Free book for boys and reluctant readers
Flynn’s Log is free on the following devices
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US$8.99 Paperback
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Reading is important
Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him. –Maya Angelou
Most adults would agree that reading is important, but many kids detest reading. Video games, devices, and TV are preferred entertainment and escape. They provide instant gratification. Reading takes time. For some kids, reading isn’t engaging.
I had this same problem with my son, so I solved the problem.
The classic stories I remember enjoying as a kid don’t interest my son and his immediate attention span. If he doesn’t enjoy the story from page one, he will not read further.
So how did I get my son to read?
I showed him how much fun it is to get sucked into a story.
Your book is amazing I can’t stop reading it – Joseph Young via twitter
Contemporary and Classic titles alike don’t interest many kids. Don’t worry, the love of reading is learned. We need a starting point. We need that one book that is just as engaging on the first read as the fifth, just like a really great movie that kids want to see again and again. A positive association with reading will make kids want to read more.
A love of reading is cited as the number one indicator of future success. My son didn’t have the desire to read. He didn’t care about the books I chose to read to him, and was overwhelmed with the selection at the library. I want my son to succeed, so I had to do something. Since we struggled to find books he cared to read, I wrote one. An epic saga about the things he loves. I put it in a world he loves and addressed the issues he faces in his life.
I just love your books I’ve been reading them over and over again. -Carson via twitter
But it’s a video game book
Don’t worry; it’s not a book about video games, nor is it a game strategy book. Flynn’s Log is a hero’s journey that takes place inside the Minecraft world that today’s kids know and love. The protagonist, Flynn, naturally flows through Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (builds shelter and tools, learns what to eat and discovers a digital friend) and faces questions about his destiny. He learns important life lessons about friendship, integrity, and trust. Flynn’s Log is good for kids without being boring.
Thank you so so much for the free ebook. My son loves Minecraft now with this book I can get him to read to me. – Jennifer Wilkins
Start your son or daughter on journey today, reading Flynn’s Log 1: Rescue Island. Free on available these devices and apps.
Flynn’s Log is free on the following devices
Choose your device
KindleiPad/iPod/iPhoneGoogle Play (Android Tablets)nookkoboRead Online
US$8.99 Paperback
Why is Flynn’s Log 1 Free?
My son loves reading — finally. If you have experience with a reluctant reader then I know your pain and I want to help. I’ve seen thousands of kids transform with this book. My readers, who don’t usually read books during the summer, couldn’t put Flynn’s Log 1 down.
Good book I thought I would never read a book on my summer but I feel I’m gonna finish it soon – Multigamer 47 via twitter
Let this book change your kid’s life too. You have nothing to lose and an avid reader to gain.
Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.
–Frederick Douglas
I am giving away Flynn’s Log 1 free because I want to give you a risk-free way to hook your reluctant reader.
Please and I mean PLEASE, WRITE MORE! I absolutely love it! They’re outstanding books.
-Devon123321 via twitter
What are Books for Boys?
I spend lots of time with teachers and parents. I hear parents ask, “How do I get my son to read? Do you have books for boys?”
I wrote the Flynn’s Log series for my son, and this book is interesting for boys. However, the series is a non-stop read for both boys and girls, especially those who are interested in Minecraft.
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.
—Dr. Seuss
What are you waiting for?
You have nothing to lose!
Flynn’s Log is free on the following devices
Choose your device
KindleiPad/iPod/iPhoneGoogle Play (Android Tablets)nookkoboRead Online
US$8.99 Paperback
News for Parents of Reluctant Readers
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Stardew Valley’s bigger than Minecraft, Sonic, and Rocket League on Switch
The heartwarming success of Stardew Valley has taken on an even brighter note, thanks to its debut on Nintendo’s latest console. According to Nintendo’s official worldwide rankings, the farm-life RPG was the most-downloaded Switch eShop exclusive title in 2017. It beat out the juggernaut that is Minecraft, which took second place, as well as Sonic Mania and Rocket League at No. 3 and 4 respectively. All that despite Stardew Valley releasing later in the year (and thus having less time to rack up sales) than the others.
Both Minecraft and Rocket League were phenomena of their own, though their respective fervors had died down a bit by the time they arrived on Switch. Still, when you remember that Stardew Valley was almost entirely the product of a single person’s labor and deep, deep love for Harvest Moon, it’s all the more impressive (Minecraft started out as a one-person project too, but it’s had a whole studio behind it for many years now).
