Gadgets, Games and Gizmos: Welcome to Nicktropolis (must be under age 14 to enter)


There should be a place where kids can join a metaverse and just hangout, kids under the age of 14 that is…and of course Nickelodeon has done it in the form of Nicktropolis.

Now kids can create their own room, play games, watch videos and connect with friends and Nick characters. The metaverse has pre-written messages or Nick Safe Chat to communicate with other kids logged in with “NickNames.”
These are kids in grade school who are now interacting in virtual 3D worlds with each other and with fictitious computer-generated characters from the Nickelodeon cartoon line up.

So…I’m not sure those kids are really going to want to listen to that 45 minute static history lesson or, when they grow up…take that mind-numbing, page-turning e-learning course you developed.


Nickelodeon didn’t blindly jump into this, they did some homework. As indicated in the article It’s a kid’s life in new virtual world

Nickelodeon said a 2006 research study, called “Living in a Digital World,” found that 86 percent of kids aged between eight and 14 were playing games online. More than half of this age group, or 51 percent, were watching TV shows and videos online, 37 percent were instant messaging and 12 percent were participating in chat rooms. “Nicktropolis is built from our knowledge that kids’ interest in social networking is all about gaming,” said Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group in a statement.

As we think of the future of e-learning, we need to consider MMOLEs as the platform that will be used for future formal and informal learning interactions.
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3 Comments

  1. Yolenia December 18, 2007

    I want 2 play a game 2!!!!

  2. Karl Kapp February 7, 2007

    Bart, thanks for the two links, I am familiar with Toon Town (my books played) but not with Club Penguin.

  3. BARTON February 6, 2007

    I’ve come across two others (but for a younger audience):
    Toon Town, Disney’s MMO
    http://play.toontown.com/webHome.php?r=8783&r=16261&r=475928&r=446241

    And club penguin (lots of flash-based mini-games online):
    http://www.clubpenguin.com/

    I’m sure more exist, but these are the online worlds my nieces inhabit.

Karl Kapp
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