The BBC has plans to launch an online virtual world geared toward children. The site will be for 7-12 year olds and allow users to go online and explore content that will feature animation, games, music, and videos.
Children will be able to create their own avatar and share content with others in the virtual world. It sounds like a Second Life, except for children. A spokesman for the site CBBC World said, “This kind of cross-platform broadcasting is becoming the norm for people who have been born into the digital world.”
CBBC World will not have any monetary aspects like Second Life. The focus will be on safety and security. There will not be any chatrooms or features that will allow users to build new parts of the virtual world.
Plans are for the site to launch in the summer and there will be a full relaunch of CBBC the children’s division in the fall.
On why children will want to visit the site a spokesman said,” It will give children a chance to move around a safe, secure world where they can not only interact with familiar characters but have an opportunity to make that world a more fascinating place with their own imaginations.”
BBC children’s controller Richard Deverell said: “CBBC World is a good example of the way we need to go.
The thing that interests me is that children are at the vanguard. And that is where we are taking Children’s BBC.”
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Mike is a staff writer for Murdok. Visit Murdok for the latest ebusiness news.
