 Evaluation Summary - Category Ratings
Category ratings based on scale from 1 to 5 [3] = Meets Passing Criteria [4] = Excellent [5] = Outstanding / Best
( Only scores of 3 or higher are published. )
Product and service final rating is averaged from the sum of all evaluation category scores.
( With a total of 323 evaluation categories, only 6 of the applicable evaluation categories are featured for public view. )
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Creative Agenda |
FunFactor™ |
Narrative Progression |
Response Level |
Skill Improvement |
Visual Appeal |
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| Critical Evaluation Information These icons represent important attributes with which this product / service
is associated, contributes to, or encourages development of.
Select any of the unique icons below to learn more about the specific attribute it represents.
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 Safety / Quality Classifications |
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CE Marked | UL Approved | JPMA Certified |  | (Not Applicable) | | | | ASTM Compliant | eco-Friendly | eco-Conscious | | (Not Applicable) | (Not Applicable) |  |
| CPSIA Compliant | Independent Lab Tested | Independent Lab Name | | (Not Applicable) |
| | LeadSafe™ - Surface Coatings/Paint
(Complies with 16 CFR 1303/CPSIA 101) | LeadSafe™ - Content / Substrates
(Complies with CPSIA 101) | PhthalatesSafe™
(Complies with CPSIA 108) | | (Not Applicable) | | (Not Applicable) | |
| BPASafe™ (Complies with CPSI EN71) | Soluble Heavy Metals
(Complies with ASTM F963/CPSIA 106) | Mechanical/Physical (Complies with ASTM F963/CPSIA 106) | | (Not Applicable) | (Not Applicable) | | | Flammability - Solids/Textiles (Complies with 16 CFR 1500.44/CFR 1610) | Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials (Complies with ASTM-4236/16 CFR 1500.14(b)(8) ) | iWatchDog™ Approved (Complies with ICCS™ Certification Standards) | | (Not Applicable) | | |
| UPC | Manufacturer SKU | Age Grading | | | | |
| Manufactured In | Safety Hazard/Warnings | | U.S.A. | NA |
ItzaBitza Takes The Stage
* Before I begin to elaborate on what makes ItzaBitza so special, I would like to bring an invaluable fact to your attention. I will use ItzaBitza as an analogy to illustrate why this is a fact, not fiction.
Entertainment<>Education
Video games have been a phenomenon of entertainment interest for many years with education interest in this type of media being but a shadow in the background, but over the past decade, a gradual yet quite evident transition has occurred which is gaining momentum quite rapidly.
Study in cognitive neuroscience research and brain-based learning principles has begun to show that video game entertainment and education have evolved into a single hybrid form of media entertainment. This type of entertainment has now begun to become a highly significant component of contemporary American children's culture and behavioral patterns.
ItzaBitza is a pioneer on the cutting edge of product development for this new hybrid form of entertainment. It imparts a well balanced form of learning development and recreation to a player with progressive growth from repetitive play.
New Inductees Building A Better Mousetrap
It seems like every time we have a new inductee that exceeds everything else to date in WOWfactor!™, you can guarantee that another new inductee is going to make its mark as well soon after, perhaps even better. It seems like new inductees building a better mousetrap. Such is the case with ItzaBitza.
ItzaBitza is a mouse driven PC drawing game for early readers, (ages 4+). The folks at Sabi Games, the creators of ItzaBitza summarized what the game is all about so perfectly. "Children's drawings are incorporated into the video game story line. Through real time participation, children are challenged with creative thinking, problem solving and reading comprehension."
"ItzaBitza incorporates exclusive image recognition technology 'Living Ink'. to animate the images drawn by children. The program is designed to know when a child is drawing a house, so even if the house looks like a banana or a boat, it animates the drawing accordingly. ItzaBitza was developed through a collaboration at Microsoft with leading AAA video game console designers and learning scientists with 30 years of research."
As it is plain to see, that is a lot of information to take in but to put it more simply, the game is fun, captivating, and provides an innovative new method of improving reading comprehension that is monumental. For a child playing ItzaBitza, it is an experience which is improving their reading comprehension and other cognitive skills. Another valuable perspective of ItzaBitza is how it serves as a virtual environment which encourages improvement of social interaction, creative thought processes, and a higher level of self-esteem.
