Virtual worlds are big business. According to eMarketer 12 million t/weens will join a virtual community this year. And while their parents are warning their kids about threats from sexual predators, an LA TIMES article, In Virtual Worlds, Child Avatars Need Protection, says the real threat comes from other kids.
"On the playground, kids pilfer lunch money and push each other around. But in the cyber clubhouses they're filling by the millions, kids rig elections, sell fake products and scam each other out of every virtual-worldly possession."
Other interesting bits from the LA TIMES article:
- "In the last two years, Walt Disney Co. acquired Club Penguin in a deal worth as much as $700 million, and media giant Viacom Inc. bought Neopets for $160 million."
- "To keep these worlds from turning into a virtual "Lord of the Flies," websites are monitoring every word children type, limiting them to only pre-approved dialogue."
- "Like adults, many kids feel that behaving badly online has fewer repercussions than behaving badly in real life, where face-to-face interaction drives home the consequences. Just as they can jump off a virtual building and not feel a thing, they can steal from each other with no consequences."
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