 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
OurWorld
Common Sense Media says
Virtual world with games and some smart parental controls.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that OurWorld is a virtual world where kids can play chat and play games; a few of the games have violent content. For kids to chat, they need to first send a parent verification email through the site. If they're under 13, parents are told kids' communications will be filtered to ensure they're only using approved words and phrases. However, parents can change their child's settings to let them chat openly with other users; so if kids enter their email address for the verification, they can easily unlock any restrictions.
What kids can learn
Kids can learn to build friendships within a virtual world as cool and trendy as the gang on their favorite tween drama or sitcom. Players create avatars that look great, dress well, and have fabulous condos. They can then choose between matching, strategy, and puzzle games and also complete activities -- like shopping -- to earn more swag. Most games are focused on fun, but some will reinforce skills like strategic thinking and puzzle solving. OurWorld is a fun, safe space for tweens and teens to develop online social skills.
Skills
- Collaboration
- Communicationfriendship building, multiple forms of expression
- Creativity
- Emotional Development
- Health & Fitness
- Responsibility & Ethicsrespect for others
- Self-Direction
- Tech Skills
- Thinking & Reasoningsolving puzzles
What's it about?
Teens have yet another place to wander and interact, play games, and shop for items to beautify their avatars with OURWORLD.COM -- a virtual world with better-than-average graphics. Avatars can zip between a coffeehouse, dance club, and theater (among other locations), and wave, dance, and chat with each other via thought bubbles. For the more action-oriented, the site offers dozens of games which range from those based on logic (Jewel Quest involves lining up symbols) to old-fashioned, arcade-like ones (Condor Cowboys knocks bandits off giant birds). Kids can pick their difficulty level; playing any of the games earns you "flow," which is OurWorld.com's "energy." Flow can be used to buy hairstyles and clothes -- and can be used to spin a prize wheel that can generate "coins," the site's currency, which is also used to buy things. Paid memberships ($6 a month or $50 a year) get you access to even more stuff.
Is it any good?
Parents have some control over what their kids can do on the OURWORLD site: They can decide whether kids can talk with strangers, friends, or not chat at all when they sign up, and can restrict kids from making any changes to their account settings. A language filter also helps prevent swears from being used in chats. However, the site is definitely geared toward kids who are tweens or older; it can be a little tricky to navigate around, and although many of the 40 or so puzzle, matching, and other games are tame, some action games involve shooting and killing that could be too violent for younger users.
OurWorld should provide some generally safeguarded fun as you make your avatar dance and travel around the virtual world. However, it's unclear if kids will log on for long without wanting to buy one of the paid subscriptions ($5.99-$10 per month or $49.99 a year) to help them rise through the site levels faster and access exclusive areas. There's also a push to purchase gems, one of the two forms of site currency, to get special virtual accessories -- but many kids will still find fun things to do on the site for free.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about why it can be risky to chat openly online with strangers. Why is it safer to have pre-scripted responses, or to have some words blocked?
Families can also talk about what type of information is safe to share with others online. Why should you never give out any information that's considered personal, like the town that you live in?
How should you handle an unwelcome invite to chat or an inappropriate comment from another user?
What kids can learn
Kids can learn to build friendships within a virtual world as cool and trendy as the gang on their favorite tween drama or sitcom. Players create avatars that look great, dress well, and have fabulous condos. They can then choose between matching, strategy, and puzzle games and also complete activities -- like shopping -- to earn more swag. Most games are focused on fun, but some will reinforce skills like strategic thinking and puzzle solving. OurWorld is a fun, safe space for tweens and teens to develop online social skills.
Skills
- Collaboration:
- Communication: friendship building, multiple forms of expression
- Creativity:
- Emotional Development:
- Health & Fitness:
- Responsibility & Ethics: respect for others
- Self-Direction:
- Tech Skills:
- Thinking & Reasoning: solving puzzles
How kids will learn
OurWorld is self-directed so kids choose and adjust their avatar's appearance, decide where to go, who to talk to, and what to do. Easy-to-use chat tools, messaging, and a forum help foster communication -- with restricted chat mode for younger users. Some games require strategy and speed to succeed. In Jane's Hotel you need to keep your hotel guests happy by keeping rooms clean and coffee cups full in a timely manner. Games have walk-throughs for first-timers and use rewards to motivate kids.
