Neopets to Sell Virtual Items
It would appear that Neopets, has started selling virtual items on their website. Neopets is the busiest gaming site on the internet with 12 million visitors a month, and it is mostly aimed at the tween market.
The idea of selling virtual items on line is not new, in fact virtual world creator and gaming guru Matt Mihaly pioneered the sale of virtual goods on the internet with his game Achaea - Dreams of Divine Lands nearly 10 years ago. What is absolutely brilliant is the market that they are conditioning. Tweens, arguably one of the strongest determiners of spending, will come to think spending for virtual goods is normal. Given that Viacom owns Neopets, I can’t help wonder whether selling pretend things to real children for real money is ethical, and beyond that whether this is part of a grander scheme and excellent long term planning.
23 Jun
