A Better World has set a larger community goal called “Reach for the Stars,” where they hope to inspire the in-game community to do one million good deeds by January 31, 2012. After one million good deeds have been reported, the game’s creators, ToonUps, will donate $10,000 to CURE.org, which will fund operations for ten children in need. These operations will allow the children to walk — some for the first time. You can see the boys and girls that the gift will help here.

“Our new ‘Reach for the Stars’ activities have been designed to promote a sense of goodwill and camaraderie among players. At least once a quarter, we will offer an opportunity for community members to work together to achieve something positive in the real world through activities within the game,” MarySue Hansell, COO of ToonUps, creator of A Better World, explains. “Our members have told us they love the idea of doing good for others, of being a part of an online community that is uplifting and values driven.”

“We are thrilled to bring the positive emotional involvement that players love about A Better World to the real world to benefit children who have little hope of receiving the medical care they need,” Joel Worrall, Vice President, CURE.org, said.

The game offers tons of opportunities to contribute to the “Reach for the Stars” goal, starting from the very beginning in areas like the Department of Do Good.

ToonUps, who created the game, is apparently very serious about their ultimate goal of creating games that promote altruism and optimism.

Facebook

Facebook users can currently “check-in” but that didn’t stop them from absorbing the technology founders behind “check-in” service Gowalla. The odd thing is that Facebook does not plan to use the Gowalla service. They are also closing the current service.

According to Reuters, “In talking with the Gowalla team, we realized that we share many of the same goals: building great products that reach millions of people, making a big impact quickly, and creating new ways for people to connect and share what’s going on in their lives,” Facebook said in an emailed statement on Monday.

“While Facebook isn’t acquiring the Gowalla service or technology, we’re sure that the inspiration behind Gowalla will make its way into Facebook over time,” the company said.

It will be interesting to see what Facebook is looking to do with the technology in the future.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a Boo fan. I’ve liked him on Facebook for at least a year now. The updates of adorable pictures from the cutest dog on Facebook makes me smile after a rough day.

The pictures of Boo are so popular that Chronicle Books published “Boo the life of the world’s cutest dog”. His owner J.H. Lee puts a voice to Boo while the pictures show Boo “lounging around, playing with friends, exploring the whole wide world, and making those famous puppy-dog eyes.”

The preview is adorable and there are desktop wallpapers available to download on the official site.

I love Mattel’s game Apples to Apples. In the boardgame, one player picks a word and the others place cards from their hand that they think the player would associate most closely to that word. Or in the cases I’ve played, what that person is most likely to pick based on personal preferences. For example, anything Disney always wins when it’s my turn to pick. Apples to Apples is a great conversation starter and great for families or adults.

Apples to Apples is now coming to console and social networks. It will be released first on Xbox Live and Playstation Network this winter for 800 MS Points or $9.99 on PSN. What’s interesting is there is a single player mode included. Not sure why anyone would want to play this as a single player. Online and local modes support up to six players. New to the game are Golden Apple cards that change game play and animated avatars that players can choose from.

Later Facebook fans will be able to play using their smartphones. Facebook players will also unlock achievements and Apples Coins and Cash.

The interesting thing about Apples to Apples is that while it’s a great boardgame, it does help to know the people you are playing with. Having this knowledge assists you in knowing what the person may pick. Someone may always pick the funniest card, or maybe they hate dogs and would never pick an answer with a dog. I would recommend playing this online with people you know. Playing with total strangers just might not be as fun.

One day, during a round of going between almost every Zynga game in existence, I realized that my toddler son (then about two and a half) kept tugging on my arms and climbing on my lap. At first, I was annoyed by the constant badgering, but then it occurred to me that he was bored, asking for my attention, and I was ignoring him for a fake farm.

Not my proudest Mom Moment.

I came close to just not playing any Facebook games at all because it was obviously causing issues in my relationship with my child. Not huge issues, I realize, but since I already worked 40 hours and went to school, my time at home was precious, and this was not how I really wanted to spend it.

Then I thought, “Wait. He likes watching me play, and he asks a ton of questions. He recognizes all the animals. He’s learning about money in a way. Maybe I can find games he will really enjoy, and we can play them together.” That is what the below games are about — toddler-safe games that my son had a great time watching me play (and even helping me play by telling me what to do!) and that I thought were fun as well. YMMV, of course.

1. Lucky Train (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lucky-Train/123005897752167)

This game is similar in nature and function to your typical sim game except that the entire premise is your town is built around a train station. You build structures to get passengers which earn you money, and you use your neighbors to make connections for sending trains out. There is an easily collectible currency that allows you to buy most everything, and there is the obligatory special currency that you can buy with real money. My son loves trains, so he really enjoys this one.

2. Happy Aquarium (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Happy-Aquarium/181543998551269)

There are a few different aquarium games available on Facebook, but I chose this one over the other that I have played (Zynga’s Fishville) because the fish DO NOT DIE. They just disappear. One thing I did not want to explain to my toddler was the fish skeletons that you had to clean out of your tank in Fishville if you forgot to feed your fish in time. In Happy Aquarium, your tank gets dirty, you have to feed your fish, and there are lots of crazy extra animals and decorations that are really entertaining. But you never have to deal with fish skeletons. Yick.

My tank has been replaced by my husband’s tank because he has had WAY too much time on his hands. It is a showcase of crazy with dancers, SCUBA divers, sharks, turtles, and everything else. Again, an easy currency and one you can collect slowly or buy outright.

