Virtual pet site
Encyclopedia
A virtual pet website, virtual pet site or VPS is a website on which users interact with a browser-based virtual pet. A virtual pet site is typically based within a virtual world
for users to explore (for example, see ), often consisting of a virtual currency
, game items and minigame
s. A virtual pet site may also take the form of a browser-based
massively multiplayer online game (MMO)
, in which users are able to battle their pets with other player's pets, as well as trade and auction game items to other players. Additionally, virtual pet sites may offer sociability features such as discussion forums
, private messaging
, art galleries and social groups. For this reason, some virtual pet sites have been regarded as a type of social networking site, such as Subeta and Moshi Monsters.
to on external websites. This format typically does not include a virtual world. The virtual pet is usually given a webpage on which its graphic and its stats
are shown and the virtual pet may be affected by users who visit this webpage. For example, in Dragon Cave virtual dragons grow and develop based on other user's visits to the pet's homepage. The advantage of this format is the relative simplicity its implementation.
Another approach is to have real-world products linked to an online service. For example, Webkinz
provide a code with plush toys which they sell as merchandise. Using this code, users can access an online service which provides them with an online representation of their plush toy in the form of a virtual pet. This virtual pet representation of the plush toy can hence take on an distinct appearance and behavior. Finally, the virtual pet site may include the experience of a virtual world. In this format, virtual pets typically only reside in the virtual world and may not have any representation outside of the virtual pet website.
Fishferous offers a unique gameplay to their user with their virtual live aquarium. One of these virtual fish can survive for only five days before they starve, making it important for players to frequently visit the site and check on the health of their fish.
for players to explore. The setting of the virtual world influences the appearance and nature of the virtual pets that inhabit it. For example, AdoptMe has a real-world setting in which the pets are based on real-world animals. Conversely, Khimeros has a fantasy setting in which unusual and disparate pet species, though based loosely on real-world animals, can be interbred to create new cross-breed species.
Commonly, the game will present players with a scene depicting various regions of the world, often in the form of a map. Players navigate through the virtual world by clicking on different parts of the scene, allowing them to visit game item shops and non-player characters (NPCs)
. To maintain the player's interest, each region is often designed based on a particular theme. These scenes are normally created using image maps due to their ease of implementation and wide compatibility, however, technologies such as Adobe Flash Player
may also be used (for example, see ).
As with most virtual worlds, an in-game virtual currency
is common in virtual pet sites. Typically, this currency is earned by playing minigame
s or trading items. In the case of MMO
virtual pet sites, an in-game currency adds competitiveness to the gaming experience. As a result of virtual currency and item trading, a virtual economy
typically emerges in virtual pet sites. Virtual items are purchased from NPC
-controlled shops, which restock periodically. The act of purchasing items from NPC shops and reselling them at a higher price is an important activity for sourcing currency on some virtual pet sites, though may also increase mudflation
(the inflation rate of virtual currency). Some virtual pet sites such as Neopets
, Marapets and Petnebula include a virtual stock market, in which users may invest in fictitious stocks. Typically, users are limited in how many stocks they may purchase in a day to decrease mudflation
. A virtual bank is also a common feature, in which users can deposit currency and gain interest on it over time.
Where a virtual world is present, the virtual pet is often imbued with stats
or attributes
. These attributes improve the virtual pet's ability to compete in battles with opponents or other players' pets within the virtual world. The motivation for players to enhance their pet's attributes is hence a key goal in the game. These stats may also determine the pet's wellbeing. For example, the virtual pet site PsyPets uses pet attributes correlating with Maslow's hierarchy of needs
, such as hunger, safety, love and esteem. Furthermore, pets can often be equipped with items to enhance their stats. Items may also alter the appearance of pets, which give an aesthetic appeal in order to encourage a player to acquire such items.
Other virtual world features may include:
, private messaging and instant messaging
. Players may be able to create or join groups with common interests, with each group often having its own discussion forum. Due to the large focus many virtual pet sites place on sociability features, virtual pet sites such as Neopets
and Moshi Monsters
have been referred to as social networking sites. Some virtual pets have also been integrated into unaffiliated social networking sites such as Facebook
, as in the case of Happy Aquarium, (fluff)Friends and Super Poke Pets.
