Whyville

Whyville is a virtual world where kids play games, hang out, and interact with each other. Kids provide their birth month and year, and a parent's email address, and then create an avatar, username, and password to begin. There's a lot to explore in Whyville: Most games are science-related, though some have art or career education themes. Some games require multiple players, whereas others can be played solo. Kids earn "clams," Whyville's currency, to buy more features for their avatars, build houses, buy cars, and more. Kids can also purchase clams, or pearls, with real money. There's an event calendar, a Whyville government, and much, much more. 

Overall, Whyville is a fun place to be, where kids can immerse themselves in an intricate and complicated fantasy world. There's a lot to do here but there's little guidance, which makes it potentially overwhelming, confusing, and quite easy to get lost. There are interesting opportunities to interact in virtual government, manage bank accounts, care for pets, and many more opportunities to practice responsible citizenship. 

There are three main aspects to consider about the Whyville experience: games, social features, and citizenship –- all of which are a mixed bag. Many games are designed by respected organizations and uniquely explore science topics. However, many games are also complicated and poorly explained, so kids may get frustrated. There are some good guidelines to keep social interactions and chats safe and welcoming, but user feedback indicates that these measures don't always work. There are interesting opportunities to interact in virtual government, manage bank accounts, and care for pets, and many more opportunities to practice responsible citizenship. Unfortunately, there's a lot of advertising through corporate sponsorships, and a major emphasis on earning (or buying) clams and buying pearls to purchase as much as possible, which contributes to a highly commercialized and materialistic environment.