3. SuperPoke! Pets (http://www.facebook.com/sppets)

You pick out a baby animal. They are all really cute and range from cats and dogs to sheep and pandas. You can pick various backgrounds and decorate the scenes to your heart’s content. You can also plant a garden and grow plants that bloom into more stuff for your rooms. Caring for your pet involves feeding it, tickling it, keeping it clean, and playing with it. One of the best parts is that you can go through your friends’ pets and have your pet play with them which comes with some cute little visuals of pets on swings, slides, trampolines, etc. My son outgrew this one a little quickly, but it’s still on my list as being toddler-safe and adorable.

Please note: This game now links to an external website, but I still consider it primarily a FB games since it does link back and uses your Friends List.

4. Farmville (http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/index.php)

Maybe this selection is just me trying to justify my time spent on the game, but I really enjoyed playing it with my son. He loves animals, so he was always telling me which ones to collect from. (“Do the cows, Mommy!”) He loved the animal noises and the various decorations, and he was always telling me where things should go. I used it as an opportunity to educate him on various animals and their sounds as well as all the fruits, vegetables and flowers you could grow. I do not play it much anymore since he seems to have outgrown it, but we had a lot of fun with it when it was still holding his interest.

5. Dog Show Friends (http://apps.facebook.com/dogshowfriends)

Another cute pet game, but this one is sponsored by the National Dog Show, which is where I heard about it. You pick out a puppy, and then you feed it, teach it tricks, and let it sleep. They are freaking adorable, and my son got to help name the second one, and he loved telling me what tricks to teach it. I wish the dogs were more like the ones in the Nintendo game where we could actually see them do the tricks, but honestly, my son did not care. He just wanted me to feed them and see the outside of their doghouses. You can decorate the houses and dig up prizes on a daily basis, and again, special currency and normal currency is available.

My son also loved watching me play just about any game that had a nice interface with bright colors and items he could easily identify or relate to. He’s almost five now, so I will soon be looking for more educational games, but I like being able to spend time with him and share something I like doing. As long as he is having fun with me, I think it’s a good time.

I got a surprise the other day when checking out one of the newer features of Facebook. While playing one game, I looked over at my games feed and saw someone who usually sticks to PopCap Facebook games had started playing a game called “Pig Up.” Intrigued, I searched it, and what I found was pretty awesome…

Right now on Facebook, there is a preview available of a new PopCap creation called Pig Up. Finally, the long time dream of pigs to take to the skies is coming to reality. Launch your pig from the pickup truck cannon with his little makeshift wooden wings and flap to cover major distance and earn some pig pence. Of course it’s not a game without a challenge, so bring in the mean bees. Bees hover with their stingers out and then charge, taking away precious flaps. But, eat some apples along the way to gain them back. Click over now to see how far you can go!

Hi everyone! Here is the first out of a weekly video series where we cover what happened in tech and gadgets over the week. I may do a gadget review or show you what I’m playing with this week. Either way it’s always going to be a fun look at the latest tech news and gadgets. Each week we also answer a question from our readers! This week RockItQueen on XBL wins a GamingAngels tshirt for submitting a question we used! To get your question in a future episode, email me at trina at GamingAngels dot com and put in the subject: GADGET ANGELS QUESTION.

I hope you enjoy this. I’m going to get new editing software so I can hopefully include some footage of products over me talking. But I’m learning. ^_^

Enjoy <3

First of all, Dungeon Overlord is set up more like a MMORPG, where you can see a full world and see all the other gamers that are currently playing the game.  Since it is a PVP, you’ll then be able to compete against them for territorial space.  If you like to just run around killing things, the game also has a Player vs. Environment part, allowing you to kill every stinking Elf in the land!  Side note: Elves have leather, which is resource you’ll need for the game.

At first, it’s your typical Facebook game, where you have to build your dungeon, select tiles, find different resources, set up your Goblins to take care of all the heavy work, etc.  The goal is to take out as many other overlords you happen to come across.  This can be Facebook friends or anyone that plays the game, since you are not tied into only your friends list.  The game is light on the “Share” feature, and they are basically set up so you can boast about your recent conquering only if you feel like sharing.  You don’t have to and it is ok not to share.  The game was developed in a way for you to be able to play the game and enjoy it, but not have to be “that guy” on Facebook whose mafia points or cows require a constant update and annoyance to your Facebook friends.

No energy, no gifting, no crops rotting!!!  YES! That is right!  When I heard this, I almost pull up my laptop and started to play.  Dungeon Overlord will not force you to send your friends X amount of Y in order to get that one extra dungeon room that will take forever to obtain.  It also does not have a limitation as to how much you want to play.  You want to play all day?  Go right ahead! No energy bar will limit how much you get to play! Another good feature is that you can leave the game for a couple of days… say going to PAX or vacation, and when you come back your rooms is all upgraded, your stuff is all collected or you can micro-manage and log on all the time and collect your stuff.  “THE POWER IS YOURS!” and I just sounded like Captain Planet.

Still, this is a Facebook game and thus, you can play with your friends if you like.  If your friend happens to be under attack, you can send reinforcements and help him/her protect their Dungeon.  Since the game is open world, you have your Facebook friends and you have Trusted friends.  Trusted friends can visit your dungeon, help pick up your stuff for you, feed your minions while you are gone.  Minions don’t die, but they will go on strike if they are not fed.  Remember, this still a Facebook game and some amount of iteration with others is part of the game, as that is what made most games on the social network work.  They can also see your dungeon layout, which is why they are “TRUSTED.” Due to the PVP nature of this game, you don’t want everyone looking at what you have. You can also make an alliance with your friends in order to help the area and each other or battle the forces of evil… aka your other Facebook friends.

The game runs very smooth on Chrome and it is available for all browsers.  Having the freedom to play a game without annoying and annihilating all your friends it is truly a breath of fresh air.  Don’t take my word for it, just go to Facebook, search for “Dungeon Overlord” and start playing; you’ll be hooked on it in no time.  I’m glad you kept reading

Download the mp3 here.

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