Wii goes Online? Hmmm…

What happens when you stack Wii online against another popular online gaming service like Xbox Live? Despite recent technical problems with Xbox Live – it remains a premium service. Is Wii ready to jump into premium online gaming?
At the Games Developers Conference Nintendo said it was! The company has announced the Pay & Play [...]

BRILLIANT: The Future of Real World and Virtual World Combos

Implenia, a Swiss construction and building services provider, has been working to use a virtual world can be used to control the real world for some time. It launched the Eolus project in Second Life to experiment with ties to real-world buildings, and it recently worked with IBM to launch a 3D interface for its [...]

Nickelodeon welcomes Lily Collins

Nickelodeon has tapped Lily Collins, daughter of singer Phil Collins, to help keep its viewers informed on the latest trends and news in entertainment and pop culture.
The 18-year-old, who is studying broadcast journalism at USC, is set to appear in interstitial programming spots airing throughout the day and night [...]

Girls & Secrets

New York, NY February 22, 2008- On Tuesday, February 19, 2008, www.allykatzz.com launched a new section: “I’VE GOT A SECRET.” It’s where GIRLS AGES 10-15 ANONYMOUSLY POST THEIR SECRETS. In less than 48 hours over 425 SECRETS were posted.

Invitation to girls: “Got secrets you want to share but [...]

Noteworthy: Pixie Hollow

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–At the 2008 American International Toy Fair, Disney Online officially unveiled the next exciting addition to the company’s line-up of virtual worlds – Disney Fairies Pixie Hollow, based on the wildly popular Disney Fairies franchise. Visitors to the new online world will be able to explore the homes and meadows that make up [...]

Updated: Conference Update

Sup.
So, it turns out I’m heading to Austin, Texas next month (woot) for SXSW. Very, very excited. The schedule of events/speakers rocks, and I’m not quite sure how I’m going to see everything I wish to– so much, so little time. If only Hermione’s time-turner necklace was real. If you’re going [...]

Virtual World clues from the big dogs

Quote from Virtual Worlds News & their liveblogging:

When asked about the number one safety feature in each game, Yanover (Disney) said that it’s a question of communication.
Merrifield (Club Penguin) looked to people. Penguin employs 120 of them for security. “We knew what we could trust technology to do and what we couldn’t. We’re making [...]

Even ecards are a no no

THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION IS now advising Web site operators that they should obtain parents’ consent before letting users under age 13 send an e-card that includes the senders’ e-mail address or first and last name.
MediaPost Publications – FTC Reels In Web Sites Where Pre-Teens Send E-Cards – 02/19/2008
Eeeeh. This is an important “heads [...]

Ramble: Why I’m Enamored With Club Penguin

Okay. Honesty here. I used to despise club penguin. I won’t really get into it, but let’s just say I couldn’t understand why boy & girl tweens would be interested in something that seemed to young.
That was quite a while ago. Now, I’m in awe of the community manager/strategist/PM… WHOMEVER it [...]

Virtual Worlds in the News

Disney on Monday will unveil its first line of Internet-connected toys, called Clickables. Developed in collaboration with its licensee Techno Source, the toys will be based on Disney Fairies and unlock an immersive virtual world that will be launched in the fall. Robert Marick, vp and GM at Disney Toys North America, said the technology [...]