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'Moshi Monsters' is shutting down because it runs on Flash
Moshi Monsters, a once massively popular web game that let you raise colorful creatures and complete mini-games around Monstro City, is shutting down. As Ryan Brown spotted on Twitter, the Moshi Monsters site now has an "important notice" that states it will close at midday GMT (7am ET/4am PT) on December 13th. "Thank you for joining us on the first part of our monsterific journey and helping us make Moshi Monsters such a splat-tastic online experience," the announcement reads in classic Moshi-lingo fashion.
MMO Family: How to encourage reading through video games
In a recent Wall Street Journal article, author Christopher John Farley posited that literature can learn from the rise and success of video games. Polls reveal that families are increasingly concerned that their children aren't reading as much as they should. And they're right to be concerned because studies have shown that good reading habits are forged during childhood, and after age 12, it's extremely hard to get kids to read if they aren't big readers already. Video games and literature seem an unlikely duo, but there some important ways that gaming can encourage reading. Let's explore this topic in this week's MMO Family. (Photo credit: Tim Pierce)
MMO Family: Why games are good for family
A couple of years ago, Massively readers engaged in a great discussion that doesn't get covered nearly as much as it should. Thanks to former Massively columnist Lisa Poisso, the column MMO Family was born, and she and the readers looked at how MMOs affect the family, both the positives and the potential dangers. I'm excited to have the opportunity to start the column up again because I think a lot has changed in the short time since the column went on hiatus. We'll revisit a few issues that Lisa brought up and some of the more recently released MMO titles to see which ones are the best for family-centered gaming. To kick things off, I'd like to explore why MMOs are good for kids and for the family unit as a whole. When it comes to talk about kids and gaming, the discussion tends to revolve around the negatives, like violence, antisocial behavior, or lack of physical activity. No one will argue that MMOs, as with most anything, can have detrimental effects when played to excess. But to focus on the negatives is to ignore the vast amount of benefits that gaming can provide. Read on for a few examples.
The Worlds in Motion online atlas explores Moshi Monsters
The excellent Worlds in Motion site has an ongoing series of articles called "Online World Atlases", each detailing a virtual world off the beaten path. Past atlas entries have covered Club Penguin, Maple Story, Sherwood Dungeon, Puzzle Pirates, and Dungeon Runners. Last week editor Eric Caoili targetted the quirky Moshi Monsters title for another chapter in the atlas. The first of the three-post entries describes the outline of the game, a Flash-based mobile/web-based title. The second post describes the game's jumping-off point, adopting your monster and getting your gameplay started in the world of Moshi. The final conclusionary post clarifies the gameplay experience you'll encounter in-game. The game's quirky art and short-session playstyle marks it out as one of the more well-developed kid MMOs. Caoili ends his analysis this way: "Although it's currently in beta, Moshi Monsters is a world which is artistically fully realized, and is therefore very attractive to new players. Sadly, many players will find themselves waiting for the designers to catch up with the artists to gain full enjoyment from it, but as a daily timewaster I can think of few worlds which can compare."
Massively exclusive: Inside the mind of Mind Candy's Michael Smith
I recently had the opportunity to sit down and spend some quality time with the CEO of Mind Candy, Michael Smith. I picked his brain about Mind Candy's newest game, Moshi Monsters, how they're going to attract and protect the kids that play it, and what some of Michael's favorite past-time activities are. Plus, we even discussed a little background on Perplex City, and the status of the anticipated alternate reality game, Perplex City Season 2. Interested in what goes on in the mind of one of Britain's most innovative game developers? Read on after the break and find out!
Lost. The Monster. Reward: Cuteness.
Do you like cuteness? Do you like monsters? Do you like puzzles?If you said yes to all three, then do we have the multiplayer game for you! As we reported earlier, Mind Candy, the crazy developers behind the super-huge alternate reality game Perplex City, have been working on something for the children. Their result is Moshi Monsters, a cross between a Tamagotchi, Brain Age, and sheer attitude.The picture to the right is Smigglesnuff. Smigglesnuff likes two things: the word "miasma" and choptastic moves. Oh, sure, she enjoys the tickles I give her, but don't mess with her unless you want your face re-arranged. Go visit her if you want to find out for yourself.
GDC08: Thinking outside the virtual world
Tuesday afternoon, Michael Acton Smith, CEO of Mind Candy, presented attendees at the GDC's Worlds in Motion summit with an interesting look at the confluence between real goods and virtual worlds. For some background on where Smith is coming from, Mind Candy "creates games and puzzles that span multiple media.... [they] use all forms of technology to tell stories and interact with... [their] audiences." They run Perplex City, an alternate reality game that uses clues puzzles in the real world combined with web-based resources to create a unique type of gameplay. Their upcoming game Moshi Monsters is an adoptable pet game geared towards kids. Smith says it's a "new type of virtual pet experience." The pets will be very alive with their own emotions (driven by a behavior engine which will cause your pet to act different ways depending on how you treat it) that will be reflected in the pet's animations. The game will also incorporate a number of social tools, so both you and your pet monster can hang out with friends. And, of course, there will be toys, oh glorious toys. (Some already available, though the game itself is still in beta and closed to the public.)%Gallery-16441%
Moshi Monsters
Moshi Monsters is a new virtual world by MindCandy, the folks behind Perplex City. It appears to be a cross between MySpace and a Tamagotchi, with minigames thrown into the mix. It's got bright colors, it's got cute sound effects, and it's got monsters. And it's frankly adorable. Of course, it is aimed at kids, and there's a clear mandate by the creators to provide a safe experience, so parents need not worry.One of the features touted by the preview video is that of buying things for your monster to keep it happy. If this isn't a clear indication that the concerns mentioned in this post are valid, then I don't know what is. Surely there could be better ways to provide the things your monster needs? Couldn't you grow its food, make its toys? I'm sure one could argue that running a virtual world this way teaches kids the importance of managing money, but there are better ways to do that without making it part and parcel of playtime, which in all other respects is completely whimsical and fantastical. Still, I'm a big fan of monsters. While Moshi Monsters is still in beta, I'm looking forward to seeing more of how it all works together.
MMOs to get more massive, even mobile
As if our lives aren't dominated enough by raids, guild-runs, and the newest beta tests, it would appear that the next trend in MMO development is finding ways for games to reach you when you're away from the computer. At the recent Virtual Worlds Forum, business leaders have been salivating at the opportunities posed by expanding their IPs to mobile platforms. Moshi Monsters, an MMO from Mind Candy aimed at kids, banks heavily on their MoPod technology. MoPods are small, cheap, virtual pet-esque devices that kids can bring with them to school to keep plugging away at the game's puzzles on the bus or in the cafeteria.Then when you consider that Katsuya Eguchi, lead developer in the rumored Animal Crossing MMO, has talked openly about integrating mobile phone and PC applications into their new game, it could very well be the beginning of a new wave of mobile integration. Publishers are always looking for new ways to boost their numbers, and this would certainly be a very marketable away to go about it. It doesn't take a genius to imagine the possibilities of the technology: they could give players the ability to monitor the auction house from their phone or allow you to raise a pet on a portable gaming platform and then use it in-game. In addition to being marketable to current MMO fans, this sort of pan-technological approach to games also has a strong appeal to casual gamers, a coveted demographic if ever there was one.It's an idea that's probably still a long way from coming to light, at least for a mainstream MMO, but it's fun to speculate about, and it's a trend we'll definitely be keeping our eye on.