Here’s an extended list of the top 10 global eShop bestsellers on Switch. Remember that this list only includes download-exclusive titles (or chiefly download, I believe, if they have limited physical versions), so you’re not going to see games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Super Mario Odyssey on it.
- Stardew Valley
- Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition
- Sonic Mania
- Rocket League
- Snipperclips
- Overcooked
- Shovel Knight
- Fast RMX
- Kamiko
- Steamworld Dig 2
The staying power of Minecraft has already been made manifest. Will Stardew Valley hold on to its ranking even as the upcoming Nintendo Switch games of 2018 start pouring in? Whoever wins… we also win, because these games are rad and this system is rad. Nice.
Stardew Valley’s bigger than Minecraft, Sonic, and Rocket League on Switch
Minecraft cleared 144 million copies sold and 74 million MAUs in December 2017
Minecraft has now surpassed 144 million copies sold worldwide and currently has 74 million MAUs.
The figure was revealed by Microsoft head of Minecraft Helen Chiang in an interview with PopSugar. The MAU record was set in December 2017. It is unclear how many of these players are on mobile.
Chiang pointed to consistent updates bringing players back, as well as the promise of more to come in the future. This includes the addition of the Marketplace on Switch, which allows user-generated content to be sold to other players.
Setting records
“We just recently set a new record in December for monthly active users, so now we’re at 74 million monthly active users — and that’s really a testament to people coming back to the game, whether it’s through the game updates or bringing in new players from across the world,” said Chiang.
Microsoft partnered with NetEase to launch China back in 2017, which led to 30 million downloads by the end of October 2017. It is available across mobile and PC in the region.
Minecraft’s Marketplace has also seen some popularity, generating $1 million in revenues in the four months following its launch. Minecraft is also almost entirely cross-platform due to the Better Together update launched in September 2017.
Minecraft cleared 144 million copies sold and 74 million MAUs in December 2017
‘Minecraft’ is a microcosm of Microsoft’s gaming strategy
Minecraft is pretty important to Microsoft. Not only did the company spend $2.5 billion in 2014 to own the world’s most popular building-block game, but just last week it promoted Matt Booty, the head of Minecraft, to corporate VP of Microsoft Studios. As far as Microsoft sees it, there’s a direct line from Minecraft to Gears of War, Halo and all of the company’s major first-party games. And now, with Booty’s ascent, there’s a new Minecraft boss.
Helen Chiang has been with Microsoft for 13 years, and the past 11 of those were spent in the Xbox division, managing the Live team and working with developers in the Xbox Live Arcade program. She helped Minecraft get settled on Xbox long before Microsoft’s acquisition, and now she’s in charge of the entire game.
“It’s really important for the overall gaming strategy,” she told Engadget. “What I like to think is that we’re out in front thinking about a lot of different things.”
Chiang says Microsoft can use Minecraft as a proving ground for new ideas and features that might make their way to other Xbox projects. For example, Microsoft recently partnered with NetEase to release a version of Minecraft in China, and Chiang says the game is doing well in the region. This opens the door for other Xbox games to make the international leap. In the coming years, players might also see more Microsoft games coming to a range of devices, just like Minecraft.
“We’re one of the games that’s on all of the platforms outside of just Microsoft platforms,” Chiang says. “When I started at the company, and it’s really evolved over time — that is something that’s changed in our strategy. I’m really excited to work on a game that, really, it doesn’t matter where the players are playing. Part of what’s important to Minecraft is that we make it available to anybody, anywhere they want to play, on any device that they want to play. And that’s something I think we’ll see Microsoft do more of.”
With more games on more platforms, an obvious question looms: What about cross-console play? Currently, Microsoft allows PC and Xbox players to join select games together, including Gears of War 4, but the list is limited. The company is even willing to enable cross-play between Xbox One and the Nintendo Switch — here’s looking at you, Rocket League — and it wants to work out similar deals with Sony’s PlayStation 4. Cross-platform play is possible from a technical standpoint, and both Microsoft and Nintendo have expressed interest in connecting their consoles. However, Sony has historically rebuked these efforts.
Minecraft is an ideal test case here. The Better Together update unifies all versions of Minecraft, from consoles and PC to mobile, allowing players to interact with people on different devices and receive updates at the same time. Better Together is live for Xbox One, Windows 10, mobile and virtual reality versions of Minecraft, and Chiang’s team is working on the Switch version right now. It should be available “shortly,” though there’s no concrete launch date.
Sony, meanwhile, is still playing coy.
“In my role as the new studio head for Minecraft, I’m looking forward to continuing the discussions with Sony about bringing the Bedrock engine over to players on PlayStation,” Chiang says. “I think that is something that is very important to us and I’m looking forward to continuing to have those conversations with Sony.”
