Club Penguin is an online world for kids, populated by colorful animated penguins, where they can safely play games, have fun, and interact. Visitors can choose a penguin, give it an identity and explore, interacting with other penguins by chatting, text messaging, playing games and sending greeting cards. Players can also use icons to express their emotions and have their penguin perform actions such as waving, dancing, or throwing a snowball.
Players are strongly encouraged to play fair and protect themselves, and those who engage in inappropriate behavior can be silenced or banned. When parents register their child for Club Penguin, they can choose from two different levels of chat. Ultimate Safe Chat users communicate by choosing from a predefined menu of greetings, questions, statements, emotes, and actions. Standard Safe Chat allows users to type their own messages, which go through a sophisticated filter system that blocks inappropriate or questionable words, phrases, codes, or threads of conversation.
Club Penguin is designed for ages 8 to14 but is open to children of all ages. Registration is free, but if your kid wants to decorate his penguin’s igloo or use other advanced features on the site, you’ll need to pay a $5.95 monthly membership. Club Penguin doesn’t require downloading so it can be played with any kind of Internet connection.
“As parents and Internet specialists, New Horizon's owners wanted to develop a place they’d be comfortable letting their own kids visit. The Club Penguin team got to work, consulting with educators, law enforcement representatives and other parents, doing extensive research into online safety, and conducting widespread testing. Word quickly spread, mainly due to great reviews from users and parents impressed by the quality of the games, activities and security functions. In March 2006, Club Penguin was showcased on Miniclip, the world’s largest online game site. Since then, Club Penguin has become the number one game on Miniclip with an audience of more than four million active players. In light of Club Penguin’s incredible success, its founders continue to focus on the three key areas of fun, safety and service. Eighty per cent of Club Penguin’s staff is made up of safety personnel and moderators, many of whom are parents.”
Club Penguin was developed by parents looking for a fun and safe place for their own kids, so providing parents with peace of mind has been a priority for them since day one. In fact, an international consulting firm that trains police in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom is touting Club Penguin as a fun and safe online experience for children. The site has already experienced great success and their potential market is huge: there are some 28.5 million kids between the ages of 8 and 14 in the United States, according to emarketer.com. Club Penguin is completely funded by subscriptions so there is no advertising or marketing of any kind revealing their ongoing commitment to protecting its young users.
How will Club Penguin compete as a new site designed for the young demographic seems to pop up nearly every day? Club Penguin has entered a competitive and crowded market. Web sites like Club Penguin have introduced social networking to children, is this form of kids’ online community going to make a huge impact?