Another aspect to virtual pet site community features is user-generated content
. For example, Neopets
allows users to contribute fan fiction
set within the virtual world, which are then published in the virtual world's newspaper. Furthermore, Neopets players may participate their pets in a "beauty contest", which involves users submitting artwork depicting their pets.
s, sometimes numbering in the hundreds. As of 9 March 2011, Marapets has 151 games. Neopets
claims to have over 1000 games. However, many of these games have been moved to "games graveyard" to eventually be discontinued, having been declared obsolete or replaced by a new version of the game. Minigames typically offer rewards in the form of virtual currency or items as an incentive to play them and as a source of currency. Neopets
also include a scoreboard and allows users to complete for trophies and virtual currency rewards for placing highest on the score table for the day on a particular game.
Frequent choices of technology for minigames include Flash
, Shockwave, PHP
and JavaScript
. Since the virtual pet site itself is often implemented in PHP and JavaScript, it is often more economical to also use these technologies in the development of minigames. Furthermore, such technologies are more widely supported since they require no browser plug-ins. Various pet sites often offer template-based flash games. These games are purchased from independent developers and the graphics and captions are altered to meet their needs. Larger pet sites such as Neopets
, Marapets or Subeta developed their flash games in-house , often resulting in a more unique game play.
The types of games themselves can include side-scrolling games, puzzle games, chance games as well as short role-playing games (RPGs)
. The games of chance, however, have been met with some controversy. In 2007, Neopets
received bad publicity after a parent complained about gambling games on the site, referring to the games of chance designed after slot machines, scratch cards and playing card games. Some sites also include a virtual stock market
, in which users earn virtual currency by trading in fictitious stocks with fluctuating prices. Finally, virtual pet sites may offer multi-player minigames, often realized by using Flash
, which users can competitively or cooperatively play together. As a part of their revenue model, Neopets
offer advertisers the opportunity to promote their products by commissioning "sponsor games", which are themed around the client's product. Some products and companies advertised using this method include Tamagotchi
, Wal-Mart
, Cocoa Puffs
, and Pepsi
. Users are provided virtual currency
for playing these games as an incentive.
and advertising
. Digital content models generate income from the sale of special virtual items or currency. Subscription models
such as the one used on Neopets
grant users perks, including additional items and currency, removal of advertising or access to services which enhance gameplay. In these subscription models
, basic site content is free for all registered users, with subscribers usually gaining strategic advantage over non-subscribing players. Moshi Monsters
uses a freemium
business model
, in which basic content is free, but users are pushed to pay for a subscription. However, some sites such as FooPets require monthly subscriptions for all site content and offer no free services.
Virtual pets sites with free content are usually supported by advertising. Although conventional banner advertising is common, the gaming aspect of the website offers the opportunity to embed advertising directly into the game. For example, Neopets
embed items, games and other content modeled after paying advertisers' products and services directly into the gaming experience (see Neopets immersive advertising).
Virtual pet sites may also generate income from the sale of merchandise. Websites such as Neopets
and Moshi Monsters
sell associated merchandise designed after their game's content, typically the virtual pets themselves. Neopets furthermore provides promotion codes with their merchandise, which can be entered into the virtual pet site to grant perks such in-game items. Webkinz
, on the other hand, sells plush toys with codes to be used on their website in order to create a virtual representation of the toy in the form of a virtual pet. Hence, digital content is awarded in the virtual world with real-world purchases or vice versa, resulting in a mixed revenue model.
was bought out by Viacom
for an amount of $160 million. Moshi Monsters
developer Mind Candy
announced on February 26, 2009 that is had exceeded 15 million players and in July, 2009 Mind Candy
CEO, Michael Smith, stated that its revenue was "several hundred thousand pounds per month". On 28 October 2010, their number of registered accounts exceeded 29 million and had projected sales of $100 million for 2011.