An Intelligent Creative Play Learning Environment
Unlike most of the product evaluations we perform daily, ItzaBitza caused a sudden shift in our normal procedures. This product is so "different" that it required the assistance of more than just our normal in-house staff and independent evaluators.
As word got our amongst our network of professional business colleagues, we ended up with a full house of people ranging from screenwriters to video game developers. For each of these people, their skill is their life; especially so with the video game developers, literal gurus of what makes a successful video game tick.
Seeing ItzaBitza From A Different Perspective
In our evaluation as a group, we had many perspectives of how each of us saw and interpreted ItzaBitza and the Play / Learning experience that is associated with it. Although the game is designed for a target age of 4+ and a primary focus of reading development skills, it in fact provides so much more. It would be impossible to encompass the entire lot in a single product evaluation summary.
In the images below you can see a brief glimpse of what ItzaBitza is like. Each level has loads of tasks which a child can perform repeatedly to see more gold stars springing forth and watching their scores increase while learning simultaneously.
As you can see from the images above, there is a wide variety of content used which is ideal for use with children of the target age group for which the product has been designed. ItzaBitza excels in the fact that with each task a child needs to perform, there is either a generous variety of hints, including highlighted words to draw a child's attention directly, an audible hint, or the scratch paper for drawing in which they are given an example to see before they begin their own first drawing.
One Of The Most Impressive Features
One of the most impressive features which brings ItzaBitza to life is how that with each drawing a child creates, ItzaBitza animates it in some manner to give it greater dimension and depth. For instance: A child draws a house. When they are completed and clicked on the green check mark to confirm it, suddenly the door to their house will open, the doorway, and windows both now show an actual interior with furniture and more! Best of all, the character in play can even enter the house to perform a specific task or action be it cooking, sleeping, or even throwing a party.
I would say more than anything else, developmental skills in a player are exposed to an entirely new approach in learning never before imagined. This very well could be a stepping stone to a whole new world of education for toddlers, far more effective with a greater level of productive results.
 Independent Evaluator Reports
Obtaining An Independent Perspective...
In this section we will cover "ItzaBitza" from the perspectives of qualified individuals in the specific field associated with the product being evaluated. To accomplish that task we have called upon the assistance of two top level industry professionals who know their stuff and have the credentials to prove it.
Our professional and independent evaluators have formed their own opinions from extensive analysis and produced detailed, in-depth reports connected with their study and evaluation of ItzaBitza. The information to follow is comprised of excerpts from those same reports which have been paraphrased in order to encapsulate the primary points being conveyed in each report. This approach provides completely independent perspectives in the evaluation of ItzaBitza.
PLEASE NOTE: The names of our independent evaluators are not disclosed to protect the privacy of these individuals upon their request. Their labors are provided at no charge to assist us in providing a well-balanced and qualified product evaluation summary. Their title is provided to clarify for our readers the specific type of specialist from which the information provided has been included in each product evaluation summary.
Senior Video Game Engineer / Educational Media Analyst
PRODUCT: ItzaBitza
MEDIA PLATFORM: PC
MEDIA CONTENT: Multimedia Educational DVD
* SN - Special Needs ESL - English Second Language
"ItzaBitza capitalizes upon the role of emotions in learning which is imperative for creating a hybrid cross-over of education and entertainment in video games. The creative agenda hosts a narrative which demonstrates recognition of the significance of experience, active thought processing, social interactions, and executive cognitive functioning in learning and entertainment combined."
"With this game, an actively engaged player will be actualizing the use of self-questioning for comparative evaluation of action against content, combined with narrative stimulation. This emboldens a strengthening of their comprehension to clarify tasks, words, or phrases which they may not fully understand.”
"The creative agenda for a player with this game represents a clear cut exploration pattern of each facet of the game. The player's main enjoyment comes from the quality of the narrative produced as a result of the character, variety of task options, independent choice selection, and completions of tasks. At the same time SN and ESL players are also able to participate in active play as well, with no disadvantage apparent."
"The implementation of 'Living Ink' provides a learning method which once again encourages self-questioning for comparative evaluation. Using 'Living Ink,' kids draw things on the screen using a computer mouse. When they do, the drawings come alive through animation and are immediately incorporated into stories that the kids help to create.
