KANSAS CITY, Mo. and LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla., Oct. 3, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- To say that Ethan, a sixth-grader from Lincoln, Nebraska, has been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug is something of an understatement. One of the tens of millions of kids who play Disney Online and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation's Hot Shot Business game each year (www.hotshotbusiness.com), this enterprising twelve-year-old has experienced first-hand the challenges and rewards of opening and running a business in Hot Shot's entrepreneurial community, Opportunity City.
Hot Shot Business, the award-winning Internet entrepreneurship simulation, now has been enhanced to give players an even more realistic and challenging taste of what it takes to start and run a business. Jointly developed by the entrepreneurship experts at the Kauffman Foundation and Disney Online's creative team, Hot Shot Business blends fast-paced, fun game play with real-world lessons to teach "tweens," children ages 9 to 12, entrepreneurship concepts and skills.
Operating his business, Penguin Landscaping, puts Ethan in touch with the community. "I keep prices low at the beginning, hoping to build up the number of customers. I look at what people need and start charging a little more for those services," he says. "Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."
Tapping into tweens' natural curiosity and Internet savvy, Hot Shot Business welcomes kids to "Opportunity City," where animated teen characters Kate and Jack help players recognize and act on business opportunities to meet the citizens' needs. Players can borrow capital or put up their own money to open a business such as a skateboard factory, a landscaping service, pet spa, comic book shop, and new this year, a candy factory.
In addition to the new candy factory, enhancements launched this month at www.hotshotbusiness.com include: a formalized teacher curriculum to adopt Hot Shot Business into the classroom, a series of ethical dilemmas that kids must address, and enhanced music and animation.
As in real life, the decisions a kid makes about his or her business has consequences that extend far beyond profits and losses. There are environmental factors to reckon with (e.g., conserving water while operating a landscaping company), as well as finding ways to provide jobs for members of the community.
"These enhancements offer an even greater real-world experience for kids to learn about the issues associated with entrepreneurship," said Carl Schramm, president and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation. "Exposing kids early to the rewards, challenges, and ethical considerations of decision making helps prepare America's next generation of strong and successful business owners - a group that is vital to the continued health of our economy."
"Through the power of a dynamic and very fun Internet environment, kids and budding entrepreneurs alike have really embraced this game and continue to show great enthusiasm for it as we develop and include new elements," said Steve Parkis, vice president premium products, Disney Online. "This game has been a terrific collaboration by tapping into both the Kauffman Foundation's entrepreneurship education expertise and Disney Online's strong history of creating compelling online content for kids and families."
Hot Shot Business was launched in May 2003 following a Kauffman Foundation study that found that 41 percent of kids ages 9 to 12 would like to start their own business, but don't know how.
Since then, Hot Shot Business has been among the most popular content published on Disney Online (www.disney.com), the number-one kids' and family entertainment destination, which attracts more than 12 million unique visitors each month. In addition, many kids have played Hot Shot Business at the Opportunity City exhibit at INNOVENTIONS East pavilion at Epcot(r) at the Walt Disney World(r) Resort. At this exhibit, kids can get a sense of what it's like to be an entrepreneur by visiting several kiosks and trying their hand at a variety of interactive activities, from a special version of the "Hot Shot Business" computer game to viewing a presentation called "Everyday Entrepreneurs" that spotlights real-life child entrepreneurs.
"Historically, very few children have thought of entrepreneurship as a career choice. We are hoping this game will move the thought of owning their own business to the same cognitive level as other more popular career choices," explained Craig Armstrong, Kauffman's director of youth entrepreneurship education. "Our children are our future, and since more than 50 percent of new jobs come from small business, it is imperative that we encourage today's children to be the entrepreneurs of tomorrow."
Hot Shot Business has garnered several awards, including The Parents' Choice Gold Award, Best Education Web Site for the Web Marketing Association's 2005 Web Awards and Best Education Web Site, Best Game Web Site, and Best of Show in the Web Marketing Association's 2003 Web Awards.
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City is a private, nonpartisan foundation that works with partners to advance entrepreneurship in America and improve the education of children and youth. The Kauffman Foundation was established in the mid-1960s by the late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman. Information about the Kauffman Foundation is available at www.kauffman.org.
About Disney Online
Disney Online (www.disney.com) produces the number one kids' entertainment and family community destination on the World Wide Web. Launched in 1995, Disney.com is designed to reflect the vision of an "online theme park," providing an interactive gateway to all of the company's many Disney-branded Internet initiatives. Popular Disney Online places to visit include The Disney Channel (www.disneychannel.com), Playhouse Disney (www.playhousedisney.com), Disney Direct (www.disneydirect.com), Walt Disney Parks and Resorts (www.disneydestinations.com) Walt Disney Pictures (www.disneypictures.com), Disney DVD & Video (www.disneyvideos.com) and Radio Disney (www.radiodisney.com).
Among the many magical "neighborhoods" found at www.Disney.com are Disney's Toontown Online (www.toontown.com), the first 3D massively multiplayer online role playing game for kids and families, and Disney's Blast (www.disneyblast.com), a premium subscription service for kids ages 3-9. Disney Online also produces FamilyFun.com (www.familyfun.com), the premier online family resource for "great ideas, practical advice, and fun stuff to do" as well as Movies.com (www.movies.com), a leading site that provides a broad array of reviews and information to help movie fans "get movie night right." Disney Online is a part of The Walt Disney Internet Group, which provides integrated strategic and operational services for Internet, broadband, and mobile initiatives of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS).