Ownership of UGCish Creature Creations

Talk about harshing my buzz. Electronic Arts is going to let us design creatures with its long-awaited Spore game and stand-alone Creature Creator, but in using the game and creator, we agree to hand over all rights in our creations to the megalithic publisher, including the right to “further modify” the creations. So much for [...]

Lego loves them some UGC

The supporting website has been in place for a while now, quietly gathering interest in the beta via the newsletter. Now LEGO has unveiled the new logo for Universe, created by the design team but during the development process LEGO reached out to LEGO fans asking for their own creations (read more about LEGO UGC [...]

Heads Up: Kiwi Heroes

Massively Me announced on Friday its upcoming kids and young teens virtual world, Kiwi Heroes. The world, now accepting beta registrations, will feature gameplay around special powers, group and solo activities, and community features. As with several other upcoming or recently launched youth titles, Kiwi Heroes will feature a green slant and educate children about [...]

The issue with flooding the market & VW as Marketing Tools

Trilogy Studios CEO Michael Pole was briefly profiled in the LA Times last week. Concluding the article was a look at thing to come: “A project with DreamWorks and a virtual world with celebrity musicians.” Trilogy lists DreamWorks as one of its past clients, but I hadn’t heard about future work. It’s not clear what [...]

Overhauling Disney

LOS ANGELES — The Walt Disney Company, concerned that its main Web site is not entertaining enough, is moving once again to overhaul Disney.com.
It will be the second recent makeover for the company’s marquee site, which is still the top Internet destination for children’s entertainment but faces increasing competition from players like Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network [...]

Heads Up: Sporepedia

Spore’s creature creator alone is going to keep many, many thousands of people busy and quiet for many, many (thousands of) hours. It’s a shame it doesn’t contribute to building schools, or something, imagine the person-hours!
I found “myself” in the sporepedia today, as I was looking for my own creations. Meet Crystaltips! (Not [...]

The H. Potter Files: Big Brands & UGC

The Harry Potter Lawsuit and CGC
Wondering about the Harry Potter lawsuit and what impact it could have [...]

Dealing with Downsides: Social Gaming & VWs

Downsides & how to deal with them
There are many positives involved in online gaming, we see in the research: e.g., the collaborative action in World of Warcraft guilds, individual and collective strategic thinking, thinking under pressure, and the informal learning associated with group activity involving multiple ages.
But there are downsides too, usually associated with [...]

Dizzywood’s creativity with NPC and Community

There’s a new gal in town, ready to teach you her skills. Who might we be talking about? None other then the very stylish, Amelia Vermilion. She’s got her blowdryer in hand and is willing to offer anyone a lesson on hair coloring and styling. Visit her by ringing the doorbell to her salon up [...]

#1 Priority of Youth Virtual Worlds? Hmm…

Many kids Will’s age play MMOGs, but these worlds aren’t always hospitable to children. Fortunately, more enlightened attitudes now prevail, both across the industry and especially among companies seeking to attract precisely this younger audience. They comprise a growing list that includes a number of very prominent names…
The Escapist : MMOGs Are For Kids via [...]