This CNET News.com article discusses the booming economic sector of virtual worlds designed with kids in mind. Will this be the next great educational or even business opportunity? Perhaps, but I think success in this sector will belong to the virtual world that has a little more to it than flashy graphics and buddy lists. My kids have played Club Penguin for about 4 months now, and have been enjoying it quite a bit. However, they’d drop it in a flash if they could play Second Life, where the allure of “making things and building” and “flying anywhere we want” awaits. It is an interesting problem, though – With more freedom in worlds like Second Life, you inherently have the problem of more…. well, freedom. How can kids be protected in an open creative environment? Time will tell.
