Casual Immersive Worlds
A Comparison Chart by TechCrunch
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  Active Worlds Barbie Girls Club Penguin Cyworld Dubit Faketown Gaia Habbo Hotel IMVU Kaneva Millsberry Mokitown Neopets Red Light Center Second Life There Webkinz Zwinktopia
Website activeworlds.com barbiegirls.com clubpenguin.com cyworld.com dubitchat.com faketown.com gaiaonline.com habbo.com imvu.com kaneva.com millsberry.com mokitown.com neopets.com redlightcenter.com secondlife.com there.com webkinz.com zwinky.smileycentral.com
Target Audience General Young girls Children Teenagers General General Pre-teenagers Teenagers General General Pre-teenagers Pre-teenagers Pre-teenagers Mature adults General General Children Pre-teenagers
Main Premise Interact with users via chat in an interactive 3D world Design personal barbie character and chat with friends Create penguin character, chat with friends, and engage in virtual activities/games Avatar-centric social networking Chat with people in various rooms Chat with people in various settings Avatar-centric social networking with trivial activities/games Design character, chat in different rooms, and participate in activities/games Chat with 3D avatars in various rooms Create character, explore areas, and chat with other members Explore 2D world, engage in virtual activities/games Design character and chat in different areas Create pet and engage in activities/games Chat with other members and engage in adult activities Chat with other members and engage in activities Chat with other members in a virtual world Control virtual plush toy, chat with friends, and engage in activities/games Design character, chat with other members, and engage in activities/games
Immersion Level (out of 5) 5 3 2 1 3 2 3 3 2 4 2 3 1 4 5 5 3 2
Graphics & Point of View 3D objects; 1st person vew Sprites; bird's-eye view Sprites; bird's-eye view HTML and flash graphics Sprites; bird's-eye view Sprites; side view Sprites; bird's-eye view Sprites; bird's-eye view 3D objects; 3rd person view 3D objects; trailing view HTML and Flash graphics Sprites; bird's-eye view HTML and Flash graphics 3D; trailing view 3D objects 3D objects; multiple view types Sprites; bird's-eye view Sprites; side view
Users Online When Visited 108 N/A N/A N/A 12 98 75,482 2373 N/A 261 11,179 N/A N/A N/A 35,168 N/A N/A N/A
June 2007 Total Unique Visitors N/A 1,948,788 9,039,009 14,810,001 N/A N/A 1,790,567 2,132,645 4,421,019 923,937 236,613 N/A 7,671,481 N/A 3,151,881 N/A 4,608,336 N/A
Revenue Sources Virtual world and citizenship sales; world hosting; 3D homepages Premium subscriptions Membership fees Virtual purchases and gifts; corporate partnerships Ads Ads Ads; merchandise Ads; virtual credits Ads; avatar upgrades Ads; virtual credits Product placement N/A (Safety initiative) Ads, premium memberships, merchandise Ads, Premium memberships Ads, premium memberships; virtual land sales Premium membership, merchandise Plush toy sales Ads; search ad revenues