Popular children’s cable network Nickelodeon is venturing into the virtual world with their launch of Nicktropolis today. The site is geared towards children 6 to 14 and allows visitors to enter a virtual world where they can play games, watch video, interact with other kids, and create their own 3D rooms.
“Virtual worlds like Nicktropolis are part of our strategy to bring immersive, relevant entertainment experiences to our audiences wherever they are, and to build communities around our content across every kind of platform,” said Judy McGrath, Chairman and CEO, MTVN.
Research done by Nickelodeon revealed that 86 percent of kids 8-14 are gaming online with 51 percent watching TV shows and videos online; 37 percent are instant messaging and 12 percent are using chat rooms.
Kids can enter the site by creating their own avatar, which they design and personalize. Then users can choose a destination and their avatar will appear and they can move around by clicking where they want to go.
The site will require users to register anonymously using a nickname and an email will be sent to a parent in order to comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. Parents will have the ability to control all of their child’s settings and kids will be able to block users if they do not want to interact with them.
Nicktropolis will have some company when it comes to other virtual worlds geared towards kids. Disney.com, Whyville and CBBC World, which will launch this summer, are only a few.
“Nickelodeon has a deep connection with kids, and Nicktropolis is built from our knowledge that kids’ interest in social networking is all about gaming,” said Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group. “Nicktropolis serves as a one-of-a-kind multimedia virtual entertainment playground for kids that allows them to watch video from our immense library of programming, play games, interact with our characters and safely communicate with each other through controlled chat.”
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Mike is a staff writer for Murdok. Visit Murdok for the latest ebusiness news.
