Webkinz Review

Webkinz is a virtual pets website for kids that was launched in April 2005 by Canadian plush animal company Ganz. The website is aimed at children from age 6 to 12. The foundation of the site is the member’s ability to adopt and take care of a virtual pet. The pets are either cute and cuddly non-threatening animated animals or obscure-looking animated hybrid animals – in either case, they look similar to what children would see in a stuffed toy department of a toy store.

Each stuffed toy has a Secret Code attached to it that children use to adopt the pet online. Currently, the price to buy the toy is the only requirement for membership. There is a deluxe membership that can be purchased online once the stuffed toy has been registered. Currently, the toys are only sold inCanadaand theUnited States; however, international users can buy a pet from the online store. Children cannot join the website and play for free – they have to buy a toy with a Secret Code.

Features

Children (with the help of their parents) enter the Secret Code found on the plush toy on the Webkinz website. The child essentially adopts the virtual version of the toy. The member earns KinzCash (the website’s currency) by adopting their pet, successfully completing online games and answering skill-testing questions. Members will soon discover that acquiring things for their pet is the main focus of the game. In order to properly care for their pets, players buy them food, clothing, shelter and household items.

Members are also able to interact with other members in a social chat room, make friends with other owners, send friends ‘gifts’, invite friends over to play board games and host a party with other Webkinz. There are two forms of chat: safe mode (with pre-determined phrases) and chat plus (only filtered words get through). Ganz has also created a line of accessories (charms, bookmarks, school supplies, body spray, etc) with Secret Codes that members buy to unlock accessories for the virtual pet (clothing, KinzCash, new rooms, home accessories, etc).

What’s Good

Webkinz is an innocent-looking website that will appeal mainly to children age 10 and under who are interested in making friends and still have an interest in plush toys. Most of the animals that players adopt are non-threatening. Most of the facial expressions are kind and friendly. There are absolutely no adult themes in the game or on the website. There is no drinking, smoking, drug use, sex or offensive language. Webkinz offers children the opportunity to care for and nurture a virtual pet. Children will learn the basics of what it takes to be responsible – not only with a pet, but with money. This may be a child’s initial encounter with online social behavior with other children, so it is important that parents teach their children proper etiquette when chatting with other children.

What’s Bad

The high level of advertising on Webkinz is cause for a lot of concern. Although Webkinz claims that parents can turn off ads for 30 days at a time – the fact that parents have to do this at all sends up red flags. Advertising aside, there is something very wrong about addicting children to purchase toy after toy – it’s like throwing money into a bottomless pit. Parents are under great pressure from their children to not only buy the initial Webkinz plush toy, but buy all the accessories for the plush toy that will allow the child to purchase the accessories for their virtual plush toy. It’s a never-ending circle. It’s a clever marketing tool – but it’s also quite disgustingly greedy.

Even the creation of Ganz’s Webkinz Foundation as the company’s charitable cause can’t redeem their social conscious. Causing children to become massively addicted to consumerism in times when the opposite should be the case shows that the value of money is more important than a social conscious. Parents need to keep a lock on their wallets and purses and say ‘enough is enough’.

Online Safety

There are two types of chat: KinzChat (pre-constructed words and phrases) and KinzChat Plus (members type in their own words and phrases which are filtered through the Webkinz dictionary). Parents must grant access to KinzChat Plus. Given that the overall look and feel of Webkinz appeals to children under 10, having an open chat feature at all is opening up a can of worms that need not be opened. Parental controls exist but they are tough to find, although the privacy policy is easy to find and comprehensive.

The Summary

Target Demography:
Players under 10 will like the pets; older players will probably find them juvenile.

Graphics: B-
Tailored to post-preschoolers – okay, but nothing exciting.

Educational Value: B
Players learn about nurturing, value of money, responsibility.

Entertainment Value: B-
Initial excitement will wear off quickly.

Price:
Purchase of a plush toy activates membership; however, the purchase of accessories to unlock more Secret Codes can get out of control.

Visit Webkinz at www.Webkinz.com.

The above Webkinz 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.