Report: 200 Virtual Worlds for Kids Are Live or In Development

Authored by Jay Baage on January 29, 2009 - 10:21am.

New York - There are now over 200 youth-oriented virtual worlds live, planned, or in active development, according to a new report by Show Initiative, LLC, a provider of trade events and media for virtual worlds and games.

"Looking across the range of worlds available, the majority of virtual worlds monetize their user base with a combination of revenue streams, mixing subscriptions, advertising, and virtual goods sales," said Christopher Sherman, Executive Director of Show Initiative. "Out of those, microtransactions and subscriptions are the most popular, with 59 and 57 worlds using them respectively. Another 46 worlds include advertising in their mix."

"The kids market is the clear leader," said Joey Seiler, editor of VirtualWorldsNews.com. "107 worlds are aiming for at least part of their main audience to fall in the under-7 range. Tweens lead the next bracket with 90 offerings, while teens are still a relative open space with only 78 worlds targeting them. That's a significant change from our last look at the market in August, when tweens led the pack with 88 offerings followed by kids at 72. Teens were then, as now, confronted by the fewest options with 60 worlds."

The report suggests that the monthly subscription model for monetizing these virtual worlds is becoming more popular among the younger crowd, with many children's worlds emphasizing education offerings and parental zones as premium options as opposed to advertising and of course the lack of credit card/payment options for the younger demographic.

Related Links:
http://www.virtualworldsmanagement.com/2009/youth-01-26-2009.html
http://www.VirtualWorldsManagement.com