Home.Zwinky.com - PreTeen Virtual World: Cash is Clout

Zwinky is a virtual world for kids and teenagers very much akin to Habbo Hotel. Originally an avatar generating tool, Zwinky has grown into a full out metaworld with friends, habitats, and money to boot. Members can purchase outfits and dress up their avatars using Zbucks which can be purchased with real cold, hard cash or earned on site. $10 will get you about 2,000 Zbucks, so the exchange rate isn't so terrible for the doting parents' pocketbooks. Besides playing dress up, Zwinktopia inhabitants can purchase furnishings for their dorm rooms (which must also be purchased), they can get 50 Cent gear, sponsored by the eponymous rapper himself, or they can simply hangout, chat, and play games. Zwinky's latest feature is a toolbar which among other things, lets kids turn themselves into a 3D image. The toolbar also comes with Smileys from Smiley Central, screensavers, and a search box.

"A World of Fun"

Virtual economies in virtual worlds prove that kids like to spend just as much as their parents. Zwinky already has over 9.5 million registered users with 4.6 million active users spending around an hour a day in Zwinktopia. The site is heavily advertised; it's got sponsorships and product tie ins, and the kids seem to love it.

Will parents pooh-pooh the idea of their kids spending real money in their virtual world? Will the paid for Zbucks work out? The target audience seems a bit unclear, is it for kids, teenagers, or the college crowd?