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Serious Games Challenge Players To Create A Virtual Explorer Alter-Ego


Via: Expedition Week NGC - National Geographic Channel Launches Online Adventure Game in Conjunction with First Annual EXPEDITION WEEK

PRESS RELEASE

New York – November 3, 2008 – In conjunction with National Geographic Channel’s (NGC) first annual EXPEDITION WEEK (*) premiering Sunday, November 16, 2008, NGC is launching an online adventure game developed by
Arkadium, a leading game solutions developer for the advergaming and casual game markets.

The original game mirrors the EXPEDITION WEEK theme of one great discovery after another by challenging players to create a virtual explorer alter-ego, find priceless artifacts, and earn virtual cash to fund more ambitious expeditions.

During EXPEDITION WEEK, on-air snipes on NGC will give codes that unlock bonus game content. Players can access the game by logging onto www.natgeotv.com/expedition beginning Monday, Nov. 3.

For more than a century, the National Geographic Society has expanded our understanding of the world with major expeditions and groundbreaking discoveries. Now, this legacy of exploration continues in NGC’s first annual EXPEDITION WEEK. Embark on seven straight nights of venturesome missions, from the ancient pyramids to the ocean depths, from lost cities to outer space, with the latest generation of intrepid explorers answering questions that have challenged us for ages.






In the Expedition Week Game you create your own virtual explorer with custom expedition gear and tools. The player is then assigned a series of missions to seek out relics, tracking their expedition progress in their online passport. Missions and artifacts are randomly generated, ensuring a never-ending series of quests for players to enjoy. A background story for each player is generated each session of game play, and with the completion of each mission, more information is revealed. Additionally, during each night of EXPEDITION WEEK between 8-11 PM ET/PT, secret codes will be revealed during the shows that will unlock special items in the game for enhanced play.

“The Expedition Week Game is particularly engaging in that it takes players beyond the programming featured in the week and allows them to interact with and complete their own adventures and expeditions,” said Brad Dancer, vice president, Research and Digital Media for NGC. “EXPEDITION WEEK offers answers to questions that have challenged us for generations, and we are excited that the game takes it one step further in a fun and engaging way.”



The game is part of an extensive website promoting the entire week, which also includes:
  • March of Explorers Timeline - From the National Geographic archives, hear historic audio clips of explorers, view photos of personal items and discover what made their expeditions so significant.
  • Interactive Panoramas -- Explore Egypt’s Giza Plateau with interactive 360 panoramic images of iconic locations like the Sphinx, and the Great Pyramid. In-Depth Facts and behind-the-scenes trivia for Expedition Week premieres.
  • Videos Previews and Photo Galleries from all shows.
  • Additional Interactives from past Expedition Shows -- including Stonehenge Game and Dinosaur Interactives.

    (*) EXPEDITION WEEK premieres include:

    Unlocking the Great PyramidSunday, November 16, at 9 p.m. ET/PT

    Direct From the MoonMonday, November 17, at 9 p.m. ET/PT

    Shipwreck! Captain Kidd
    Tuesday, November 18, at 9 p.m. ET/PT

    The Real George Washington
    Wednesday, November 19, at 9 p.m. ET/PT

    Lost Cities of the Amazon
    Thursday, November 20, at 9 p.m. ET/PT

    Egypt Unwrapped: Alexander the Great’s Lost Tomb
    Friday, November 21, at 8 p.m. ET/PT

    Egypt Unwrapped: Mystery of the Screaming Man
    Friday, November 21, at 9 p.m. ET/PT

    Egypt Unwrapped: The Scorpion King
    Sunday, November 23, at 8 p.m. ET/PT

    Herod’s Lost TombSunday, November 23, at 9 p.m. ET/PT
About National Geographic Channel

Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channel (NGC) is a joint venture between National Geographic Ventures (NGV) and Fox Cable Networks (FCN). Since launching in January 2001, NGC initially earned some of the fastest distribution growth in the history of cable and more recently the fastest ratings growth in television. The network celebrated its fifth anniversary January 2006 with the launch of NGC HD which provides the spectacular imagery that National Geographic is known for in stunning high-definition. NGC has carriage with all of the nation's major cable and satellite television providers, making it currently available to more than 68 million homes. 

For more information, please visit http://www.natgeotv.com/

About Arkadium

Arkadium is the premier game solutions developer for the advergaming and casual game markets. The company’s growing archive of over 200 Flash-based and custom game solutions currently reaches millions of people through some of the most popular online destinations and corporate branded Web sites on the Internet. 


For more information visit https://www.arkadium.com/