British broadcaster BBC announced that it is creating CBBC World, an online environment where kids can create their own avatars and interact with TV characters and other kids in a virtual world akin to Linden Labs’ decidedly adult playground known as Second Life. The site will be designed with safety in mind and is scheduled to debut online this summer before the full launch in the fall.
“This kind of cross-platform broadcasting is becoming the norm for people who have been born into the digital world,’ says a BBC spokesperson. ‘It will give children a chance to move around a safe, secure world where they can not only interact with familiar characters but have an opportunity to make that world a more fascinating place with their own imaginations.”
Unlike Second Life and other persistent virtual reality realms, CBBC World won’t have chat rooms or allow users to create new areas. It will also forgot the financial aspects of those other models, where users buy and sell property online. Kids will instead participate in games, watch video clips, listen to music and create their own content to share.
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