The success behind virtual pet sites may be partially due to the young age group that virtual pet sites attract, a target audience that is typically difficult to reach. However, some criticism has come from concerned parents and consumer groups as to the advertising and business models and used on virtual pet sites aimed at children. For example, Neopets
has been criticized for its use of Pepsi
and McDonalds advertising embedded directly into the game. In the Neopets mini-game Pepsi World, although no longer playable on the site, users had to serve customers "delicious Pepsi in order to keep them happy".
Virtual pet sites are not necessarily aimed exclusively at younger age groups, however. For example, both Khimeros and Aywas attempt to attract older players by stating it is aimed at older teens and adults. FooMojo CEO, Ron Hornbaker, has stated that their 85% women audience for the Facebook game Pokey! (now called FooPets!) consist of the 18-45 age group.
Virtual world
A virtual world is an online community that takes the form of a computer-based simulated environment through which users can interact with one another and use and create objects. The term has become largely synonymous with interactive 3D virtual environments, where the users take the form of...
for users to explore (for example, see ), often consisting of a virtual currency
Virtual currency
Virtual currency is used to purchase virtual goods within a variety of online communities; which include social networking websites, virtual worlds and online gaming sites....
, game items and minigame
Minigame
A minigame is a short video game often contained within another video game. A minigame is always smaller or more simplistic than the game in which it is contained. Minigames are sometimes also offered separately for free to promote the main game...
s. A virtual pet site may also take the form of a browser-based
Browser game
A browser game is a computer game that is played over the Internet using a web browser. Browser games can be created and run using standard web technologies or browser plug-ins. Browser games include all video game genres and can be single-player or multiplayer...
massively multiplayer online game (MMO)
Massively multiplayer online game
A massively multiplayer online game is a multiplayer video game which is capable of supporting hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously. By necessity, they are played on the Internet, and usually feature at least one persistent world. They are, however, not necessarily games played on...
, in which users are able to battle their pets with other player's pets, as well as trade and auction game items to other players. Additionally, virtual pet sites may offer sociability features such as discussion forums
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
, private messaging
Personal message
A personal message or private message, often shortened to PM, is like an e-mail sent from one user to another user on an Internet forum, bulletin board system, social networking site , or chat room ....
, art galleries and social groups. For this reason, some virtual pet sites have been regarded as a type of social networking site, such as Subeta and Moshi Monsters.
Gameplay
Virtual pet web sites differ from the virtual pets represented on digital devices or on desktop software due to their ability to be accessed from any location without the necessity of having installed software or a physical component. Virtual pet sites may hence take on one of several formats. Firstly, virtual pets may be represented by a graphic for which users may create a hyperlinkHyperlink
In computing, a hyperlink is a reference to data that the reader can directly follow, or that is followed automatically. A hyperlink points to a whole document or to a specific element within a document. Hypertext is text with hyperlinks...
to on external websites. This format typically does not include a virtual world. The virtual pet is usually given a webpage on which its graphic and its stats
Statistic (role-playing games)
A statistic in role-playing games is a piece of data which represents a particular aspect of a fictional character. That piece of data is usually a integer or, in some cases, a set of dice....
are shown and the virtual pet may be affected by users who visit this webpage. For example, in Dragon Cave virtual dragons grow and develop based on other user's visits to the pet's homepage. The advantage of this format is the relative simplicity its implementation.
Another approach is to have real-world products linked to an online service. For example, Webkinz
Webkinz
Webkinz are toy stuffed animals that were originally released by the Canadian Ganz company on April 29, 2005. The toys are similar to many other small plush toys, however, each Webkinz toy has an attached tag with a unique "Secret Code" printed on it that allows access to the "Webkinz World" website...
provide a code with plush toys which they sell as merchandise. Using this code, users can access an online service which provides them with an online representation of their plush toy in the form of a virtual pet. This virtual pet representation of the plush toy can hence take on an distinct appearance and behavior. Finally, the virtual pet site may include the experience of a virtual world. In this format, virtual pets typically only reside in the virtual world and may not have any representation outside of the virtual pet website.
Fishferous offers a unique gameplay to their user with their virtual live aquarium. One of these virtual fish can survive for only five days before they starve, making it important for players to frequently visit the site and check on the health of their fish.
