Club Penguin and Webkinz Receive Coverage

Two AP stories over the weekend gave several inches of news type to Club Penguin and Webkinz, two online 3-D virtual worlds aimed at kids. The first was written by Anick Jesdanun, and focused more on Club Penguin. The site offers free access, with $5/month premium features. Children use penguin avatars to navigate and play games. Both Club Penguin and Webkinz restrict the chat features of avatars to prevent poor behavior and ease parental concerns.

Two researchers were brought up in the first article. Peggy Meszaros, a professor of human development at Virginia Tech, and Peter Grunwald, no affiliation given. Both suggested parental supervision, especially at younger ages, is important to maintain healthy balance and responsibility on the sites.

Jane Healy, author of Failure to Connect: How Computers Affect Our Children’s Minds – for Better and Worse, was much more critical of the sites. She claimed the sites are steering children toward consumer lifestyles.

The second story was by Matthew Barakat, and focused exclusively on Webkinz, mostly through the eyes of Barakat’s six year old son. Webkinz is a twist on the old cheap plush toy sales technique. Previous generations familiar with Cabbage Patch dolls and Beanie Babies will recognize Webkinz plush toys as a 21st Century twist on previous collectible trends. Each Webkinz product has a code allowing a year’s play on the Webkinz site. Barakat says that additional credits can be earned by playing games on the site, but it is easier to just buy another doll for $15. This has led to sell-outs of the dolls in many places.

Barakat doesn’t interview any researchers, but he says he thinks his son is learning some important lessons on the site, including money management and other responsibilities.

References

Barakat, M. (2007, July 12). Review: Webkinz site not just for kids. [Online]. Available: http://fe15.news.sp1.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070712/
ap_on_hi_te/tech_test_webkinz;_ylt=Aqqvj0kFaOh2ZdDNOmFTLw9j24cA

Jesdanun, A. (2007, July 13). Sites introduce preteens to networking. [Online]. Available: http://fe15.news.sp1.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070713/
ap_on_hi_te/social_networking_tweens;_ylt=AlcBUnLIP_3kfNb5.Ne26XFj24cA