July 28th, 2008 by Tim Greenhalgh
I picked up on a podcast interview and NMA profile of Habbo’s regional MD Europe, Phil Guest on the re-emergence of virtual worlds. It was for me a timely reminder that “it’s all about the kids”. While I’ve struggled with the adult vworlds, out there are more than 100 child-friendly worlds – and Phil said there were many more on the way as leading brands piled in to create playful spaces to build connections and trust with their young customers. Maybe that’s it – there’s a point to these places FUN!) and users who know how to connect, cluster and make the most of their time there. Phil had no doubts that worlds like Habbo sat on the blurring line between real and virtual that young people understood – and that these worlds were a next step in the development of social networks because they were immersive, playful spaces with meaning beyond connections and self-reference. Look forward to the Feast of the Avatars, coming to a social network near you soon.
Tags: habbo, nma, virtual worlds