Virtual world
Many virtual pets sites include a virtual worldVirtual world
A virtual world is an online community that takes the form of a computer-based simulated environment through which users can interact with one another and use and create objects. The term has become largely synonymous with interactive 3D virtual environments, where the users take the form of...
for players to explore. The setting of the virtual world influences the appearance and nature of the virtual pets that inhabit it. For example, AdoptMe has a real-world setting in which the pets are based on real-world animals. Conversely, Khimeros has a fantasy setting in which unusual and disparate pet species, though based loosely on real-world animals, can be interbred to create new cross-breed species.
Commonly, the game will present players with a scene depicting various regions of the world, often in the form of a map. Players navigate through the virtual world by clicking on different parts of the scene, allowing them to visit game item shops and non-player characters (NPCs)
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
. To maintain the player's interest, each region is often designed based on a particular theme. These scenes are normally created using image maps due to their ease of implementation and wide compatibility, however, technologies such as Adobe Flash Player
Adobe Flash Player
The Adobe Flash Player is software for viewing multimedia, Rich Internet Applications and streaming video and audio, on a computer web browser or on supported mobile devices. Flash Player runs SWF files that can be created by the Adobe Flash authoring tool, by Adobe Flex or by a number of other...
may also be used (for example, see ).
As with most virtual worlds, an in-game virtual currency
Virtual currency
Virtual currency is used to purchase virtual goods within a variety of online communities; which include social networking websites, virtual worlds and online gaming sites....
is common in virtual pet sites. Typically, this currency is earned by playing minigame
Minigame
A minigame is a short video game often contained within another video game. A minigame is always smaller or more simplistic than the game in which it is contained. Minigames are sometimes also offered separately for free to promote the main game...
s or trading items. In the case of MMO
Massively multiplayer online game
A massively multiplayer online game is a multiplayer video game which is capable of supporting hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously. By necessity, they are played on the Internet, and usually feature at least one persistent world. They are, however, not necessarily games played on...
virtual pet sites, an in-game currency adds competitiveness to the gaming experience. As a result of virtual currency and item trading, a virtual economy
Virtual economy
A virtual economy is an emergent economy existing in a virtual persistent world, usually exchanging virtual goods in the context of an Internet game...
typically emerges in virtual pet sites. Virtual items are purchased from NPC
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
-controlled shops, which restock periodically. The act of purchasing items from NPC shops and reselling them at a higher price is an important activity for sourcing currency on some virtual pet sites, though may also increase mudflation
Mudflation
Mudflation, from MUD and inflation, is an economic issue that exists only in massively multiplayer online games. Mudflation occurs when future additions to a game causes previously acquired resources to decline in value...
(the inflation rate of virtual currency). Some virtual pet sites such as Neopets
Neopets
Neopets is a virtual pet website that was launched by Adam Powell and Donna Williams on November 15, 1999. Two years after the web site was launched, Adam Powell and Donna Williams sold a majority share to a consortium of investors led by Doug Dohring. On June 20, 2005, Viacom bought Neopets, Inc...
, Marapets and Petnebula include a virtual stock market, in which users may invest in fictitious stocks. Typically, users are limited in how many stocks they may purchase in a day to decrease mudflation
Mudflation
Mudflation, from MUD and inflation, is an economic issue that exists only in massively multiplayer online games. Mudflation occurs when future additions to a game causes previously acquired resources to decline in value...
. A virtual bank is also a common feature, in which users can deposit currency and gain interest on it over time.
Where a virtual world is present, the virtual pet is often imbued with stats
Statistic (role-playing games)
A statistic in role-playing games is a piece of data which represents a particular aspect of a fictional character. That piece of data is usually a integer or, in some cases, a set of dice....
or attributes
Attribute (role-playing games)
An attribute is a piece of data that describes to what extent a fictional character in a role-playing game possesses a specific natural, in-born characteristic common to all characters in the game. That piece of data is usually an abstract number or, in some cases, a set of dice...
