Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE), a global leader in online gaming, invited all companies doing business in the video game industry to join SOE’s efforts to educate and recruit more women into the field of video game creation, design and production.

In a lunchtime keynote speech during the International Game Developers Association conference in San Francisco, Torrie Dorrell, senior vice president of Global Sales and Marketing for SOE, challenged companies in the video game industry to each make a $10,000 donation toward the G.I.R.L. – Gamers In Real Life – scholarship, with the goal of creating multiple scholarships and more opportunities for women.

“Today, I am challenging everyone to take action to help level the playing field for women pursuing a career in video games. By donating to the G.I.R.L. scholarship, we can encourage diversity in development and make a difference, hopefully creating more opportunities for women and ultimately making more video games women will want to play,” said Dorrell.

First awarded in 2008, the G.I.R.L. scholarship was created by SOE and encourages female students toward career paths in the creative and applied arts, with the ultimate goal of developing video games that are more interesting for women to play. In 2009, the program will be managed by Scholarship America®, a leading non-profit educational support program. SOE will offer students of undergraduate programs related to video games a chance to compete for the scholarship by submitting original artwork and essays to a panel of judges.

“SOE’s vision is commendable, and we fully endorse the G.I.R.L. scholarship program and look forward to the results of this initiative,” said Joseph Olin, president of The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. “Expanding the presence of women in video games reflects SOE’s foresight and acknowledges its contributions to the future of our dynamic entertainment medium.”

For more information about the G.I.R.L. scholarship program, please visit, www.girl.soe.com.

Results From Sony Online Entertainment and Yahoo! Survey Available This Week

Parents across America are recognizing the benefits of their children playing videos games, according to a new study from Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE). The results, published exclusively in the new November issue of Family Circle magazine, suggest parents are seeing improvements in hand/eye coordination, problem solving and typing skills.

In addition to basic education elements, the survey suggests video games are teaching children to think strategically. The majority of video games require players to follow rules, think tactically, make fast decisions and fulfill numerous objectives to win. This resonates with the 70% of the parents surveyed who have seen their children’s problem-solving skills improve since they started playing video games.

Yahoo!’s website, Shine (http://shine.yahoo.com), which reaches 10 million women each month, hosted the survey throughout June 2008. The study found that 87% of parents who participated in the survey are spending time playing video games with their children. “Family video game nights are becoming incredibly popular with the variety of games out there,” said Linda Fears, editor-in-chief, Family Circle magazine. “Parents and children of all ages are finding games to play together, no matter what each person’s experience level.”

Other key survey findings from the survey:

With the vast majority of games on the market rated E for Everyone (ESRB, 2007), parents have many options when choosing games for their children, an important fact for the almost 80% of parents surveyed who say they purchase all their children’s video games. “The ultimate parental controls are parents themselves,” said John Smedley, president of SOE and father of four.

Many games, including the upcoming free online game Free Realms from SOE, offer opportunities for kids to play online with others. “The good news is that parents are involved with and aware of what their kids are playing,” said Smedley. “The even better news is that parents and kids are playing together.”

For a complete listing of the survey results, log on to www.station.com.

For more information on Free Realms log on to www.freerealms.com.

JEOPARDY! is available for the suggested retail price of $14.99 (plus any applicable taxes) through download from the PLAYSTATION®Store.

Ethernauts Introduces Players to 280 New Cards, New Loot, New Starter Pack and New Scenarios

Sony Online Entertainment LLC announces that a new card set for the popular online strategy game Legends of Norrath™ (LoN) is in development at SOE’s Denver studio and heading for release next month. Dubbed Ethernauts, this set adds 280 new cards, including new light and shadow cards that add powerful deck customization, 20+ new loot cards for EverQuest® and EverQuest® II, and a new Starter Pack option that provides gamers with enough cards to build four starter decks for one low price.

“Ethernauts provides gamers the opportunity to play as the great heroes of Norrath,” said Scott Martins, director of development for SOE Denver. “This set will give players the whole story behind the events in the upcoming EverQuest II The Shadow Odyssey™ expansion launching in November. Ethernauts provides gamers the back story and history they need to fully unravel the mysteries of The Shadow Odyssey!”

