even written a post about good ways for moms to keep in touch with children while on a business trip that was inspired by my last trip to attend Martha Stewart's Dreamers Into Doers Conference in January.

Mini MommyBlogExpert Shows Off Her A Better World Page
iPhone Photo by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

As I was catching up this morning, I had a big surprise when I logged into Facebook to see what my kids had been up to while I was out of town.  The first thing I noticed was that my teen triplet daughter, who occasionally guest posts on this blog as Mini MommyBlogExpert, had joined a new Facebook game called A Better World.  

That alone isn't particularly remarkable as my kids play other Facebook games, too.  But, what is amazing is that my girl loves the game she is now playing that she discovered just because she first read about it on her mom's Facebook wall.

Interestingly, the people at Toonups that developed A Better World (ABW) tell me that originally the product's premise was intended to target primarily women (both mothers and not) to play a game that rewards you virtually for doing good turns in the real world.  The logic is that women by nature are givers and many of us have an innate built-in tendency toward altruism -- ABW blends the fun of a game together with doing something meaningful and productive.

There are so many ways for parents teaching children about giving back to community and I have been trying very hard to do that with my own family.  

So, imagine my pride when I find out my own daughter wants to join in playing a virtual game like this.  One that is meant for women and moms -- but also is not offensive for kids to play -- and one that is an entertainment diversion with which you can actually help make a difference in the real world we live in.  It makes me feel really good to know that I'm passing on those types of values and devotion to helping others on to my kids.
My Daughter's Gratitude Grotto Page on A Better World
iPhone Photo by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

 The game offers more than 15 locations which I've just started venturing into
  • Department of Do Good
  • Gratitude Grotto
  • Sanctuary of Hope
  • And 12 more
Though I signed up a few weeks ago, I'm not that deep into the game yet.  But, my daughter that just joined A Better World a few days ago is already way ahead of me.  So far, we both have found it fun and gratifying.  

As a busy mommy blogger I don't have much spare time to play games online. So this one really appeals to me not only because of the do good to others aspect, but also because I can play for short periods of time as a break from my work without fearing that it will distract me too much.
Here's MommyBlogExpert With a Gray Cloud Over My Head
Screen shot from ABetterWorld.com
For sure, my daughter and I are already fans of this new game. In fact, both of us keep telling our friends about it and they are getting involved too. We both look forward to progressing in the game and interacting with other players in ABW's growing community.

Which reminds me.  I need to get rid of that gray cloud that's still over my head so I think I'll play this game some more after I finish my work for the day.  Watch for future posts about our adventures as my daughter and I each progress with this game.

How about you? What's your favorite game on Facebook? Have you tried A Better World yet? If you don't play games online, why not? 

FTC Disclosure: I disclose that I am an actual playing member of the game mentioned in this post.  I am also a Mom Ambassador for A Better World which was developed by ToonUps.  However, the opinions in this post are solely my own.  See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

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