Virtual Worlds Forum

Most of the virtual worlds for kids are tightly controlled, with restrictions on user-generated content - as you'd expect, given the age of their target audience. However, Shidonni is a new service that takes a different tack - letting kids create their own virtual worlds, create animals for them, and then share them with friends.

Virtual worlds firm Worlds has announced plans to launch a virtual world in partnership with Darryl McDaniels - otherwise known as DMC out of hip-hop pioneers Run DMC. The world will be called DMC World, although that name may run into problems, given that it's already used for a popular DJ online community.

I've mentioned it before, but Summize is a really useful tool to track web buzz about a specific subject, since it's a real-time search engine for micro-blogging service Twitter. As a topical example, I've run a search on Lively, to see what people are saying about Google's new virtual world platform. Below are a snapshot of comments from just the last hour - I haven't selected them out to make Lively look bad - it's pretty much every English-language comment that isn't just a pure link. But it has to be said, Lively doesn't seem to be going down well - for technical gremlins mainly, but also for its lack of Mac support. Read on, it's an instructive snapshot of people's views...

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.

Okay, so the publishing of a logo isn't big news normally, but Lego Universe's is worth covering. Partly because the MMO/virtual world is one of the most hotly anticipated, but also because of the way Lego set about creating the logo, enlisting the help of fans of the brand. The company asked for people to create their own logos for the world and post them on the Lego Universe messageboards, and were inundated with responses. You can see some of them at this post on the subject, which explains more about the thinking process behind the eventual logo.

The big guns of the media world are certainly training their sights on the virtual worlds space, resulting in intense competition between the likes of MTV, Disney and Nickelodeon. Turner subsidiary Cartoon Network is in the fray too, and has just announced a new virtual world developed by its Cartoon Network New Media division. It's called Mini Match, and it's got a clear focus around gaming.

We've seen just a few virtual worlds launch in the last year or two, and a few 3D web browsers too. However, Yoowalk aims to combine the two. It's an intriguing new virtual world launched by a French firm, which also ties in instant messaging clients and avatars.

What to do after trousering $160 million when your first virtual world is bought by Viacom? If you're Neopets founders Adam Powell and Donna Williams, you turn your attention to the pure MMO space, albeit with a twist. The pair have started a new firm, Meteor Games, which is working on an innovative new project.

We've reached the point where companies are launching new projects having to promise they're “not just another virtual world for kids”, hinting at the potential saturation of the market. So, Kiwi Heroes is... not just another virtual world for kids. It's an MMO due for release later this year.

Meez has been around for a while now: it styles itself as a 'social entertainment community', which means more than seven million people creating 3D avatars, playing casual games, and generally interacting with each other. Earlier this month, the company launched a dedicated virtual world, Meez Nation, with several virtual neighbourhoods for users to explore, while customising their own 'Roomz'. We put some questions to VP of marketing Michael Lehman to find out more.

The exciting thing about the emerging social games space (think Facebook applications) is that these new games don't have to follow the same structures and design blueprints of existing video games. Indeed, some of the most successful - Friends For Sale or Fluff Friends for example - aren't 'games' in the traditionally understood sense. Another Facebook hit in this vein is Human Pets, which lets people have, yes, humans as pets.

Japanese firm Eitarosoft has revealed that its Lamity mobile virtual world is being preloaded on several handsets being sold by operator NTT DoCoMo. They include phones from Sony, Sharp and NEC that are part of DoCoMo's 906i series. The world is also being ported to Google's Android operating system.

We've said it before: there's a huge potential crossover between virtual worlds and casual gaming, and several startups looking to make the most of it. One such is US firm FlowPlay, which launched its beta ourWorld virtual world in April. The company has just announced that it's signed up more than 100,000 users, with returning players logging more than 200,000 hours in the world, with the average user spending an hour a day in the site.

Two news stories on football-themed MMOs has made me wonder about the opportunities and challenges in that space, given that there's clearly plenty of investment in them. CyberSports' Football Superstars MMO (pictured), which is due to launch later this year, has just announced a deal to include Vivox' voice chat technology in the game. Meanwhile, it'll face competition from Interzone Futebol, which is the work of a company named Interzone, and also due to launch by the end of the year.

The BBC has been a big supporter of virtual worlds in the UK, not least with its Adventure Rock world, which has been high-profile in recent months. It seems the area will continue to be a priority for the UK broadcaster, judging by its annual programme policy statement (PDF link)