Small Worlds lets 'tweens take control

Most kids today have no concept of a world without the Internet. They're used to using electronic means to find information, communicate with each other and share things like pictures and videos. The success of social sites like Myspace and Facebook is based on the users' ability to share experiences with each other; a natural outgrowth of sites like these are online communities like Second Life which are largely supported by user-generated content.

Second Life is certainly a robust community but its content can be decidedly adult-oriented. New Zealand development studio Outsmart has created an online world in the spirit of Second Life that's a better fit for the under 21 crowd. SmallWorlds, a 3D virtual world that runs inside a web browser enables players to make friends, play games, build and decorate their own homes, watch YouTube videos, post photos and create their own content.

The game is full of interesting things to do and places to go like Game Planet video game arcade, the Aqua Lounge and Mysterio's Curiosity Shop. Aside from developer-created content there are a large number of player-created spaces to visit. Players can also create their own missions which other players can run—in fact, more than half the game's content is generated by players. Players earn money and raise their skills by participating in in-game activities in order to become better explorers, socialites, artists or gamers.

SmallWorlds can be played directly inside the Facebook, Myspace and Bebo sites, allowing players to combine the best of both social networking and gaming. While the current focus of SmallWorlds is on entertainment, possibilities for the future include educational applications.

Coming soon, gamers will enjoy competitive play and group mechanics that allow in-game social groups to work together to build even bigger and better themed experiences which they can keep private or share with the entire community.