Two weeks ago after I read about Club Penguin in the Bonk book, I signed up two eager volunteers. There is not much a player can do if they do not have a subscription. Nothing upsets this little video gamers more than gaining coins and not being able to keep them or buy anything with their "hard earned" money. We enrolled in the $5/month per player subscription. Club Penguin became an instant success, and a topic of conversation in our household. Rules related to school work, sports, household chores, and time limits had to be strictly enforced. For two weeks the volunteers averaged about 45 minutes of play time per day.
After the two week period I asked them if they were enjoying Club Penguin and why. I expected them to give me short and simple answers. Before I knew it, I was running out of paper.
V1 = Volunteer 1
V2 = Volunteer 2
Long Blog Warning!! Penguin Club Madness ahead!!!
V1: My Own House -- I can have a home that looks like I want, and has the things I buy. Like a dance floor, musical instruments and a disco ball.
V2: I like to visit my Sister's house, and look at my friends/buddies houses to see their decorations. I like to do shows in my house. If you go into somebody's house w/o them it is trespassing. I went into my Sister's house, and got in trouble. Like to look at the House Catalog to upgrade your house or get a Halloween scene, with furniture and a disco ball.
V1: Penguin Costumes -- Make my Penguin look nice with different outfits I can buy, when I make money. I collect pins to decorate my Penguin card.
V2: I buy new costumes, and only keep the clothes I like. You can recycle things you do not want at the recycling plant, and get other items. You can also get stuff for free like hats and accessories.
V1: Adopt a Pet (Puffle) -- cute and fun to play with, dance, and walk -- some of them will sing and do goofy things that make you laugh.
V2 -- I like to take care of my Puffles and make them feel at home by feeding, bathing and letting them rest. I go surfing with my Puffle. It makes me sad to see other penguins houses, because sometimes their Puffles are hungry.
V1: Meet new friends and play games with them. You can send letters to friends and invite them to parties. Dance together in Club. Rock with the band at the lighthouse. Do acting theater.
V2: Play with my Sister if I sign up in the same server, and make new friends -- My Sister showed me an Iceberg in the Pacific Ocean.
V1: Read the Newspaper -- I always read the paper when I go into Club Penguin to get the news.
V2: Change of scenery -- I like how the scenes change, like in Halloween. And we carved pumpkins!
Games that V1 and V2 (both) enjoy:
Sled races -- Mankala -- DJ3K and Dance /Puffle -- Dojo Courtyard (To get your belts from Sensei by playing card Jitsu) -- Wave surfing -- Cart surfing -- Fly Jet Pack Rescue (you pay for fuel) -- Dig for coins in the mine
Games that only V1 likes: Elite Penguin Force (EPF Secret Agent goes on missions) -- Write a book and paint pictures -- Thin Ice -- Astro Barrier -- Aquagrabber to get pearl from clam.
Games that only V2 likes: Ice Fishing because you get lots of coins -- Hydro Hooper because you can make a lot of points -- Finding Pins -- Sports Stadium for target snowballs, bean counter in coffee shop and getting face paint -- Puffle Rescue for saving a puffle and open a secret gate at the mine -- Growing plants by filling tube in mine with snowballs to make water -- Dig for coins with jackhammer at the mine -- Look through binoculars at the beach because you always see something different.
Conclusion: After the two-week study, my volunteers do not want to surrender their subscriptions to Club Penguin and will do more chores around the house to pay for their memberships. There is more to Club Penguin than I expected. I am impressed with the ability of this application to suit individual player preferences and values. Animations are simple but colorful, and they stay ahead with the ever changing penguin village. Maintaining a safe but fun society where penguins play and learn from each other, is key to their success with young players (and their parents).