In a more detailed analogy in reference to the use of 'Living Ink', an animated drawing example is demonstrated, (only once), with a screen image which simulates a virtual sheet of scratch paper, so detailed that it even has wrinkles just as the real item. The player can later recall the previous completed actions in the animated example on the virtual scratch paper, in the midst of their own new drawing activity. This is similar to what is more commonly referred to as 'look back strategy'. In order to resolve a current ambiguity, a player can look back upon prior actions to seek a relevant approach to handle a current activity they have set to task."
Professor of Psychology B.A., M.A., & Ph.D. - Educational Theory Specialist
Considering the immense amount of attention which ItzaBitza garnered from not only our in-house staff, but a number of our professional colleagues, quantitative and highly informative independent evaluation of ItzaBitza was of the utmost priority. After hours of review and research, we finally found an independent qualified professional who we felt embodied the experience, skill, and knowledge base to handle the second independent evaluation study of ItzaBitza for us. Some excerpts from her evaluation study report are shown below.
"The narrative progression for players with ItzaBitza is well established and encourages a steady level of growth in regard to cognitive development. The game is structured in a way that it provides guidance on text and word structure through visual and audible prompting features used and criteria for completion of a goal through which assured progression is achieved. The game has a creative agenda of progression objectives which prompts the player to develop a narrative in their exploration of the game. They will implement the use of the narrative to be able to succeed in the goals they have set."
"Progressive reading and vocabulary strategies are acquired from the multiple guides in each lesson which create a development of higher cognitive development. This approach enables the player to become less dependent on assistance. As the skill development improves, mastery of the more simple lessons enable the player to have a smoother transition into the more difficult levels of activities.
Reciprocal Teaching Method, (Brown and Palinscar) appears have a strong influence in the learning methodology of the game. Reciprocal teaching method is a classic method for teaching reading comprehension strategies. Children are first shown how to apply the strategies by their teacher who models the process. This method can also be used in application for vocabulary learning and effective comprehension.
In playing ItzaBitza, the player will have a word or phrase introduced to them through a variety of visual and audible sources in all phases of each activity they are engaged in. They also are introduced to tasks to perform which are first modeled by the application in an illustration. The players then practice application of use and duplication as they learn to practice attempting to clarify word meanings or confusing text, development of strategies of predicting what will happen next, and short term summarizing.
My report findings were established in three 2 hour study segments with 25 children, ages 4-7, using ItzaBitza as the medium for evaluation on a PC which was independent of the University network.
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 Consumer Hands-On Evaluation
Nothing is more powerful than hands-on experience by a consumer with a product when it is being evaluated. Based upon that fact we put every single product we evaluate at the mercy of consumers in a hands-on evaluation where anything goes. Shall we see how "ItzaBitza" was seen with consumers?
ItzaBitza was part of a consumer hands-on evaluation performed in a busy public area in the Boston, Mass. area, along with multiple other products. Having several products available for consumer evaluation all at once provides a more well balanced and unbiased evaluation of the products. Many of them had two or three copies available to provide a larger base of opportunity for consumer evaluation but ItzaBitza had two copies of available to use but one was actually installed on the demo computer and the other box was used for demonstration and answering queries. I am sure you are eager to see the results from the consumers feedback of ItzaBitza.
This was the first time in quite a while that we have done hands-on evaluation with consumers in Boston. With the cooperation of local businesses we were able to use an area which was teaming with people with suitable weather to be doing our consumer evaluation event. Although we had a plentiful supply of parents and toddlers to be looking at the 32" video screen we were using for evaluation of ItzaBitza, at first it seemed there was more interest in the box itself. In a relatively short period of time, that was to change.
As we videotaped the hands on experience for each participant with all of the products we had brought, there were four which seemed to draw the most attention with ItzaBitza being one of them. It is important to understand that each copy of ItzaBitza has its own license authorization number. When the game is run for the very first time, it has certain details that a child sees which are not seen after the product has been registered. Other than that, every participant was enabled to see everything to the same degree.
What made the evaluation of this product with the participants more interesting was how each child had their own unique style of using the mouse, drawing, or skills level. Even 4 different toddlers who were the same age, each had their own unique traits which made their work so different than all the rest. Their rate of progression through each activity was different with one of them going back to the first activity 3 times before he moved to the next.
