Which MMOs are Kid-Safe? A Parents Guide to Massively Multiplayer Games
There is no shortage of Massively Multiplayer Online games for adults, with titles like Age of Conan, World of Warcraft, Star Trek Online, and City of Heroes. While its great that adults have a nice selection of options for their gaming dollar, what about children? Most adults would rather not have their kids playing Age of Conan, which depicts half-naked women and copious amounts of beheadings and severed limbs.
Graphic depictions of violence are only one aspect of MMOs that may concern parents, while others may be far more worried about language and predatory adults with too much time on their hands. What you will find below is a list of current MMOs that are kid-friendly. In all cases, these games were built for kids and will offer as safe a gaming environment as you can hope to have on the Internet. Nothing is perfect and no system is fool-proof, so active parental monitoring is always a good thing. Games appear in order of popularity.
The most popular MMO with kids is Poptropica. Best of all, its free, though you can buy your child credits for the purchasing of special items. Kids can create their own character, known as a Poptropican, and travel across islands. Players will use problem-solving skills as they uncover various mysteries, explore new areas, acquire digital comic books, watch movies and even compete in head-to-head competitions with other kids.
For kids between the ages of 6-13+, Webkinz is a commercial venture that ties into an existing toy-line, so know going in that you’re dealing with a gateway drug, i.e., play the game and find your kid asking for a real-life Webkinz toy. Commercialism aside, kids really enjoy Webkinz, a virtual world where they can adopt and care for pets, take part in fun activities and even decorate their own home.
RuneScape has been around for what seems like forever, boasting a mammoth player base and huge game world for kids to explore. RuneScape is more like a traditional MMO, presented from a top-down perspective. While kids under 9 may be in over their heads, older kids will find Runescape to be a great bridge to more difficult games like World of Warcraft. RuneScape is highly addictive and has a sizable adult player base. Fortunately, you can have the chat feature of RuneScape disabled until you child turns 13 years of age.
Club Penguin is published by Disney, so you know you’re in good hands right from the start. Kids will find a wide-range of activities in Club Penguin and parents can set chat limitation and amount of play time per day, ensuring your kid gets the old homework done.
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