The virtual
playground
Lisa Davis
Ft-Worth Star-Telegram
October 1, 2007
My daughter's ninth birthday is in three days.
Please, please, please, do not let her get a Webkinz.
I've heard the horror stories about the cute little
stuffed animals, which live a luxurious alternate
lifestyle in their own online world.
The moms who had to sign in to Webkinz World every day
while the kids were off at summer camp, feeding and
playing with their children's virtual pets so they
wouldn't get sick and have to go to the virtual doctor.
The daughter who left the dinner table to go to an online
birthday party for a friend's Webkinz.
The parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters who have
been conned and cajoled into playing Webkinz computer
games, to earn more KinzCash, to buy more stuff for
virtual pets.
You see, it's not enough just to give a Webkinz a pat on
the head and a virtual doggie treat. Taking care of a
Webkinz, or any other of this new breed of interactive
toy, involves a lot of shopping and spending, on
everything from clothes to toys to home furnishings.
Please, please, please, do not let my daughter get a
Webkinz.
I do not want to play "Operation Gumball" just so her
virtual puppy can have a pink tutu and a skateboard.
The world of Webkinz
Webkinz are a serendipitous combination of Beanie Babies
plus Tamagotchi plus video games plus social networking,
and that's made them the hottest - and most imitated - toy
of the past couple of years.
Each Webkinz comes with a secret code that enables access
to the Web site, along with $2,000 in KinzCash. To earn
more KinzCash, kids can play games online, or work at
virtual jobs or - often the easiest solution - buy more
Webkinz out here in the real world.
All sorts of stuffed animals come with their own "online
playgrounds" - Shining Stars, Kookeys, My E-Pets, to name
a few. There are even plans for Tracksters, a line of
die-cast cars that could race online.
Barbie and Bratz have just introduced interactive dolls
aimed at slightly older girls, with more emphasis on
fashion, makeovers and social networking. The Barbie Girls
doll is actually an MP3 player, and the Be-Bratz doll
comes with an optional bright pink webcam.
The theme common to virtually all of these toys is
shopping. Whatever the currency of choice - Webkinz'
KinzCash, Shining Stars' Glow Points, Barbie's B-Bucks -
it's all about acquisition.
We're Americans, after all, and the youngest entrants into
our consumer culture must be trained to buy stuff.
But these online playgrounds are also training grounds for
life in the digital world. Grown-ups play The Sims and
Second Life (when you can unhook us from our e-mail and
our BlackBerries). High school and college kids have
MySpace and Facebook and Halo 3.
For tweens, there are Disney.com and Nicktropolis.
And now the marketers have taken aim at even younger kids,
8 and younger, enticing them into the world of social
networking with stuffed kitties and bears.
Setting their sites on a profit
Online playgrounds for kids have become such big business
that Disney just bought Club Penguin, an online world
aimed at kids ages 6-14, in a deal worth up to $700
million.
Club Penguin doesn't even come with stuffed penguins.
Online playgrounds make money in different ways; toy sales
are only part of it. Some sites, like Club Penguin, charge
subscriptions. Others, like Neopets, sell advertising,
sometimes embedding it in the games.
"Our poor kids, they have targets on their backs. They're
the subject of branding from the moment they can turn on a
commercial television station," says Liz Perle,
editor-in-chief of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit
organization that reviews media from a parental
perspective. "Companies have learned the earlier you get
to them, the more you can influence their brand loyalty
later on. Kids trust what they see."
Perle recommends that children younger than 8 not be
allowed to play on such sites, because they don't
understand delayed gratification, or the difference
between truth and advertising.
Beyond the KinzCash, Perle points out, there are very real
expenses connected with such a lifestyle. "Kids are
getting iPods and cellphones. It's not just the hardware
that costs money. You have to load it up with iTunes. You
have to pay for a phone plan. You can't play on Webkinz
without an ISP provider, and that's $40 a month," she
says. "The care and feeding of these technologies adds
up."
The parental factor
It's not just the spending mentality that's worrisome to
parents. It's also the amount of time kids spend plopped
in front of the computer. "You have 24 hours in a day. How
much of that do you want spent in front of a screen?"
Perle asks. "It doesn't matter if it's a computer screen
or a TV screen. It's a screen. The body ain't moving.
Social interaction ain't happening - not in the way you
can see facial expressions, hear tones of voice, touch
them or hold them - all the cues we've spent millions of
years evolving to give us full, 360-degree communication."
Privacy and online predators are less of a worry at sites
for young kids. Webkinz World is no Facebook, after all.
Any interaction between users is heavily monitored and
highly restricted. There is no open, uncensored chatting.
There are playground bullies, though. Some kids cheat to
get extra KinzCash. Cyberbullies spread nasty rumors about
how Shining Stars can kill your Webkinz.
Parents need to watchdog the computer just like we do the
TV. You know the drill: limit computer time; get homework
and chores done first; monitor what your kids are playing;
play with them to make it more social; keep the computer
in a family room, not bedrooms.
"Help your children navigate through this cyber world the
same way you help them navigate through the 3-D one."
