ONLINE GAMING SITES ARE EXTREMELY POPULAR. Reports from the summer of 2007 indicate that game sites remain more popular than personal sharing sites such as YouTube.com.

Until recently there has been little in the way of Internet and computer games related to birds. Several years ago there was a bird photography game on CD. A more recent version has been released at iwin.com. You can download it to a PC for about $10.

Last summer Audubon placed a game about bird migration on its site.
It is a typical moving-object game, with the player controlling the position of a migrating bird, dodging planes and storm clouds as it heads south.

For those serving the wild bird industry, adding bird-related games to your Web site — or linking to those that do— is an excellent way to attract more visitors. Games can also be an effective educational tool for both kids and adults.

Women Dominate

Surprising to many, the women-over-45 demographic is a major player in the online game industry. Game makers are responding with products targeted at this audience.

Studies indicate that women prefer games that do not require a long learning curve or a substantial time investment in completing the game (as fantasy football does).

Games such as solitaire and bingo (played online) are very popular. Many of the online bingo games provide social networking as well as game play. This age group obviously correlates well with those who watch and feed birds.

Kids Involved

Games are also, of course, a good way to encourage children to learn more about birds. Games can be designed to appeal to different age groups among young birders. Action games and games that show scores and allow the player to post his/her name and score for all to see are among the most popular.