Online Virtual World Games

Online virtual world games range from cartoon-like 2 dimensional sites like Whyville to complex and sophisticated 3D sites like Second Life (SL). Although SL is not technically a "game" like many online that have levels to achieve, there are plenty of residents who use it as a virtual place to relax, role play and meet friends. And some people would consider its real economy to be a game, with a currency exchange that trades in real global currency and a marketplace that exchanges virtual goods and services for real money in your bank account.

Certainly for creative types, Second Life offers the ultimate experience in virtual world games online. SL can become a create-a-creature game when your avatar changes gender, grows a tail or sprouts wings. It can become an adventure game when you choose to become rock star, climb mountains and fly your own airplane. It becomes a travel game when your avatar visits simulations of places in real life, like Mont Saint Michel, the Great Wall of China or the Mayan ruins in Mexico.

Travel

Wizard 101 actually has a game format. Your "student wizard" avatar faces a series of adventures (called "missions") that it must compete before advancing to the next level. Although not as graphically elegant as Second Life, the graphics are attractive and the situations your avatar finds itself in are inventive and educational.

Corporate sponsors

Some of the free sites that offer online virtual world games are sponsored by corporations which are trying to develop a generation of future loyal customers by building brand awareness, familiarity and identity. If you see "product placements" around the virtual world that you are visiting, that's a pretty good warning sign that the site is sponsored by whoever manufactures that product. If the branded products don't bother you, it may still be an enjoyable place to hang out.

Whyville is one of those 2D sites with cartoon graphics that is targeted toward middle school aged kids. But it has been around since 1999 and has maintained its reputation as an enjoyable place for kids to spend time. Its mission is to introduce children to science, journalism, civics, economics and other topics that are missing from public school curriculums. Its content comes from places like the Getty Museum and NASA so the quality of the information is top notch. Although the graphics are not as sophisticated as those in Second Life, it belongs on the short list of worthwhile online virtual world games because of its outstanding content.

Click Here to Leave Online Virtual World Games and Return Home