Mind Candy
Not sinister at all.
Monstro city, the social network frequented by all the coolest kids in the playground, is going mobile and has signed a deal with Gree to deploy at least two games on that platform. UK-based Moshi Monsters is school-yard flavour of the month right now, boasting collectable figurines and a social gaming network which makes …
provided they stay with current policies, something like forever.
"In-game currency is gathered by completing those missions, and various other faux-educational challenges, but Rox (as the currency is now known) can't be bought, for the moment at least."
Even if they are doing the buy a gift card for it in the supermarket thing (as indicated by some other commentards), it's likely to get then in trouble any more then makers of physical goods which kids want.
>is going mobile and has signed a deal with Gree to deploy at least two games on that platform
.... they already have 3 iOS games, also Pengiun Books do their Moshi Books sutff as Apps- and of course there all the Moshi songs in iTunes....
...all good as it happens, but a few more games getting added is not worthy of converage on El Reg really.
both my kids play Moshi Monsters and love it, its also nice that its a closed garden so they can email their cousins but I dont worry to much about overall exposure. All in all as a parent I think its a really good introduction to online behaviour.
But I think you're kidding yourself that you can't buy Rox, the CD came with a token for 1,000 rox - as far as I can see its typical for other merchandise to also have similar offers. Maybe not an online purchase - but pester power in a supermarket can is probably a better sales channel here (under 10's generally dont have their own credit card and its easier to persuade a parent to buy a "thing").
I know I am being a bit of a Luddite here but, in my day, social networking was being down at the park all day (yes under 10) with my playmates. Hiding in bushes, climbing the trees, getting shouted at by the park keeper. I got to speak to my mates face to face, not via some app thingie, hell you had to be posh to even have a phone in your house shared with a neighbour (party lines anyone?).
For goodness sake stop giving kids all the technology and send themout into the wild world and tell them to be home before it gets dark. Never did me any harm *twitches*.
Ive seen Moshi monsters on TV, but Skylanders Spyros Adventure is a much better platform and more enjoyable for the kiddes that Moshi. Plus the figures are nice and they work on all 3 different video game systemsPS3, 360, DS), the RFD chips inside saves your characters stats and attributes. Also i dont want my PC or my phone snatched by my kids to play anything on a SNS site. Too young for that, id rather them program Python or Perl.....