. These attributes improve the virtual pet's ability to compete in battles with opponents or other players' pets within the virtual world. The motivation for players to enhance their pet's attributes is hence a key goal in the game. These stats may also determine the pet's wellbeing. For example, the virtual pet site PsyPets uses pet attributes correlating with Maslow's hierarchy of needs
Maslow's hierarchy of needs
Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory in psychology, proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation. Maslow subsequently extended the idea to include his observations of humans' innate curiosity...
, such as hunger, safety, love and esteem. Furthermore, pets can often be equipped with items to enhance their stats. Items may also alter the appearance of pets, which give an aesthetic appeal in order to encourage a player to acquire such items.
Other virtual world features may include:
- User-designed houses in which to keep pets and items.
- Breeding of pets, often with the pets of other players.
- Creating user-controlled shops with which to sell items to other players.
- Quests, which often involve the delivering items to a non-player characterNon-player characterA non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
. - Item crafting, which involves combining items to creating new ones.
- Customizing or clothing human-like avatarsAvatar (computing)In computing, an avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user's alter ego or character. It may take either a three-dimensional form, as in games or virtual worlds, or a two-dimensional form as an icon in Internet forums and other online communities. It can also refer to a text...
. - Battling pets with one another.
Community
Typically, a virtual pet site will offer an array of community features, including discussion forumsInternet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
, private messaging and instant messaging
Instant messaging
Instant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet...
. Players may be able to create or join groups with common interests, with each group often having its own discussion forum. Due to the large focus many virtual pet sites place on sociability features, virtual pet sites such as Neopets
Neopets
Neopets is a virtual pet website that was launched by Adam Powell and Donna Williams on November 15, 1999. Two years after the web site was launched, Adam Powell and Donna Williams sold a majority share to a consortium of investors led by Doug Dohring. On June 20, 2005, Viacom bought Neopets, Inc...
and Moshi Monsters
Moshi Monsters
Moshi Monsters is a social networking online game and virtual pet site targeted at children aged 7 to 12. The player adopts and cares for a pet monster, solving puzzles which lead to rewards called rox; these can be used as currency to buy items for the adopted monster, such as clothing, food, and...
have been referred to as social networking sites. Some virtual pets have also been integrated into unaffiliated social networking sites such as Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
, as in the case of Happy Aquarium, (fluff)Friends and Super Poke Pets.
Another aspect to virtual pet site community features is user-generated content
User-generated content
User generated content covers a range of media content available in a range of modern communications technologies. It entered mainstream usage during 2005 having arisen in web publishing and new media content production circles...
. For example, Neopets
Neopets
Neopets is a virtual pet website that was launched by Adam Powell and Donna Williams on November 15, 1999. Two years after the web site was launched, Adam Powell and Donna Williams sold a majority share to a consortium of investors led by Doug Dohring. On June 20, 2005, Viacom bought Neopets, Inc...
allows users to contribute fan fiction
Fan fiction
Fan fiction is a broadly-defined term for fan labor regarding stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator...
set within the virtual world, which are then published in the virtual world's newspaper. Furthermore, Neopets players may participate their pets in a "beauty contest", which involves users submitting artwork depicting their pets.
Games
Most virtual pet sites include minigameMinigame
A minigame is a short video game often contained within another video game. A minigame is always smaller or more simplistic than the game in which it is contained. Minigames are sometimes also offered separately for free to promote the main game...
s, sometimes numbering in the hundreds. As of 9 March 2011, Marapets has 151 games. Neopets
Neopets
Neopets is a virtual pet website that was launched by Adam Powell and Donna Williams on November 15, 1999. Two years after the web site was launched, Adam Powell and Donna Williams sold a majority share to a consortium of investors led by Doug Dohring. On June 20, 2005, Viacom bought Neopets, Inc...
claims to have over 1000 games. However, many of these games have been moved to "games graveyard" to eventually be discontinued, having been declared obsolete or replaced by a new version of the game. Minigames typically offer rewards in the form of virtual currency or items as an incentive to play them and as a source of currency. Neopets
Neopets
Neopets is a virtual pet website that was launched by Adam Powell and Donna Williams on November 15, 1999. Two years after the web site was launched, Adam Powell and Donna Williams sold a majority share to a consortium of investors led by Doug Dohring. On June 20, 2005, Viacom bought Neopets, Inc...
also include a scoreboard and allows users to complete for trophies and virtual currency rewards for placing highest on the score table for the day on a particular game.