If everyone decides to play along, Minecraft‘s future will be more connected, communicative and open than ever, and Microsoft’s broader game strategy could follow suit.
“I think games are such a dynamic industry, one that really builds on everything that’s happening in technology,” Chiang says. “So I’m really excited about what we’ve done in games and how much farther we still have to go.”
‘ARK: Survival Evolved’ And ‘Minecraft’ Mashup ‘PixARK’ Coming To Xbox One, PC, Steam, And Nintendo Switch
What happens when you cross ARK: Survival Evolved with the blocky-style of Minecraft? Studio Wildcard and Snail Games revealed PixARK Thursday to answer that question and provide yet another spin on the open-world survival title. Xbox One and Steam PC gamers will get the first taste this March, but PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch owners won’t be left out.
PixARK is coming to Steam Early Access and the Xbox Game Preview program this March. The goal is to officially release the sandbox adventure game by the end of 2018 and add the PS4 and Nintendo Switch as additional platforms.
It is a voxel-based building, crafting, and adventure title that should seem immediately familiar to any veteran of ARK: Survival Evolved and Minecraft. Some might say it more closely resembles Trion Worlds’ Trove, however.
Snail Games USA is the developer behind PixARK and has already included many of the creatures and much of the equipment from ARK: Survival Evolved in the game, plus some that are not. The debut trailer and screenshots show Raptors, Brontosaurus, Triceratops, the T-Rex, and non-traditional ARK creatures like a panda and cyclops. The studio plans to have over 100 creatures to tame, train, and ride on procedurally generated maps with different biomes above ground, underground, and underwater.
Meanwhile, there appear to be familiar crafting elements to construct bases, plant farms, or make weapons and armor. There also appear to be some more magical elements as some characters can be seen wielding staffs.
Interestingly, this is the yet another proposed spin-off for ARK: Survival Evolved. The VR-based ARK Park was announced to be released in 2017 for the HTC Vive from Snail Games but is still listed as “coming soon.” Meanwhile, the battle royale title, ARK: Survival of the Fittest was shelved while Studio Wildcard focused on releasing the primary game. The developer also toyed with ARK: Primal Survival to allow play as a dinosaur before it was eventually shelved as well.
The good news with PixARK is that Snail Games states the core game is fully functional with support for local single-player and online multiplayer on both official and private servers. The developer plans to test and iterate on some of the “experimental technology and features” during early access period on PC and Xbox One.
Ark is getting a Minecraft-like spin-off, and it’s heading to Steam and Xbox early access soon
According to its Steam Early Access page, PixArk will feature a robust character creator and progression system (complete with skill trees and customisable stats), a voxel block building system, procedurally generated quests, an “infinite number” of voxel based maps featuring deserts, jungles, caves, and more, plus 100 voxel-ized Ark creatures to tame, train, and ride.
PixArk can either be played solo or by teaming up with friends to work together as a tribe, and there looks to be support for both local and online multiplayer.
“Spend your time building a towering fortress or go on a quest in a sprawling cavern”, says Snail Games of PixArk, “Fly on the back of a dragon and smite your enemies with a magic wand, or ride a mighty T-Rex and blast your foes with a rocket launcher. In the world of PixARK, how you play is up to you – as long as you survive!”
PixArk is due to launch on Xbox Games Preview and Early Access this March, according to Snail Games. The full version will release on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, and is expected to arrive later in the year. And speaking as someone that’s played way too much Ark and Minecraft, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a little bit intrigued.
Ark is getting a Minecraft-like spin-off, and it’s heading to Steam and Xbox early access soon
Nintendo is shutting down Miitomo
Miitomo, Nintendo’s initial entry into the world of smartphone apps, is shutting down. Nintendo has announced that it will stop selling Miitomo coins, the in-app currency, today, and service will end altogether on May 9th. You’ll still be able to use the app and receive Miitomo coins through login bonuses until then, and Nintendo is also planning to refund players for any purchased Miitomo coins that went unused.
Although Miitomo evidently didn’t set the world alight, it’s a surprisingly swift end for what was a widely hyped app upon its launch just under two years ago. Miitomo made use of Miis, the company’s trademark avatars, and offered several quirky ways to communicate with friends. But with Miis deemphasized on Nintendo’s current smash hit console, the Switch, and with the company’s mobile efforts now focused on adapting more traditional games like Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem, perhaps Miitomo was never going to be long for this world.
