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In 2007 Disney bought out a website called Club Penguin. The site had been gaining popularity as a popular online destination for kids, so of course Disney couldn’t resist that siren’s call.
Club Penguin is a MMORG, or “massive multiplayer online role-playing game,” for children. Users play online with others from around the world, controlling characters they design themselves.
Because Club Penguin is meant for children between the ages of 6 and 14, large emphasis has been placed on keeping the game safe. The creators of Club Penguin have taken several measures to keep children safe in an online community where the various players interact with one another.
There are two different chat modes on Club Penguin: Standard Safe Chat and Ultimate Safe Chat. Parents signing up their children for Club Penguin choose which chat they want their children to use. Standard Safe Chat allows guests to the site to type in whatever messages they want, but all text is filtered to exclude inappropriate language and any sharing of personal information.
Ultimate Safe Chat doesn’t allow users to type in their own text. Instead, players can only select certain greetings, messages, and questions from a specially-created list. All gameplay is also moderated by employees from the website to keep content clean and the users safe. At any point chat with a game moderator is just a click away for players who might have a safety concern.
I signed myself up for a free account with Club Penguin. Users can buy memberships that allow them to use all the content on the site, but those who just want a free account can still access limited gameplay.
After fully creating my penguin, I was asked to enter my parent’s email address, where they would receive a message linking them to activate my account. After doing so with the email sent to my own address, I was then as the parent asked to select which type of chat my child would be allowed to use.
Any sharp-witted child with their own email address would be able to do what I just did for myself and bypass the need for their parents’ permission to play the game. However, after fooling around in the game a bit I didn’t notice any unsafe or objectionable content.
The subdued gameplay reminds me of the console franchise “Animal Crossing.” Players wander around town, buying harmless items at the store and playing mini-games at the coffee shop and the tame dance hall.
Club Penguin is also used to teach children about global citizenship. Through the course of the various puzzles and games in Club Penguin users earn coins. They can use these coins to buy themselves items and accessories, such as fancier clothing and decorations for their home igloo.
The coins can also be donated, however, to the site’s “Coins for Change” section. This program actually takes the donations and turns it into legitimate money for a philanthropic purpose. Like with many similar charities, the funds from “Coins for Change” helps build and outfit schools in needy areas around the globe.
Having spent some time playing with a free Club Penguin account, I’m not really sure where the real money comes from. I’m sure some of it is gleaned from the actual money paid by users to have a full membership, but the coins themselves don’t have much value. I received 500 coins just for signing up for a free account, and another 6 when I spent around 30 seconds mucking about in a DJ-style game.
If your child is interested in playing online games, I highly recommend Club Penguin. It’s a popular and safe environment that even manages to teach kids a little bit about their responsibilities to the rest of the world in the process.
Related Articles:
A Personal History of Disney Video Gaming
Disney Purchases Facebook Gaming Company
*(This image by kjarrett is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.)