Frequent choices of technology for minigames include Flash
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
, Shockwave, PHP
PHP
PHP is a general-purpose server-side scripting language originally designed for web development to produce dynamic web pages. For this purpose, PHP code is embedded into the HTML source document and interpreted by a web server with a PHP processor module, which generates the web page document...
and JavaScript
JavaScript
JavaScript is a prototype-based scripting language that is dynamic, weakly typed and has first-class functions. It is a multi-paradigm language, supporting object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming styles....
. Since the virtual pet site itself is often implemented in PHP and JavaScript, it is often more economical to also use these technologies in the development of minigames. Furthermore, such technologies are more widely supported since they require no browser plug-ins. Various pet sites often offer template-based flash games. These games are purchased from independent developers and the graphics and captions are altered to meet their needs. Larger pet sites such as Neopets
Neopets
Neopets is a virtual pet website that was launched by Adam Powell and Donna Williams on November 15, 1999. Two years after the web site was launched, Adam Powell and Donna Williams sold a majority share to a consortium of investors led by Doug Dohring. On June 20, 2005, Viacom bought Neopets, Inc...
, Marapets or Subeta developed their flash games in-house , often resulting in a more unique game play.
The types of games themselves can include side-scrolling games, puzzle games, chance games as well as short role-playing games (RPGs)
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
. The games of chance, however, have been met with some controversy. In 2007, Neopets
Neopets
Neopets is a virtual pet website that was launched by Adam Powell and Donna Williams on November 15, 1999. Two years after the web site was launched, Adam Powell and Donna Williams sold a majority share to a consortium of investors led by Doug Dohring. On June 20, 2005, Viacom bought Neopets, Inc...
received bad publicity after a parent complained about gambling games on the site, referring to the games of chance designed after slot machines, scratch cards and playing card games. Some sites also include a virtual stock market
Stock market simulator
A stock market simulator is a program or application that attempts to reproduce or duplicate some or all features of a live stock market on a computer so that a player may practice trading stocks without financial risk.- Types :...
, in which users earn virtual currency by trading in fictitious stocks with fluctuating prices. Finally, virtual pet sites may offer multi-player minigames, often realized by using Flash
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
, which users can competitively or cooperatively play together. As a part of their revenue model, Neopets
Neopets
Neopets is a virtual pet website that was launched by Adam Powell and Donna Williams on November 15, 1999. Two years after the web site was launched, Adam Powell and Donna Williams sold a majority share to a consortium of investors led by Doug Dohring. On June 20, 2005, Viacom bought Neopets, Inc...
offer advertisers the opportunity to promote their products by commissioning "sponsor games", which are themed around the client's product. Some products and companies advertised using this method include Tamagotchi
Tamagotchi
The is a handheld digital pet, created in Japan by Akihiro Yokoi of WiZ and Aki Maita of Bandai. It was first sold by Bandai in 1996 in Japan. As of 2010, over 76 million Tamagotchis have been sold world-wide...
, Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
, Cocoa Puffs
Cocoa Puffs
Cocoa Puffs is a brand of chocolate-flavored puffed grain breakfast cereal, manufactured by General Mills. Introduced in 1958, the cereal consists of small orbs of corn, oats and rice that have been flavored with cocoa. Essentially, Cocoa Puffs are Kix cereal with added chocolate flavoring...
, and Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
. Users are provided virtual currency
Virtual currency
Virtual currency is used to purchase virtual goods within a variety of online communities; which include social networking websites, virtual worlds and online gaming sites....
for playing these games as an incentive.
