Habbo is a virtual world for tweens and teens that was launched in 2000 by Sulake Corporation inFinland. It was originally known as Habbo Hotel and is currently the world’s largest online community and social game site for teenagers from age 13 to 18. It operates in 11 different languages with the English-speaking countries combined into one website. The website has users from over 150 different countries. As of August 2011, over 230 million avatars have been registered.
Non-members can check out the website for free; however, this limits the activity they can have in the virtual world. Unlike most other virtual worlds, Habbo does not offer monthly or annual memberships. Instead, members must pre-pay for time on the website in the form of credits or coins. These credits allow players to enjoy the full features of the virtual world. When the credits run out, users must top up their account again using a credit or debit card, cell or home phone or Habbo pre-paid cards.
Features
The main feature of Habbo is the Habbo Hotel, which acts as the main meeting place for members. New members of Habbo choose an avatar to be their online personality. This avatar can be customized to look any way the member wants. Players can create a guest room in the hotel and can furnish it with items known as ‘furni’. They can also keep a virtual pet in their room, which will remain happy as long as the owner takes care of it. Players use their purchased credits to buy room furnishings, personal accessories, food, clothing, music, games and other commercial items. Moving around the virtual world and chatting are the two activities that don’t require members to part with their credits. Although playing games with other members is part of this website, the main focus of the world is on social chatting. Users must have Adobe Flash Player installed on their computer in order for the features to function properly. Once in the hotel, members can contact one another through the chat function, invite them to play games or have parties in the guest rooms. Outside of the hotel, features on the website include discussion forums, groups and security information aimed at users and parents.
What’s Good
The design of Habbo is quite clean and block-like. In fact, the streetscapes, avatars and buildings have a LEGO appeal. The avatars are fairly innocuous looking. This website will appeal only to teenage boys and girls who are interested in social chatting. There is no violence on the website or in the virtual world.
What’s Bad
Parents may remember those heart-shaped candies with innocent messages of love on them from their childhood. The innocence that those candies conveyed has been replaced by the vulgar, coarse, sexually-overt messages found on Habbo. This is not a site for children under 12. In fact, it is a site that represents all that is wrong with virtual worlds aimed at children. By allowing children to post sexually-suggestive messages, Habbo is encouraging children to act as adults, even though they are far from adulthood. Habbo can post as many warnings as they want or list how concerned they are about online safety, but the bottom line is if they really cared about their members posting sexual, racial and homophobic comments, they’d be quicker to react to them.
Beyond the sexually suggestive chat area, what is even more reprehensible are the comments found on the website community forums. When a member starts a thread titled ‘Christian views on homosexuality’ and Habbo allows the grossly homophobic comments to pile up that other members leave, Habbo has crossed a line of human decency. All of these sexist, homophobic, vulgar comments would be gone in an instant or caught before they were posted if Habbo cared; however, when you have a cash cow, money trumps moral responsibility.
Online Safety
Habbo has no control over what kinds of members join their website; however, they do have control over what they say. In this regard, Habbo fails miserably. Habbo talks a good talk when it comes to online safety; however, they don’t practice what they preach. With the many pages of safety tips for both users and parents, Habbo ends up pandering to parents and looking like the soulless corporation that it is. The way members behave on Habbo is not all Habbo’s fault. Children don’t instantly become racist, homophobic and mean spirited by becoming members; this type of conduct is learned elsewhere. For condoning this behavior and allowing it to grow unchecked, Habbo is a disgrace. Parents should be ashamed of themselves for allowing their children access to this website.
The Summary
Target Demography:
The suggestive, adult themes belong on an adult website, not on a children’s website to be acted upon by hormonally-charged teenagers.
Graphics: A
Technically sound, well-done.
Educational Value: F
What could have been positive social interaction degrades into children acting like adults in adult situations.
Entertainment Value: C
What could potentially have been a fun experience is marred by foul, sexist, homophobic, mean-spirited, rude chat. Those are hardly what we would call entertainment!
Price:
With no monthly or even annual membership, Habbo forces its members to continuously reload their credit.
Visit Habbo Hotel at www.HabboHotel.com.
The above Habbo review was written by a responsible parent and media professional who believes that child safety on the internet must be observed as a top priority. Contact us if you would like your virtual world reviewed too.
Habbo is totally awesome! You’ve GOT to try it! I’ve had one for ages now, it’s so fun, that you completley forget your on Habbo!
Thanks for this review. My 9 yr old son was shown this site by his elder cousin. If not for your review he would have been exposed to things I would and will never condone
to be honsest… its very annoying when 12 year olds and down are on habbo. you guy’s dont have any online smarts,you walk up to a person and ask them to date you? you dont even know them, they might as well be 40 years old. Most girls i see on the hotel are very gullable,if i walk up to a girl and tell her to have cyber sex or go on a web cam for furni she would not think twice,.if i wanted to have cyber sex all i have to do is add a girl dumb enough. “Hey!! who wants to f**k me!” i heard one time at a single’s night club “lets go to your place” where do you guys get this language from.!!? the last time i checked the hotel was a hangout for TEENS not CHILDREN. thats why there is clubpeinguin. another site like habbo where KIDS can come together and have fun.speaking for the rest of the mature 13+ players, everyone that is -11 on habbo hotel are runining the website for the rest of us.
hey i just wanted to know is it appropriate for kids lik a 12-13 year old
habbo is the coolest game ever you should try it cause it is fun
Habbo is the best i got one!!!!
habbo is for hoboes it sucks
Hi, My names Katrina and i was wondering if i could go on habbo cuz ive been looking for a good virtual game and this looks like a good game so if anyone could reply and tell me if i should play,Oh and im ten years old PLEEZ REPLY
While Habbo is a good idea in reality, it is actually very easy to get around the things that they set up to prevent sexual-related talk. If you are a female, you are able to walk around in nothing but a bra and shorts, and you can change the color, and there is a skin color option. Male characters are able to walk aroung in skin colored shorts. It does not recognise a lot of common loopholes to get around the word blocking, and when you type in inappropriate word, it say bobba, which still sounds wrong. If you are a parent who is considering letting your child go on this site, DO NOT ALLOW THEM ON THIS SITE!!! It also seens very money orientated; you cannot get most items without paying for them. I know none of this fron personal experiance, but instead from watching other people play, namely my friends.
i love this game but my cp broke and i ouldnt play it for a month then the day we got it bak it said install and i asked my dad he said no
i rlly hate habbo half because theres some stupid hack who keeps on hacking into my account fgs
Omg i looooove habbo i have a boyfriend on there and we always do it!!!
i Love Habbo its an Amazing Site For Teens With loads of People To meet And Chat with and loads of different rooms i have one myself its really good
Is this appropriate for 10 11 12 or 13 yr olds
Habbo is fun i already have an account but the bad part is they change it so much that now you can barely go into the hotel at night which is kinda dumb. Also you have to pay to be HC.
love habbo already got one
WIN I PLAY HOBBO IT SAID IF YOU ARE UDEN