The Minnesota Zoo and St. Paul-based eduweb, award-winning developer of digital learning games, are excited to announce the world premiere and public launch of "WolfQuest," an immersive, 3D multiplayer, wildlife simulation game, Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 6:30 p.m., Central Standard Time. The game will be available as a free download for Macintosh and Windows computers at http://www.wolfquest.org/.
"WolfQuest represents a new breed of video game-one that marries state of the art game design with scientifically accurate wolf content," says Grant Spickelmier, assistant director of education at the Minnesota Zoo.
Learn about wolf ecology by living the life of a wild wolf in Yellowstone National Park. Play alone or with friends in on-line multiplayer missions, explore the wilderness, hunt elk, and encounter stranger wolves in your quest to find a mate. In future episodes, your success will depend on forming a family pack, raising pups, and ensuring the survival of your pack.
The Minnesota Zoo leads a national network of zoos and science education centers including the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota, Yellowstone National Park, Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Washington, D.C. and the Phoenix Zoo in Arizona. Each institution will publicize the project to current and expanded audiences in its region.
The WolfQuest experience goes beyond the game with an active on-line community where you can discuss the game with other players, chat with wolf biologists, and share artwork and stories about wolves.
WolfQuest is made possible through a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) of more than a half-million dollars, with local support provided by Best Buy Children's Foundation.
Future episodes of WolfQuest will be released in 2008. For more information and updates about WolfQuest, visit http://www.wolfquest.org/.
The Minnesota Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things.