Business models
Virtual pet sites offer a number of business models, rather than only unit sales offered by alternate virtual pet products. The business models employed by virtual pet sites include digital content, subscription-basedSubscription business model
The subscription business model is a business model where a customer must pay a subscription price to have access to the product/service. The model was pioneered by magazines and newspapers, but is now used by many businesses and websites....
and advertising
Online advertising
Online advertising is a form of promotion that uses the Internet and World Wide Web to deliver marketing messages to attract customers. Examples of online advertising include contextual ads on search engine results pages, banner ads, blogs, Rich Media Ads, Social network advertising, interstitial...
. Digital content models generate income from the sale of special virtual items or currency. Subscription models
Subscription business model
The subscription business model is a business model where a customer must pay a subscription price to have access to the product/service. The model was pioneered by magazines and newspapers, but is now used by many businesses and websites....
such as the one used on Neopets
Neopets
Neopets is a virtual pet website that was launched by Adam Powell and Donna Williams on November 15, 1999. Two years after the web site was launched, Adam Powell and Donna Williams sold a majority share to a consortium of investors led by Doug Dohring. On June 20, 2005, Viacom bought Neopets, Inc...
grant users perks, including additional items and currency, removal of advertising or access to services which enhance gameplay. In these subscription models
Subscription business model
The subscription business model is a business model where a customer must pay a subscription price to have access to the product/service. The model was pioneered by magazines and newspapers, but is now used by many businesses and websites....
, basic site content is free for all registered users, with subscribers usually gaining strategic advantage over non-subscribing players. Moshi Monsters
Moshi Monsters
Moshi Monsters is a social networking online game and virtual pet site targeted at children aged 7 to 12. The player adopts and cares for a pet monster, solving puzzles which lead to rewards called rox; these can be used as currency to buy items for the adopted monster, such as clothing, food, and...
uses a freemium
Freemium
Freemium is a business model that works by offering a product or service free of charge while charging a premium for advanced features, functionality, or related products and services...
business model
Business model
A business model describes the rationale of how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value...
, in which basic content is free, but users are pushed to pay for a subscription. However, some sites such as FooPets require monthly subscriptions for all site content and offer no free services.
Virtual pets sites with free content are usually supported by advertising. Although conventional banner advertising is common, the gaming aspect of the website offers the opportunity to embed advertising directly into the game. For example, Neopets
Neopets
Neopets is a virtual pet website that was launched by Adam Powell and Donna Williams on November 15, 1999. Two years after the web site was launched, Adam Powell and Donna Williams sold a majority share to a consortium of investors led by Doug Dohring. On June 20, 2005, Viacom bought Neopets, Inc...
embed items, games and other content modeled after paying advertisers' products and services directly into the gaming experience (see Neopets immersive advertising).
Virtual pet sites may also generate income from the sale of merchandise. Websites such as Neopets
Neopets
Neopets is a virtual pet website that was launched by Adam Powell and Donna Williams on November 15, 1999. Two years after the web site was launched, Adam Powell and Donna Williams sold a majority share to a consortium of investors led by Doug Dohring. On June 20, 2005, Viacom bought Neopets, Inc...
and Moshi Monsters
Moshi Monsters
Moshi Monsters is a social networking online game and virtual pet site targeted at children aged 7 to 12. The player adopts and cares for a pet monster, solving puzzles which lead to rewards called rox; these can be used as currency to buy items for the adopted monster, such as clothing, food, and...
sell associated merchandise designed after their game's content, typically the virtual pets themselves. Neopets furthermore provides promotion codes with their merchandise, which can be entered into the virtual pet site to grant perks such in-game items. Webkinz
Webkinz
Webkinz are toy stuffed animals that were originally released by the Canadian Ganz company on April 29, 2005. The toys are similar to many other small plush toys, however, each Webkinz toy has an attached tag with a unique "Secret Code" printed on it that allows access to the "Webkinz World" website...
, on the other hand, sells plush toys with codes to be used on their website in order to create a virtual representation of the toy in the form of a virtual pet. Hence, digital content is awarded in the virtual world with real-world purchases or vice versa, resulting in a mixed revenue model.