It was intriguing to see how one child could perform a task such as moving all of the trees to one side of the screen whereas another could not. With yet another child, a simple task of getting the character on the screen to sit on her blanket never happened. Even with guidance from her Mother, the circumstances still remained the same.
What proved to be the most interesting situation of all was a little Autistic toddler. She was slower in completing her actions with each activity than the other children, yet her spatial skills in using the mouse to draw a specific object was amazing! As a mater of fact, she was doing better than her own Mom. Her progression through each of the activities took some time, yet she had the motivation to go all the way to completing the third scenario of 5 which are available with the game.
The final point of interest in our evaluation was a toddler who spoke no English at all hardly. Within an hour's time, the little toddler was interacting with her Mother, repeating words from the screen to her. This showed a very strong response level for her just as with the rest of the toddlers and PreK+ kids who were there, despite this being a situation of the game language being English.
Just as with another product we recently evaluated and approved for induction, ItzaBitza has so much to cover that it wouldn't be feasible to even try and summarize it in the evaluation summary. Our suggestion is to visit the web site for ItzaBitza directly to get a better grip on what all it has to offer for your child.
In reviewing the feedback forms which the participants filled out,our labors were not trying. We had a limited number of feedback forms for each of the products we brought, yet ItzaBitza still managed to be one of the most popular products, even for many who never even played it, they just sat and watched for an extended period of time. Passed this segment of our evaluation.
 A Sampling Of Category Ratings
A small sampling of the individual category titles & rating
scores from the complete product review itself for
this product are featured here. The categories which have been selected to be
featured in this product evaluation summary for public view, specify some of
the primary points of how and why that specific rating score was reached.
- If a product is inducted, a product evaluation summary of the
complete review is published for public view.
- When a score has been assigned to a category rating, it has been through
a thorough validation process to ensure accuracy and no inflection of bias.
- If a product scores an overall category evaluation
rating average of [2] Two Stars or lower from the complete review results,
it fails the evaluation and is not inducted.
- Information for products which do not pass our evaluation is confidential
and is shared only with the company submitting the product.
The Featured Category Ratings for this Product Evaluation
Summary are listed below.
CREATIVE AGENDA: Rating Level - [5] 
Creative agenda is a vital factor in the evaluation of a good quality game, especially so if it is an educational game. ItzaBitza pulled its weight without the slightest effort in this category. As expressed by one of the independent evaluators,
"The creative agenda hosts a narrative which demonstrates recognition of the significance of experience, active thought processing, social interactions, and executive cognitive functioning in learning and entertainment combined."
To understand the full value of the Creative Agenda, the following information is a brief definition of what the Creative Agenda is. The Creative Agenda of a player represents what the player hopes to achieve by way of exploration in their game experience; in this case being applicable to ItzaBitza.
FUNFACTOR™: Rating Level - [4] 
ItzaBitza posed a ratherpuzzling challenge to establish an accurate measure of the FunFactor™ with ItzaBitza. In reviewing all of our videotapes of ItzaBitza during all phases of its evaluation, it was established that there is a fine line between FunFactor™ and just excitement. Excitement is static and short term whereas FunFactor™ tends to be a prolonged response with a player.
After a general discussion meeting with all evaluators and in-house staff it was determined that in combining all scores from every category from the evaluation, including the six which are featured here, the level of FunFactor™ with ItzaBitza was well above average, yet the primary response from all of the players on all of the videotapes was clearly a static response. When you combine learning in such an equal balance as ItzaBita has created, there is a lessening of the FunFactor™ by a fraction yet still retaining value and effectiveness well above average.
In observation of all players, their focus was on creativity, strategy development, and their own narrative being developed. The FunFactor™ was still prevalent yet just not in full shining glory in active response. ItzaBitza comes in with a score of "4" in this category, missing a perfect score by a single digit.
NARRATIVE PROGRESSION: Rating Level - [5]
ItzaBitza unexpectedly created a major shift in our evaluation procedures. We had some new independent evaluators recently came into our group who brought some very detailed suggestions for improvement in our evaluation categories. Narrative progression is but one of many new additions to our product evaluation categories and other areas.
