Software:Discovering Endangered Wildlife

From HandWiki
Short description: 1995 video game
Discovering Endangered Wildlife
Developer(s)Lyriq International
Publisher(s)Global Software Publishing
Platform(s)Windows
Release1995

Discovering Endangered Wildlife, also known as David Bellamy's Endangered Wildlife[1], is a 1995 video game from Lyriq International. It was developed in cooperation with the National Wildlife Federation and is for ages 8 and up.[2][3]

Gameplay

Discovering Endangered Wildlife is an educational CD-ROM intended for middle-school students, inviting them to explore the issues surrounding endangered species. It offers interactive learning through full-motion video, digitized sound effects, and 256-color super VGA graphics. Players engage with multimedia-rich content designed to illuminate the threats, environmental challenges, and solutions affecting wildlife. The gameplay revolves around immersive exploration and discovery, presenting ecological information in a format that encourages curiosity and critical thinking. A portion of each purchase supported the National Wildlife Federation.[4]

Development

The game was developed by Lyriq International, a company founded in 1991 in Cheshire.[5][2] It was showcased at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.[4]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
Electronic GamesA[6]
Electronic Entertainment4/5[7]
Philadelphia Daily News2/4[8]
The Observer4/5[1]

Philadelphia Daily News said "The text is generous in volume and in scope, and the photos are decent, but this Windows-only program just feels flat."[8]

Electronic Games said "This program is suitable for the entire family and successfully teaches concern along with the names, using outstanding photography along the way"[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Education". May 5, 1996. p. 39. Archived from the original on July 30, 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20250730131007/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-observer/177788647/. Retrieved July 30, 2025. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Dick, Ira (May 1, 1995). "Light bulbs go off for young Cheshire company". p. 43. Archived from the original on January 18, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230118164218/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116720671/hartford-courant/. Retrieved July 30, 2025. 
  3. ↑ Greeniee, Steven (March 1995). "Saving Endangered Animals is both fun and informative". p. 88. https://archive.org/details/computer-game-review-and-cd-rom-entertainment-march-1995/page/n87/mode/2up. Retrieved July 30, 2025. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Greenman, Catherine (January 16, 1995). "Lyriq goes wild with CD-ROM game title". Archived from the original on July 29, 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20250729073351/https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&u=wikipedia&id=GALE%7CA16050651&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-GPS&asid=972d070b. Retrieved July 30, 2025. 
  5. ↑ "The Washington Post Edition of Lyriq Crosswords ships; includes over 100 world class, expert puzzles". April 28, 1995. Archived from the original on May 24, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130524192735/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+Washington+Post+Edition+of+Lyriq(TM)+Crosswords+ships%3b+includes...-a016873610. Retrieved July 30, 2025. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Worley, Joyce (March 1995). "Discovering Endangered Wildlife". p. 88. https://archive.org/details/electronic-games-1995-03/page/86/mode/2up. Retrieved July 30, 2025. 
  7. ↑ Frear, Suzanne (May 1995). "Save the animals". p. 36. https://archive.org/details/ElectronicEntertainment17May1995/page/n37/mode/2up. Retrieved July 30, 2025. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Reviews". June 13, 1996. p. 34. Archived from the original on July 30, 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20250730065334/https://www.newspapers.com/article/philadelphia-daily-news/177782362/. Retrieved July 30, 2025. 
  • Official website (archived)
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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