Perle says. "Just as you're involved in school, in
teaching your kids to drive, in teaching them right from
wrong - this is one more thing added to the parental
plate. Because we didn't grow up with it, it's harder to
teach it," she says.
"But you have to be involved in your child's online life,
since this is going to be their world, so much more than
ours."
And kids themselves perhaps have a better grasp on all
this than we give them credit for.
Rachel Dancer, 8, of Arlington, has three Webkinz, all
puppies: a pug named Puggles, a lab named Blackie and a
cocker spaniel named Fuzzy. Rachel enjoys the online
component; she spends more time playing with her virtual
Webkinz than with the real toys. Sometimes, she plays
games online with her cousin, Sarah. (A side benefit: "The
kids actually talk on the phone and keep in touch better
now because of Webkinz," says Rachel's mom, Susan Dancer.)
But as much as Rachel likes her Webkinz, she's well aware
of the differences between real world and virtual, and she
prefers the real world version.
"My dog Waggles can snuggle with me and play with me," she
says. "These can't."
Raising a savvy spender
Tips for curbing the buying mentality of online
playgrounds, from Common Sense Media (www.commonsensemedia.org):
1. Point out to your kids that spending is optional at
these sites. It might not be as much fun, but it is
possible to play without purchasing.
2. Show your kids the way these sites encourage them to
buy and keep on buying - and how that can add up.
3. Ask your children whether they're really having more
fun when they're buying and spending. Try to detach
purchase from pleasure.
4. Use the site's currency - KinzCash, GlowPoints, B
Bucks, whatever - to teach the value of money. While kids
can play games, even cheat to earn more currency,
emphasize that getting a job is the most reliable source
of income.
5. Talk about saving vs. spending. Encourage kids to save
up for things they want. Talk about your own values. Point
out that, in the real world, debt can be tough to handle.
6. Explain what greed is, and how kids can recognize it in
themselves and in others.
7. Talk about envy, too. It's natural to want to keep up
with the Webkinzes. Talk about how you have coped with
envy.
A sampling of interactive toys
Webkinz
There are about 50 Webkinz animals in circulation, from
puppies and kitties to hippos and monkeys (around $12), as
well as 30 or so smaller Lil'Kinz (around $10). Like
Beanie Babies, old animals are retired, and new ones are
released every month. Notable upcoming releases include a
black cat for Halloween, a reindeer for Christmas and a
"Love Frog" for Valentine's Day. This summer saw the
arrival of Webkinz trading cards and Webkinz charms, with
their own sets of special secret codes. This fall sees the
debut of Webkinz clothing and little-girl makeup.
www.webkinz.com
Barbie Girls
MP3 music players designed to look like Barbies, with
spare parts to change hair and clothes. The Web site,
which features chatting and lots of shopping (with "B
Bucks"), is still in Beta test mode. It's accessible
without buying a toy, but the toy opens up special
features. $79.95.
www.barbiegirls.com
Be-Bratz
Dolls wearing more makeup than clothes- these are Bratz,
after all - come with crystal-studded USB drives that
double as necklaces. Plug the drive into your computer to
activate your online Bratz, make a MyPage, go shopping,
get a makeover and chat with friends. Starting next month,
stores will have gift cards worth extra points, for buying
more virtual stuff. $29.99; not compatible with Mac or
Vista. www.Be-Bratz.com
Shining Stars
A lot like Webkinz, but not nearly as popular. When you
activate your pet, you get to name a real star (although
it won't be recognized by the scientific community). A
portion of the $15 retail price goes to the Starlight
Starbright children's charity.
www.shiningstars.com
Neopets
Geared to older kids, Neopets was an online playground
first, toys second. (The merchandising really kicked up
after MTV bought the site a couple of years ago.) Neopets
look like genetically modified critters - Aisha the cat
has a long antenna, Gelert the doggy thing has enormously
elongated ears, JubJub looks like a tribble with big eyes.
Stuffed toy "plushies," with secret codes that unlock
special prizes online, are $7-$13.
www.neopets.com
Ty Girlz
From the folks who brought you Beanie Babies all those
years ago, these are aimed at the older Barbie/Bratz
crowd. The soft dolls have names like Cute Candy, Punky
Penny and Sizzlin' Sue. $12.99.
www.tygirlz.com
Bella Sara
The most imaginative and parent-pleasing of the toys on
this list, Bella Sara starts as a set of trading cards, a
la Pokemon. Designed by a Danish social worker to help
young girls express their feelings, the cards feature
horses, real and mythical. Enter each horse's code online,
and it comes to life in a stable where it needs to be fed,
watered and groomed. But whoa! You don't have to buy the
apples, or the curry combs or anything. There's no
shopping involved. Instead, play games to earn trophies to
display in your horses' stalls. A pack of five cards is
$1.99. www.bellasara.com
Swypeout Battle Racing
Trading cards that feature race cars and customizable
parts, some for looking cool (rad rims, condor wings,
screaming pipes), some for battle (flash mines, ice
blasters, stink bombs). Online, you can race your
customized cars against other kids'. To register, cards
must be swiped through a special USB scanner. A starter
kit, with the USB scanner and five cards, is $19.99.
Additional packs of six cards are $7.99. www.swypeout.com
- Lisa Davis