How parents can help
- Discuss examples of appropriate and inappropriate behavior in an online community.
- Boost kids' social skills by encouraging them to try new approaches to make friends online, and then to try them out when meeting new people in real life.
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
Be Careful!
When I started hearing this website being spoken about a lot among the kids I'm surrounded with, like my younger cousins and little sister, I asked them what it was all about. Of course, being kids they failed to provide me with the important details. So i went on myself and created an account and everything. Trying to figure how everything worked out, I was approached by another player and was asked to go over to his condo, after telling me I was cute. Out of curiosity, i went. Upon arrival at his condo, he suggested taking off our clothes and having "secks."
I think this website is very much like a chat room and shouldn't be allowed for younger children. They make communication as easy as text messages. So if your child isn't mature yet...think again about letting them on this site.
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AGE
My daughter (11) learned all about pretend sex, condoms, BJs and herione. If that's your idea of a good website for kids, then go for it. The kids brag about doing herione, doing sex. My daughter was requested to reveal personal information. Very inappropriate.
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Kid, 11 years old
November 14, 2010
AGE
I think it is fine for 8 and me and my frend play it all the time
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AGE
O.K
Ummm.....i like this website but it can lag and get annoying...some people talk about sex and it can be uncomfortable
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AGE
I am a member on ourworld and i think the sex rate is very high people go to there condos and have virtual sex through the chat systems the foul language used is easily worked around you can say bad words by subsatuting different letters in but the sex content is very high and i am a memeber to ourworld
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Kid, 9 years old
February 9, 2011
AGE
IT IS NOT FOR ANYONE!!!!
I HATE THIS WEBSITE!!!! on Halloween people were dressed bad and speaking of dressing bad... boys can almost be naked and girls can too boys can get out of there shoes,pants,and shirts and girls can get out of there pants,shirt,and shoes and people can walk around that way! before i knew about commonsense I played that IT IS NOT FOR ANYONE!!!!!
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AGE
ourworld is a fraud
Be careful when you sign up. We signed up for one month only but they will keep taking money out of your acount monthly until you cancelled. Today they have taken the monthly $5.99 out of my account 8 times so far and every hour they are taking another $5.99 from my account. There is no way to contact them the telephone number is from another country. When I send an e-mail it is sent back to me.
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AGE
I love this website it is wonderful and great! You can make lots of friends and make profiles, which is fun. This website doesn't allow you to share too much personal information either.
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Kid, 12 years old
March 12, 2011
AGE
Good for middle school age kids
OKay I have my own ourworld account an dI am 11. I think it is really cool until they made all these changes!
- Unable to earn gems except by watching videos, and doiing survades or stuff like that for their sponsers
- They took the gem code away (it used to giv eyou 10 gems a week), an dnow it is the "coin code"
- YOu have a certain amount of clothes you can have except if you buy a wardrobe sizer (by gesm)
- You can't get cool stuff
I don't think it is "wrong" I mean you can have a Boyfriend, or girl friend "match" and some people get married on there but you can' tell. Nothign is wrong with the graphics I think I know if you tak eall yrou clothes off girls will have a bra and underwear, and boys will have boxers, but like what else did you think they woudl wear? Leaves like adam and eve? I kliek Ourworld, but I odn't get on much now, I've moved on to another website but I am level 64 on there.
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AGE
Perfect For Older Teens Not For Tweens
Heyllooo world ^^ of course i love ourworld but it really isn't that safe, and there is alot of people on there kissing and all kinds of other things, um it dosen't allow cursing but people get away by saying, Feck, bititch, as, and alot of people on there are judgementle if your a level 25, and under high levels will make fun of you, im a level 64, a resident, so that dosen't happen to me but i see how it feels though, i would have to say this website is for 13+. it Really isn't that bad exept for the listed things ive said, so sit down with your children and talk to them about these issues and see if you think its safe for your children thanks for reading :)
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| Genre: | Virtual Worlds |
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