Popularity
A number of virtual pet site have become a commercial success. On June 20, 2005, NeopetsNeopets
Neopets is a virtual pet website that was launched by Adam Powell and Donna Williams on November 15, 1999. Two years after the web site was launched, Adam Powell and Donna Williams sold a majority share to a consortium of investors led by Doug Dohring. On June 20, 2005, Viacom bought Neopets, Inc...
was bought out by Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
for an amount of $160 million. Moshi Monsters
Moshi Monsters
Moshi Monsters is a social networking online game and virtual pet site targeted at children aged 7 to 12. The player adopts and cares for a pet monster, solving puzzles which lead to rewards called rox; these can be used as currency to buy items for the adopted monster, such as clothing, food, and...
developer Mind Candy
Mind Candy
Mind Candy is a British entertainment company, formed in 2003 by UK internet entrepreneur Michael Acton Smith, and based in Shoreditch, London, England...
announced on February 26, 2009 that is had exceeded 15 million players and in July, 2009 Mind Candy
Mind Candy
Mind Candy is a British entertainment company, formed in 2003 by UK internet entrepreneur Michael Acton Smith, and based in Shoreditch, London, England...
CEO, Michael Smith, stated that its revenue was "several hundred thousand pounds per month". On 28 October 2010, their number of registered accounts exceeded 29 million and had projected sales of $100 million for 2011.
The success behind virtual pet sites may be partially due to the young age group that virtual pet sites attract, a target audience that is typically difficult to reach. However, some criticism has come from concerned parents and consumer groups as to the advertising and business models and used on virtual pet sites aimed at children. For example, Neopets
Neopets
Neopets is a virtual pet website that was launched by Adam Powell and Donna Williams on November 15, 1999. Two years after the web site was launched, Adam Powell and Donna Williams sold a majority share to a consortium of investors led by Doug Dohring. On June 20, 2005, Viacom bought Neopets, Inc...
has been criticized for its use of Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
and McDonalds advertising embedded directly into the game. In the Neopets mini-game Pepsi World, although no longer playable on the site, users had to serve customers "delicious Pepsi in order to keep them happy".
Virtual pet sites are not necessarily aimed exclusively at younger age groups, however. For example, both Khimeros and Aywas attempt to attract older players by stating it is aimed at older teens and adults. FooMojo CEO, Ron Hornbaker, has stated that their 85% women audience for the Facebook game Pokey! (now called FooPets!) consist of the 18-45 age group.
See also
- List of browser-based virtual pet sites
- Digital petDigital petA digital pet is a type of artificial human companion. They are usually kept for companionship or enjoyment. People may keep a digital pet in lieu of a real pet....
- Virtual WorldVirtual worldA virtual world is an online community that takes the form of a computer-based simulated environment through which users can interact with one another and use and create objects. The term has become largely synonymous with interactive 3D virtual environments, where the users take the form of...
- Sim horse gameSim horse gameSim horse games , also called cyberbarn games, horse sims, or virtual horse games, are online browser-based games. Sim horse game generally fall into one of two categories: traditional or automated / semi-automated...
- NeopetsNeopetsNeopets is a virtual pet website that was launched by Adam Powell and Donna Williams on November 15, 1999. Two years after the web site was launched, Adam Powell and Donna Williams sold a majority share to a consortium of investors led by Doug Dohring. On June 20, 2005, Viacom bought Neopets, Inc...
– a well publicized virtual pet site - Browser-based GamesBrowser gameA browser game is a computer game that is played over the Internet using a web browser. Browser games can be created and run using standard web technologies or browser plug-ins. Browser games include all video game genres and can be single-player or multiplayer...
- Online gameOnline gameAn online game is a game played over some form of computer network. This almost always means the Internet or equivalent technology, but games have always used whatever technology was current: modems before the Internet, and hard wired terminals before modems...
- Life simulation games
External links
- Virtual pets at the Open Directory ProjectOpen Directory ProjectThe Open Directory Project , also known as Dmoz , is a multilingual open content directory of World Wide Web links. It is owned by Netscape but it is constructed and maintained by a community of volunteer editors.ODP uses a hierarchical ontology scheme for organizing site listings...
- Virtual Pet List – resources and online community focusing on virtual pet sites