The US Federal Trade Commission issued a report last week looking at the incidence of sexually and violently explicit content in online virtual worlds. The comprehensive report, “Virtual Worlds and Kids: Mapping the Risks,” urges operators of virtual worlds to take a number of steps to keep explicit content away from children and teens, and [...]
The virtual world community was sucking its collective teeth last week, when it emerged that Sony was being sued for allegedly violating the right to free speech of Erik Estavillo, a 29-year-old gamer who suffers from agoraphobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Mr Estavillo alleges that Sony violated his free speech rights when it banned him first [...]
As predicted, the recession can only be good news for some sectors of industry – notably those which involve staying home and spending only very small amounts! Market research firm Strategy Analytics today released its forecast for growth within the virtual worlds sector and to say it sees growth would be an understatement. Overall, the [...]
Thanks to Virtual World News for this excerpt from a new report from eMarketer on teens and tweens in Virtual Worlds. Over the course of 2008, an estimated 8 million teen and pre-teen kids in the US visited virtual worlds on a regular basis, researchers at eMarketer said today. Calling virtual world usage “strong and [...]
Launched at the beginning of March 09, SmartyCard’s “learn-earn-and-play” platform provides a welcome solution to an increasingly commonplace dilemma: how to let kids safely play virtual worlds or purchase approved music, DVDs or toys online—but, in return, make sure that some of their computer time is used on educational activities that will help them succeed [...]
Since March 5th, the eModeration team of virtual world moderators have been treated to a visual feast, with the launch of My Tiny Planets (www.MyTinyPlanets.com) from Pepper’s Ghost Productions. Best known for their Tiny Planets animated television series, popular in more than 100 territories worldwide, this venture is an online imaginary multiplayer space game and virtual universe [...]
Companies operating virtual worlds for children and young adults should use moderators not just to devise and enforce safety guidelines but also to enhance game play, according to a new paper from eModeration. The report, How to Encourage Participation and Loyalty in Virtual Worlds, is released to coincide with the US-based ‘Engage’ Expo, where there [...]
Companies investing in virtual worlds and Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) now have a practical guide on how best to moderate these online environments, thanks to a new whitepaper published by international moderation company, eModeration. The report, Five Techniques For Creating Safer Environments For Children, outlines how organisations can not only use moderation to make [...]