Moshi Monsters

Moshi Monsters is a game for Children, it’s sort of like those virtual pets that you used to have, only on the internet and they can actually do things. Moshi Monsters live in a virtual world that exists on your computer, there are lots of different monsters and children can choose one that they want to adopt. This monster then becomes their pet. All of the monsters live in Monstro city; here children can build a home for their pet. Users can also play games with one another, meet other people and show their pet to people. It’s like a tamogotchi only with social networking and doesn’t just beep at you all the time. Moshi Monsters has been created with the intention of being a fun and safe environment for children to play in. Not only that but it’s also an educational game that’s great fun for any age child. A child who visits the site can adopt a monster; they can give it a cute name and even design the colors of the monster. Every monster is different and has a different personality, the more you play with the monster, the more the personality will develop. Competing and solving puzzles means that you win money, the currency of the game is Rox. You can then use Rox to buy things from the virtual shop. There are various social networking features including blogs, and pin boards. Moshi Monsters was created by Mind Candy, a company specializing in producing new multi player and online games. The company was founded in 2003 by Michael Smith and is based in London. Michael Smith was one of the founders of Firebox.com when he was in his early 20’s; firebox is now an extremely popular online retailer. Moshi Monsters is a game that’s designed specifically for children. It’s a safe environment where they can go to meet people that they know safely. Unlike many other video games that concentrate on violence and gore, this one is just for kids. Monsters can be adopted and cared for just like any other virtual pet. The social networking functions make this site much more interesting to use, and the graphics are great. The application is designed just for children and so is very easy to use. The colors and designs used are very attractive and make playing the game even more enjoyable. There are also tutorial sections which are designed to help you understand how you should play the game. If you want to register for an account on Moshi Monsters and you are under the age of 16 then you will first need your parents consent. It’s slightly harder to register an account on Moshi Monsters than other sites; if you click the big “Join now” button then you will be taken to a price list. The free version can be signed up to by clicking the small link at the top of that membership page saying the free version is available here. The first step of the free registration is to select the monster that you want to adopt. You can then design the colors of the monster. The whole signup process is very easy and designed so that it’s fun and easy for kids to do too. You have to agree to the rules, and then give your monster a name. The adoption papers are the actual sign up form, you need to fill out your name, password and your parents email address. When you enter a name this is actually the username and must be unique, so just putting your first name probably won’t work. If you’re under 13 then you will need to enter your parents email address, otherwise you can enter your own. Clicking adopt will create your own virtual pet. You then have to check your email address and click the link to activate your account. There are free membership plans to Moshi Monsters, or you can pay. Paying gets you more features although it doesn't seem to say anywhere what these extra features are. Moshi Monsters is ideal for kids, or big kids that are young at heart!