Rehovot -- March 19th, 2009: Shidonni, the award winning creativity-based virtual world for kids built on Microsoft Silverlight technology, released today a new white paper on the empowerment of children's creativity in virtual worlds and games.

The white paper, aimed at parents and educators, addresses questions that interest anyone who is working in the field of children’s education, such as, "can fun and engaging games contribute to a child’s mental and creative growth?"

Topics covered in the white paper include
• The history and current status of games in children's creativity.
• Online virtual worlds as a growing genre and alternative to video games.
• Existing mechanics in virtual worlds and games that support creativity and imagination.
• The importance of creative "right brain thinking" as part of gameplay.

The white paper generates a discussion about new online virtual worlds that foster creativity and suggests that unlike common misconceptions, these online activities support and nurture creative thinking and imaginative processes.
The white paper was reviewed and commented on by industry experts such as Linda Young, Ph.D., Counseling Psychologist and family cyber-safety expert, and Kelly Tenkely, Teacher and blogger at iLearn Technology.

Shidonni aims to be an edu-tainment resource for children online, containing games for children and being used by more than a dozen major educational activities web sites.

"The white paper is a milestone in Shidonni's outreach to parents and educators. It outlines current trends and our views on user engagement based on creativity." Said Ido Mazursky, the CEO of Shidonni. "We are happy to share our vision with parents and educators alike".

Shidonni recently joined the Microsoft BizSpark program where it was able to leverage Microsoft development tools and technologies which supported the creation of its unique interface and capabilities.
“Microsoft is pleased to be working with Shidonni to help deliver exciting online experiences for children’s education,” said Christopher Griffin, senior portfolio manager of the Strategic & Emerging Business Team at Microsoft Corp. “Shidonni's virtual world is a perfect example of an innovative website designed and built using Microsoft technologies, provided through the BizSpark program.

If you would like to download a copy of the white paper, please visit:
http://www2.shidonni.com/s/pages/shidonni_whitepaper_final.pdf

About Shidonni
Shidonni http://www.shidonni.com is a browser-based virtual world for young kids. Shidonni provides a safe and creative fun for kids online. Shidonni encourage imagination and creativity allowing every kid to create their own world. Shidonni was founded in 2008 by Nachshon Peled and Ido Mazursky the former CEO of Toys'R'Us Israel. Shidonni is backed by a group of UK investors and raised to date $ 1.5 M.

####