Webkinz: Great Fun, or Disastrous Concept?
You could call me a Luddite — if it weren’t for my blog, my cell phone, my Mac laptop, my DVD player… You get the picture.
But it’s true. I’m nearly always the last person to jump on board the new technology. (I still don’t carry my cell phone with me most of the time.)
So when I learned about Webkinz, the newest kids’ craze, I was very cynical. Here’s how the company describes it:
“Webkinz pets are lovable plush pets that each come with a unique Secret Code. With it, you enter Webkinz World where you care for your virtual pet, answer trivia, earn KinzCash…”
My niece is nuts for WebKinz. She buys the ‘pets’, logs in the Secret Code, and then spends hours online, furnishing her Webkinz’s bedrooms, feeding them, interacting with her friends’ Webkinz, playing Webkinz games, etc., etc.
Problem is, this means she and other kids like her are spending lots and lots of time playing indoors. No physical exercise, no real time spent with real friends playing real games. In fact, the Webkinz slogan is very telling: “Come in and Play.”
I suppose Webkinz are good for some things:
- Develops fabulous computer skills, preparing children for great careers as desk jockeys
- No more skinned knees
- Perfect for agoraphobic or socially inept children
So, are the kids in your life into Webkinz? What do you think of Webkinz?
July 3rd, 2007 at 8:48 am
[...] Original post by Rhea and software by Elliott Back [...]
July 3rd, 2007 at 9:37 am
That craze hasn’t hit here in the uk yet, and glad it hasn’t. I have enough trouble keeping the kids off of gameboys, let alone letting them unleashed on my computer!
July 3rd, 2007 at 9:49 am
My wife recently bought my son a Webkinz. We allow him one hour a night computer time – he’s only five – the rest of the time he is outside because he likes his basketball more than his Webkinz. I have a sneaking suspicion that my wife actually bought it for herself. She spends more time playing the games to earn “cash” for my son than he does.
July 3rd, 2007 at 1:04 pm
I’m with you on this one. Even though I’m sure it’s fun & can be a learning tool kids still need to go outside to play! Exercise, fresh air (Depending on where you live that is!) , sunshine, nature & interacting with other children are good things! As a child I was out from morning til dark playing in the yard.
July 3rd, 2007 at 1:08 pm
Vi: It will, it will.
Robert: Maybe next year he’ll have a whole village of Webkinz. Watch out!
July 3rd, 2007 at 1:32 pm
[...] Original post by Rhea and by webkinzcollection [...]
July 3rd, 2007 at 3:29 pm
I think it’s very sad that there are so many reasons for children to sit inside alone and be amused.
July 3rd, 2007 at 4:38 pm
I wonder if this is similar to Neopets…Our college age daughter really got into this about 2002, and still stops by occasionally. They used Neopoints as currency to use to buy more Neopets…Webkinz sounds harmless, but kids can’t forget the outdoors either…
July 3rd, 2007 at 4:55 pm
Well, Grams is old timer! When I raised my kids, years ago I said, “Go outside and Play!” and they did. They found all kinds of games to play. One of my favorite things they did was when they pretended that their bikes were pirate ships. They would turn their bicycles upside down, take newspapers and fold them into pirate hats, grab empty foil rolls for a spy glass, and put a baseball card in the spokes of the bike to make the fun noise. Then they would sail away, steering the wheel of the ship, hollering “ahoy, matey!”They had so much fun! So it is great kids have computer skills but they need some outdoor play time,too!
July 3rd, 2007 at 7:52 pm
The less interaction children have with the real world the less social they are. It hasn’t hit here that I know of…no small children but if the grandkids get one their parents will hear about it from me.
July 3rd, 2007 at 9:03 pm
While my kids (and I!) play video games, we don’t have this webkinz craze in our house (and we won’t). It’s better that they go outside and swim or play with the real toys they have.
I love to hear my five year old playing with his toys – he gets them all set up and has full conversations between all of them. It gives me a big smile.
July 4th, 2007 at 6:46 am
My two daughters are very much involved in Webkinz. As with anything to do with bringing up kids, moderation plus parental supervision and involvement is key. Ideally, outdoor play and homework come first, then a limited amount of computer play time.
You can look at the many forms of entertainment in a positive light, too. Specific to WebKinz, my kids have improved reading skills and have had to learn to budget and earn “money” to buy things.
I look at it in the same way as food: when I have lots of choices of food available for the kids to choose from, they will select a good amount of healthy food in preference to junk food. (Of course, I put out a larger selection of healthy food!)
July 6th, 2007 at 10:32 am
If you think Webkinz is scary, check out clubpenguin.com or nicktropolis.com, each a variation of Second Life. At least with Webkinz, the kid gets a stuffed animal that exists in the “real” world!
July 7th, 2007 at 11:32 am
I’ve always been of the mind that the parents are responsible to show their young children that there is more to life than just doing one or two things for amusement as in Robert’s example. If they learn this at a young age then for the most part, these children should continue to develop that sense of “variety” on their own as the years roll on once they’re shown that there’s so many things that they can do.
July 9th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
The story on this was on GMA a few months ago, I think. I looked at the site then and decided it would probably be a problem for kids. They would be spending too much time inside doing that. So, I am with you on this one. Webkinz…probably bad idea. By the way, it hasn’t hit here in Arkansas yet to my knowledge. If it has, our nieces don’t care about it enough to want it.
March 10th, 2009 at 8:00 am
[...] Matters: “Webkinz: An Example of a Disruptive.” (2007) The Boomer Chronicles: “Webkinz: Great Fun, or Disastrous Concept?” [...]
October 27th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
[...] Webkinz? Is Webkinz amazing fun or simply a weird hobby only for child agoraphobics? The Boomer Chronicles weighs in on this new [...]