Club Penguin is an online world that offers cartoon Penguins for avatars rather than human forms. The Penguins then waddle around and talk to one another, play minigames and participate in a wide range of activities that are available in the snow covered virtual world, of course it is snow covered you never see Penguins living on the beach do you? And just like other virtual world games you have to sign up for an account in order to play. And like other virtual worlds when you create an account you actually have two options.
Here are some things that parents should know about Club Penguin.
Number one:
Like most virtual worlds chatting is a huge aspect of the game because you are going to need to communicate with other players. But unlike other virtual worlds the chat options in this game are different then regular virtual worlds because this game is designed for kids from six to fourteen. The two methods of chat are Ultimate-Safe Chat mode, which allows players to select what they want to say from a predefined list of phrases. The second method of chat is the Standard-Safe Chat mode which allows players to enter in custom messages, but these messages are always censored for any vulgar language.
Number two:
Something else that you need to be aware of is that Club Penguin is completely moderated. What this means is that there are numerous people who watch what is going on at all times to ensure that no profanity is used nor any kind of harassment or abuse towards any player. And if you abuse the rules of the game then you are most likely going to end up with a ban. In fact most of the time if you use any type of profanity you are going to get automatically banned for at least twenty four hours. And if the behavior continues you can end up with a longer ban. Keep in mind that if you get between three to five bans, depending on what the bans were for, you can get a permanent ban.
Number three:
Something else that parents need to be aware of is that this game also allows players to become Secret Agents. In order to become a Secret Agent you have to have really good behavior and no bans. In fact Secret Agents are encouraged to report people who are not behaving, or who are basically breaking the rules. But do not get Secret Agents confused with moderators, Secret Agents are not the same thing.
Number four:
Many of you might not be aware of is that there is a virtual world game that is designed for kids, this kid virtual world is called Club Penguin. Club Penguin was developed by New Horizon Interactive, but was later bought by Disney. The game was designed for children between the ages of six and fourteen but anybody can play it. This game was made available to the general public in October of 2005 and has continued to grow ever since.
Number five:
As a parent it would also help for you to know about the difference between the two types of accounts. There are free accounts, but these accounts are actually limited as to what they can do. Basically there are certain perks you get for being a membership fees. If you choose to pay for a membership your child will be able to buy clothes and furniture for your Penguin as well as go into member only areas. If you are interested in purchasing a membership you have three options for paying, you can pay $5.95 each month, $29.95 every six months, or $57.95 once a year.