Narrative progression is a different kind of creature. It is a vital part of the design structure of a game design which is even more critical with the new entertainment/education hybrid DVD's now beginning to evolve even further and break into the market like gangbusters in popularity. In the design of a game and the educational content in a game such as ItzaBitza, a smooth transition in the narrative or flow of the game must be maintained. This means taking on the challenge of maintaining the attention of the player while at the same time delivering educational content which a player will desire to come back for more.
If all of that wasn't enough, a game designer has to have a smooth progression of difficulty levels with each activity, while encouraging the player to develop their own narration to develop and grow in their level of play and learning simultaneously. ItzaBitza has unquestionably pulled the stops out in that regard. ItzaBitza moves in smoothly with a perfect score of "5" in this newly added category in our evaluation guidelines.
RESPONSE LEVEL: Rating Level - [5]
In reviewing all segments of our evaluation process on videotapes, ItzaBitza truly caught THE wave when it comes to response level from the players. The game pulls a player in the age group for which it was designed, completely into the game play. The players do not see ItzaBitza as a game, they see it more as a refreshing challenge from which they benefit. It's irresistable to a child, they just keep on coming back for more.
Part of the reason for this is that every time they play, they are modifying or even creating an entirely new narrative for their play, never having the same experience twice! With the Living Ink, a child will never draw the various object exactly the same way as previously. With this being the case, the animation created by ItzaBitza also changes and creates a whole new experience for a player to enjoy and gain even further cognitive and critical skill development. ItzaBitza rides the wave in with a perfect score of "5" in this category.
SKILL IMPROVEMENT: Rating Level - [5]
The level of skill improvement with a player with ItzaBitza is astounding. It is literally beyond measure. When you factor in all of the previous category information in addition to the entire balance of content from the other categories, (which are not featured for public view), it is so simple to see why the level of skill improvement for ItzaBitza is so strong. The game shines well beyond anything ever expected with so many factors which each play a vital part in a childs' skill development. ItzaBitza crashes the doors in this time with a powerful perfect score of "5" in this category.
VISUAL APPEAL: Rating Level - [4]
The visual appeal for ItzaBitza was impressive yet just not enough to grab the brass ring. With this game and this category it is of primary importance to look upon it the way a child sees it. A child is engrossed in the play, not the visual appeal per se'. A childs attention is making note more of the animation and responses to actions the player makes. At the same time we need to remember that the game was designed for a hybrid design of entertainment and learning simultaneously so visual appeal is not as high on the priority scale. ItzaBitza still managed to knock the walls down with a score of "4" which was well above average and just a single digit short of a perfect score in this evaluation category.
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| Seal of Approval:
Approved |
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| eco-Recognition™
Seal:
Approved |
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| Award of Excellence:
Approved
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THE TOY MAN® ECO-RECOGNITION SEAL
"An emblem of the highest recognition...
for support of ecological concerns applied in full measure." |
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The Toy Man® eco-Recognition Seal™ embodies the highest recognition for products and services which provide a significant contribution to ecological concerns by one or more of the following;
- Recycled / Recyclable materials are being used primarily or entirely in the manufacturing of the product.
- Efforts are being made or already established for the product to be available exclusively or primarily online.
- A substantial effort is being made or is already available to provide a bio-polymer greenProduct™ option.
* The eco-Recognition™ Seal is part of The Toy Man® eco-Recognition Project™ to promote greenBusiness™ |
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THE TOY MAN® PRODUCT GUIDE AWARDS
"The globally recognized awards that are received by a limited few...
and give a product the well earned recognition it deserves!" |
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The
products and online services which become recipients of "The Toy Man® Award of Excellence" acheived an evaluation category rating average of [5] Stars, the highest level of rating available on a 1-5 scale evaluation model. The average is based upon the overall average from all applicable evaluation categories, not just the 6 evaluation categories featured in this summary. |
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"The
Toy Man®  Award serves as an emblem of recognition for products & online services that contribute substantially to positive skill growth and/or productivity. |
| ( This includes books, CD's, DVD's, consumer electronics & accessories, recreational games and equipment, home furnishings, juvenile, software, toys and specialty. ) |
This distinguished award is exclusive as well as unique, with the editor's signature which represents a product being selected as an  . |
PLEASE NOTE: The eChoice™ Award images which were used from 1971-1984, 1984-2007, 2007-April 2010 have been retired. Although the former versions of the eChoice™ Award have been retired, they still remain valid. |
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