The appeal of virtual worlds for youth is nothing new. What does the future hold for the next generation of consumers?
Many of these activities are based around gaming – e.g. Club Penguin (Disney’s $700m acquisition), Neopets (owned by MTV), Niktropolis (Nickelodeon) and Webkinz
Disney has recently announced that it will open up its DGamer site aimed at younger consumers to facilitate social networking around titles such as Prince Caspian.
According to research firm eMarketer, 12 million kids between ages 3 and 17 will regularly access virtual worlds this year. The firm expects that figure to rise to 20 million by 2011.
WashingtonPost reports that Disney plans to include the virtual world’s software with all of its upcoming games for the Nintendo DS. There are no subscription fees; the company sees DGamer as a way of building consumer loyalty among its young fans.
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