By: Vlad Vistac
Submitted: 2010-08-16 11:22:58 | Word Count: 510
The world of Webkinz
When the Ganz gift company edveloped their soft toy line Webkinz they had no idea that they were opening the doors for a multi-million dollar franchise. With over 2 million Webkinz sold, there was a time when there was a shortage of Webkinz in the market. But before we discuss the creation of Webkinz any further the first thing to discuss is what a Webbkinz is? A Webkinz is a stuffed toy available in a varirety of avatars, but the fact that a Webkinz can be a Kangaroo, Butteerfly, or Duck is nothing special. What is different is that a Webkinmz comes with a small tag with a numebr on it. A Webkinz onwer can use the spexcial nuber to register with the Webkniz website.
Once a Webkinz owner signs hismelf up the ownr gets access to the world of Webkinz. There are currently over one millin registered users on the Webkinz website. Everty time a Webkinz ownre registers with the site he is givven a virtual pet. The owenr of the Webkinz can then asign his virtual pet a name, gender and also choose an avatar. Essentially a user ‘adopts’ a virtul pet online. Once a Webbkinz ownber has adoprted a pet online, a Wwebkinz owner is guiven a room, and some virtual furniture to decorate the room. Each viirtual pet has its own sets of advantages and disaddvantages, and must be fed using a special food item assigned to it.
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A person buying more than one Webkinbz can rgeister with the site, and adopt pets in addition to his existing pets. On adopting ten virtuual pets a Webkinz owner gets a special bed called a “super bed” and also gets 2000 of the virtual currency called Kinzcash. Also a Webkinz owner gets a “rare item” on addtiion of every subsequent pet afteer the first.
Just like the real world, all activity on the website is cnetred on psending and earning of Kinzcash. Users can use Kinzcash to buy ityems, have teir pet exxamined if its gets sick (yeah the pets acually get sick) and to curry favour with other online pklayers. In addition to making the virual wotrld similar to the real wold, online pets have various properties attributed to them.
Adopted pets have a happineass meter, a health meter, and a hunger meter. So in essence a Webkinz owner has to log on to the website regluarly to play and entertain the pet. If the lvels of any of the previously mentioned meters fall the pet takes ill and has to be taken to ‘Dr. Quacks’ for treatment, however taking the pet to Dr. Quacks usually costs Kinnzcash.
Unlike other sites a Webkinz virtual pet can nevr die, it can get sick but it can never die. The current memebrship duratiion is one year, after the first year a user gets a 30 day grace period in which a member is expected to renew his/her membership (only real cash accepted!). People with more than one Webkinz can usuaally enjoy loger duration of membershiup as they have more than one adopted pet.
