Playing It Safe Online
There have always been concerns about the safety of children while they are online. Unpredictable occurrences in the online world can bring anxieties to parents of young children. When one bears in mind the amount of online bullying on the rise, these fears are not unreasonable. Fortunately, the people at the Family Education Network have addressed these issues with a game entitled Poptropica. Launched in 2007, Poptropica maintains a very comprehensive structure in order to provide an experience different from most online games. Best of all, the game is free to play (although there is a store selling items related to the game).
Poptropica's sign-up process is simple: the user, starting off as a new player, indicates whether they are male or female, as well as their age (choices range from 6 to 15, suggesting the intended demographic). Then, a new avatar will be generated - complete with a random nickname - based on the user's input. From there, the new character will now embark on a series of adventures in a set of "islands", or levels. When you are finished for the day, you can save your progress so that you can go back any time.
Positive Medium: [*]
Poptropica's sign-up process is simple: the user, starting off as a new player, indicates whether they are male or female, as well as their age (choices range from 6 to 15, suggesting the intended demographic). Then, a new avatar will be generated - complete with a random nickname - based on the user's input. From there, the new character will now embark on a series of adventures in a set of "islands", or levels. When you are finished for the day, you can save your progress so that you can go back any time.
Positive Medium: [*]
There are two reasons why I rate Poptropica very highly. First, the site helps children to learn about various subjects such as history, science and the arts in a way that is fun and engaging. Second, the user's anonymity is confirmed by being given a strange but memorable nickname, alleviating worries about online exposure. One drawback I have to point out is the membership system. Although playing the game itself is free of charge, the user can get (virtual) credits either from completing an island, getting rewarded throughout gameplay or from purchasing some credits with (real) money. Enticing kids to beg for their parents' credit cards may not be the way to go, but other than this, I consider Poptropica a very useful medium.
Rating: 8
Rating: 8