Yesterday I got some time to explore the kid-oriented virtual world Kidscom.com, one of the oldest virtual worlds first opened in 1995. At first glance, it appears to share a lot in common with the tween-focused world Whyville. Both are web-based, youth-oriented worlds with a focus on short game activities, forums, and a newsletter. Whyville is more explicitly education-focused, while Kidscom has more of a mixture of fun, social and educational activities.
The two educational experiences I ran into during my first visit focused on Climate Change and Animal Habitats.
This simple activity teaches you the basics about recycling, by having you navigate a maze to collect various recyclable items. Some items give you more information about recycling. I.e. styrofoam is usually not recyclable nor are the lids of several plastic containers.
In Kidscom, you get a small house that you can decorate with different furniture items. More furnishings and texture options are available when you upgrade to an "Idea Seeker" paid account.
The house can be kipped out with different items, some of which are more environment-friendly than others. As you mouse over them, you are given information about how they help the earth. Some are linked to specific brands, like this Wolf-brand oven. You can also choose houseplants, energy-efficient refridgerators, or renewable resource bamboo chairs.
The Field Museum of Chicago also has a more elaborate learning space focused on preserving animal habitats.
You land in the lobby of the Field Museum, with their famous t-rex Sue dominating the room. The visitor is challenged with finding different species of animals indigenous to the wetlands who have had to flee because of environmental changes. As you look for the animals, you learn more about them, their attributes, survival tactics, and more.
In the associated forums, young people are encouraged to share things that we can do to help these species survive and co-exist with us. And they can vote on strategies to preserve these species that others have proposed, which is a nice feature.
One unique attribute of Kidscom is the team orientation. Kids are encouraged to join particular teams that have colors and animals associated with them. This promotes both competition among the teams and cooperation with your own team members, who might number in the hundreds of kids. Each week there are new challenges that need to be completed to advance your team's collective ranking.
Another unique aspect of Kidscom is that it has an overarching narrative. You are challenged to "Join the Idea Seekers in their never-ending fight against the Darkness and the Clouds of Chaos." Simple video cartoons advance the story-line and issue you new missions and goals along the way. In this aspect, Kidscom is similar to an MMORPG, except the missions are linked to positive changes in the real world. It's an interesting blend of top-down narrative and open-ended user activity.
All-in-all, I found this initial exploration intriguing and fun. With over 2 million youth members registered, Kidscom is definitely a platform worth exploring for any nonprofit interested in reaching a youth market.
