16 posts and columns on virtual world

Second Life Founder Tries Bringing Aspects of the Virtual World to Real Life

in Commerce on November 1, 2011 at 5:02 am PT

Coffee & Power, started by the founder of Second Life, launches an online marketplace that allows people to buy and sell small tasks — or to meet in person at a company-owned cafe in San Francisco.
Coffee-Power-Workclub-Workers

Club Penguin Makes It Easier for Kids to Chat Using Predictive Text

in Commerce on October 28, 2011 at 5:00 am PT

Club Penguin, the insanely popular Disney-owned virtual world that’s accessible from the browser, has made it easier and safer for kids to communicate within the game.
clubpenguin_predictive chat

Toys Blend With Videogames Even More With Activision’s Skylanders

in Commerce on October 7, 2011 at 6:30 am PT

Activision is preparing to launch a new videogame that blends virtual worlds with physical toys. The launch mimics other recent debuts, including one by Disney that links toys and Apple’s iPad.
activision_spyroadventures_E3

You Can Lead a Virtual Horse to Water, But You Might Get Sued Along the Way

in Social on August 1, 2011 at 12:21 pm PT

A palomino mare named Star grazes on Debbie DeLouise’s clover meadow, hanging out at a salt lick there and frolicking with her foal Holly. But a legal dispute may imperil their pastoral bliss: It threatens to close the only store where Ms. DeLouise can buy food for Star and Holly.

The Paywall Around Lego Virtual World Comes Crumbling Down

in Commerce on June 21, 2011 at 9:33 am PT

The Lego Group, which makes the primary-color building bricks that are a part of most every kid’s childhood, is doubling down on its efforts in digital by making its multiplayer online game free to play.
lego_universe

Mind Candy’s Moshi Monsters Roar to Life Through Toys “R” Us Deal

in Commerce on June 13, 2011 at 7:01 pm PT

Mind Candy CEO Michael Acton Smith chated last week at E3 about how he believes he can leverage the company’s gaming roots to build a Facebook alternative for kids while also creating an entertainment brand worth billions.
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Here's Nickelodeon's New Massive Online Game (Plus Video of Cute Monkeys!)

in Commerce on April 2, 2011 at 4:00 pm PT

Nickelodeon will use the annual Kids’ Choice Awards tonight to promote the launch of its brand new virtual world, where cute chimps swing from the branches of trees in the fictional World of Ook. And, just in case cute isn’t cool, the monkeys burp, too.

Nickelodeon Launching A Virtual World Next Month For Kids To Monkey Around In

in Commerce on March 7, 2011 at 7:00 am PT

Nickelodeon, the TV network targeting kids, is launching a virtual world called Monkey Quest that will be unveiled next month at the Kids’ Choice Awards.

Exclusive: News Corp. Online Gaming Head Sean Ryan to Head Facebook's Social Gaming Partnerships

in News on January 3, 2011 at 11:47 am PT

Sean Ryan, who arrived at News Corp. mid-year to set up a new online gaming unit, is moving to Facebook to head partnerships at its key gaming platform, according to sources. Currently, Facebook does not create social games, but hosts third-party publishers of them on its king-making platform. Its most stunning success has been Zynga, maker of Farmville and CityVille.

PBS's "Frontline" Considers the "Digital Nation"–A Lot of Handwringing Over the Inevitable, but Watch It Anyway

in News on February 4, 2010 at 5:26 am PT

Earlier this week, the reliably erudite PBS public affairs program, “Frontline,” aired a documentary called “Digital Nation.” The show’s team races hither and yon interviewing a pile of smart folks–most of whom, thankfully, are not from Silicon Valley–to uncover what’s up with this Internet thing, which the kids seem to love. This egads-no-one-knows-where-this-geekery-is-taking-us worrywartness is probably appropriate, and though nothing new, is well told.