This concept is just really selling well to C-Levels at the moment. It will probably take you all of 3 seconds to envision the countless pitches, but the big thing is people are buying them. Build-a-Bear, as with most toymakers, probably noticed that their sales are tanking. Thanks in part to lead paint/date-rape drug scandals, relatively nobody is buying toys. The money flowing into the videogame industry are not new dollars and while Hollywood is crying foul the loudest, toymakers have probably been hit the hardest.

So toymakers are all rushing to adopt the Webkinz-ish model of buying the toy is the subscription to the virtual world. I'm currently involved with 3 (oy!) such worlds so I've had time to analyze the 'genre.' Personally, I find these kiddie virtual worlds a little more interesting when the umbrella company creates a world the co-mingles all of their brands in a Disney Princesses-esque / Kingdom Hearts kind of way.

Beyond that, I think there might be something legitimately interesting about these worlds or MMO-lites as I've taken to calling them. There has been a lot of speculation about what the adult casual MMO might be like. I think a lot of these kiddie worlds are actually speaking to that space a lot better than the grown-up concepts that I've seen.

So while I'm not about to make any grandiose statements, I will firmly say that these kiddie virtual worlds / MMO-lites might actually be interesting...maybe.

Ok Dakota, I'll bite. What are the "interesting" things you've observed? I'll give it an earnest go because I value your opinion.

I'm not sure if you, Dakota, are saying these worlds are interesting in general or in regards to kid-oriented worlds in particular? These worlds are interesting in general because a browser-based client with a one-button, context-sensitive interface can reach a wide audience while having all kinds of crazyness going on server-side. I mean really anything, there's a very big possibility space.

I don't know if these kid-oriented games are really taking advantage of that dynamic, and I'd be interested to hear what you find distinct about them.

Wired had an interesting premise (as I recall the actual piece was disappointing) within the last year on "media snacking." It was basically a convenient way of framing something many people have already addressed using more specific terms. Basically we don't have the time or desire to watch a full-length movie, so we "snack" on movies by watching trailers or shorts on youTube. We don't have the time or desire to play a full-blown console game, so we "snack" on casual games. Etc, etc, etc.

So with regards to these spaces, I don't have time to invest in a full-blown Transformers, GI Joe, Marvel or DC Comics, etc, etc, etc, MMO or 80-hour RPG. However, I might be interested in snacking on these genre. What does that experience play like? If you asked me 6 months ago I'd say, "I don't know but I'm pretty sure it isn't Puzzle Pirates or Kongregate."

The main design issues we're currently tackling (directly and indirectly) is the process of scaling the virtual world/MMO experience down to something easily digestible for a shamefully young demographic and executable within a Flash-based client environment. Now our teams are building kiddie MMOs, but based on the those design processes it wouldn't be that far of a jump to make the 10-20 minute Cloverfield, Lost, Heroes, whatever, etc... MMO experience designed for an older demographic. Based on the MMOs I've played, it takes 10-20 minutes to just immerse yourself in a virtual world much less do anything meaningful. What I'm starting to observe here is that it is more than possible to can an entire session in that same timeframe. Furthermore, this 10-20 minute MMO concept is starting to resemble something that I think would lend itself well to mobile gaming.

Bringing things back into your fold Ian, what do you think the 10-20 Minute MMO experience might be like for GDC or a Democrat/Republican National Convention? I suspect that we'll an explosion of work in this area once Raph's Metaplace launches, but the challenge is still going to be to take the dynamics of the MMO or 80 hour RPG and deliver them meaningfully in the form of 10-20 minute "snacks."