Another day, another new virtual world aimed at kids. This one's called Revnjenz, and its focus is on cars. To be specific, users buy 'collectible driver's licences' in real-world stores, which give them access to the Revnjenz virtual world.
The site claims to be targeted at boys and girls equally, with the slightly cheeky claim that “Virtual Plush may now be a thing of the past, as it’s time to get into something fast!”. The model is similar to the many virtual worlds linked to physical plush toys though: buying one of the licences gives you a code, which you enter in the Revnjenz website to unlock a virtual car.
It seems part MMO and part virtual world, with races and games to play. There’s a virtual currency, of course - here it’s BoostBucks that can be earned, and then spent on upgrading the cars with new engines, wheels, neon kits, turbos, superchargers, body kits and decals. Zones to visit in the world include the Arcade, Academy, Police Station, Raceway, Gas Station, Performance Garage and Repair Shop.
The Academy is interesting - it’s got more educational games to play, with the aim of winning parents’ approval of their kids’ use of the world. The Revnjenz licences are due on sale either in late summer or early autumn this year. My one question is that the whole idea of street-racing and car-pimping might be more appealing to an older audience than kids - it sounds quite petrolheady. Then again, I guess any kids who’ve been playing console games like the Need For Speed series will be well versed in this kind of thing. But would they rather play online versions of that?
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