This set kicks off the newest Legends of Norrath story arc, starting 4,000 years ago when void storms and terrible creatures threatened the very existence of Norrath. Only a handful of brave heroes, the Ethernauts, kept the world from extinction. Players will experience this epic story through Legends of Norrath, taking this knowledge into the present EverQuest II timeline, where strange void storms trouble Norrath once again.

Ethernauts features include:

New Cards: More than 280 beautiful new cards, including 210 base set cards, 16 new quest cards and more than 30 promotional cards. Ethernauts also adds new unit races, including the Half-elves, the Centaurs and the Treants, as well as 4 new avatar cards.

New Loot: Ethernauts adds 20+ new loot cards for EverQuest and EverQuest II, including rare and exotic items from the Void, as well as new mounts, cloaks, consumables and baubles.

New Starter Options: Ethernauts marks the debut of a new Starter Pack, a single, larger pack of cards, capable of making four starter decks for $19.99, plus any applicable taxes. This Starter Pack will replace the individual starter decks for each set of this block, providing all the cards in a single, player-friendly package.

New Gameplay: Theme your deck with new light/shadow cards that have powerful benefits and consequences. Ethernauts also introduces two new keywords, Fabled and Lookout, which offer new strategies and approaches for raids and one-on-one gameplay.

New Scenarios: 10 new scenarios let the story of the Ethernauts unfold and allow players to fight against trolls, ogres and void beasts, culminating in an epic battle with Baron and Baroness V’Nol!

Ethernauts cards will be available via digital download from SOE’s Station Store in the new $19.99 Starter Pack and 15-card digital booster packs for $2.99, plus any applicable taxes per pack.
Developed at SOE’s Denver studio, Legends of Norrath is the only online trading card game based on and playable from within SOE’s popular EverQuest and EverQuest II MMOs, as well as from a free stand-alone client using a free SOE Station Account ID (available at www.station.com). Players can challenge opponents on their game server and across other EverQuest and EverQuest II servers.

To get started, players can < download the client> for free, test their skills 24 hours a day against AI and real opponents, and then head over to the tournament lobby to compete. Tournament eligibility is limited and subject to Official Rules. Residents of certain territories are ineligible to participate in LoN tournament play. Please see the for details. For a schedule of events, rules and further details, see the or the . For more information on Legends of Norrath, visit the website at www.legendsofnorrath.com.

WHAT
Watch, listen and learn what’s new at SOE! To kickoff the 2008 SOE Fan Faire, SOE President John Smedley will provide opening remarks to more than 1000 video game fans at the Hilton Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The second annual “Community Address” combines a live presentation with a streaming video broadcast online. For the first time ever, there will be a live audio broadcast in EverQuest®, EverQuest ®II and Star Wars Galaxies™ through Station Voice™, a service powered by Vivox® that allows players to talk to each other in online games. Smed will give both Fan Faire attendees and gamers worldwide the kind of inside look at SOE products usually reserved for industry insider events.

SOE’s Fan Faire is a unique social event in which players of SOE’s most popular titles congregate to meet their online, game-playing peers. Fan Faire guests will have the chance to demo new titles throughout Fan Faire weekend, August 15th 17th, including the highly anticipated Free Realms™. This year’s event boasts a plethora of game-themed live events including tournaments, contests, live quests, a variety of panel discussions and tons of great gaming-related contests.

WHEN
Friday, August 15th at 6:00pm PST.

WHERE
To view the live webcast, please go to:
http://www.videonewswire.com/event.asp?id=50659

To listen to audio broadcast in-game, please go to:
www.station.sony.com/stationvoice

WHO
SOE is hosting its annual Fan Faire event in Las Vegas for fans of its massively multiplayer online (MMO) gaming lineup including the hit titles EverQuest®, EverQuest® II, EverQuest® Online Adventures, PlanetSide®, Star Wars Galaxies™ and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes®. This year’s Fan Faire will also feature upcoming titles such as Free Realms™, The Agency™ and more.

For more information on the SOE Fan Faire visit: http://events.station.sony.com/fanfaire/