I recently had the chance to attend the launch party for the third “mission” in the Xeko card game. Local business Xeko is the Fremont-based producer of a trading card game aimed at teaching children about animals while exposing them to the concepts of biodiversity and responsible ecology in a fun way.

Game creator Amy Tucker was inspired by the work of Conservation International to focus each Xeko series, or “mission”, on a different “hotspot”–a species-rich part of the world. The first two Xeko missions were Costa Rica and Madagascar, both award-winning games. The game is played in the style of other popular trading card games like Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh and is designed to be easy to learn but challenging to master. The idea behind the game is that people tend to care more about places and things with which they’re famliar; by exposing kids to the flora and fauna of these far away lands, Xeko hopes to influence them into caring about conservation.

The beautifully designed cards consist of three types. Species cards represent plants and animals found in the series’ locales. Species card values are related to each plant or animal’s real-life sttus: the rarest, most endangerd species are the hard Species cards to get. Xeko cards are wild cards with special powers. Boost cards give Species cards more energy when involved in the Turf Wars challenges that provide the competition in the game. The Xeko website [site] is an additional component of the game, allowing Xeko players to set up tournaments, and also announcing and retiring cards based on real-world events. The site also links to more information about the animals, biodiversity and conservation. As an added bonus, Xeko’s producers live the conservation that they preach: cards are printed on 100 percent post-consumer recycled paer using soy-based inks. In a first for the toy industry, Xeko booster packs come in recyclable paper and players are rewarded for recycling their packaging by sending packs to Xeko in exchange for special bonuses.

The good intentions behind the game don’t mean a thing, however, if children don’t actually enjoy the game so I spent most of the launch party watching children actually play the game. A diverse group of grade school aged kids played the game with the help of game coaches to teach them the rules and all of them looked to be having a good time. Collectible card games are very popular with kids these days and most kids have an innate fascination with animals, put to good use in Xeko. The cards are understandable and written to a child’s understanding without being preachy or condescending. In fact, I think that some adults might enjoy playing the game as well.

Seeing is believing, so Xeko have been presenting launch events all around the area; if you’d like to see the game yourself, you can check it at on Saturday, September 29 from 1 to 4 pm at Queen Anne’s Blue HIghway Games or at Planet Happy games in Ravenna.