The Nintendo Switch is a hit, and game developers are flocking to the console
The hot console topic of 2017 for the games industry may have been about the mid-generation, but this year the focus is on Nintendo — specifically, the Nintendo Switch. According to the latest annual survey from the Game Developers Conference, now that the Switch is a proven hit, more developers are interested this year in creating games for Nintendo’s tablet.
Organizers polled nearly 4,000 developers, who say they have a growing interest in Nintendo’s newest console. Thirty-six percent of respondents, when asked which platforms they were the most interested in, said the Nintendo Switch. That puts the console above the Xbox One (28 percent), but still below the PS4 (39 percent) and PC platforms (59 percent).
Furthermore, developers say their games sell as well (23 percent) or better (28 percent) on the Switch as other consoles — a point worth noting since the install base for the Switch is smaller than that of its competitors. About 12 percent say they’re currently developing games for the platform (that’s up from three percent last year). And 15 percent of developers say they plan to release their next game on the platform, as opposed to five percent in 2017.
The big caveat to consider with all of this information is how new the Nintendo Switch still is compared to its competition. Whether enthusiasm for the platform will hold in the years to come remains to be seen. As of December 2017, however, more than 10 million consoles have been sold. The company continues to pursue more outlandish avenues than its competitors; just last week, Nintendo announced a series of DIY cardboard toys for the Switch.
The full results are available online. The survey also includes a few other findings to note:
- Despite the controversy surrounding loot crates, 11 percent of respondents, or about one in 10 developers, are working on a game with a monetization strategy that uses loot boxes.
- PC and mobile are still the most popular platforms for gamemakers, but development is slipping in the latter: 32 percent of respondents say their game is headed to mobile, vs 35 percent in 2017.
- Interest in VR is waning. Respondents were asked for the third consecutive year if they believed AR/VR could be a sustainable, long-term business; 29 percent of respondents said “no,” as opposed to past years of roughly 25 percent.
The Nintendo Switch is a hit, and game developers are flocking to the console
Microsoft puts Minecraft boss in charge of Xbox games
Microsoft is promoting its Minecraft boss to the head of the company’s games studios. Matt Booty’s new role sees him oversee Microsoft Studios, as one of the top game executives reporting to Microsoft’s games chief Phil Spencer. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella previously promoted Phil Spencer from head of Xbox to a new role overseeing all games, associated hardware, and game strategy.
Spencer reports directly to Nadella, with Booty now reporting directly to Spencer. Both changes are designed to improve Microsoft’s games business. Microsoft has struggled to produce first-party games for its Xbox One console over the past year, after canceling Scalebound, Fable Legends, and Ion. Crackdown 3 was delayed until spring, and Microsoft even shut down Project Spark. Microsoft launched its Xbox One X game console recently without any high profile exclusive games, and it’s led to questions over the company’s games strategy.
GamesBeat reports that Booty’s new role will see Microsoft devoting more resources to its games business. Booty will be looking after Microsoft’s relationships with 343 Industries, The Coalition, Mojang, Rare, Turn 10 Studios, and Global Publishing. Booty first joined Microsoft back in 2010, and helped launch games for Windows phones. He’s also helped develop Xbox Live Arcade, and oversaw Minecraft maker Mojang after Microsoft acquired the company for $2.5 billion back in 2014.
Correction: Booty’s role overseeing Microsoft Studios makes him one of several executives at Microsoft that report directly to Phil Spencer, not “second only” to Spencer in the chain of command as this article originally stated.
Minecraft Marketplace adds vampires, robots and more
The Minecraft Marketplace is the place to go to discover new skins, textures and worlds designed by the community, and a lot of new content has just dropped today. “If you’re a fan of either (takes deep breath) vampires, Vikings, dragons, cowboys, monkeys, outlaws, train robbers, robots, samurai, wildlife or great new mini-games, then we’re bound to have at least something for you,” the Minecraft team announced in a blog post.
Among highlights, Val’Aven from Pathway Studios is a medieval city hiding a cool treasure in a massive dungeon. As you can see in the video below, it’s also guarded by a nicely detailed dragon:
Another cool addition is the Wildlife Artic pack from Pixelheads, which brings two snow vehicles, 20 new wild winter animals (including a yeti and a mammoth) and big mountains and ice caves to explore.
There is a lot of other new content to check out on the Minecraft Marketplace including the Wild West Pack by Blockeption or The Vampire King by BlockWorks, and you can get more details on the Minecraft website. As a reminder, all content you purchase on the marketplace can be enjoyed on mobile, console and Windows 10.