A Guide for the Webkinz Online Game

One of my 10 year old daughter's favorite activities is playing with her Webkinz online game. I have found this game to be an excellent activity for her even though it is obviously a huge marketing gimmick by Ganz, the toy manufacturer and marketer. I have watched my daughter play the game and found it to be very safe, somewhat educational and fun for her.

Webkinz is a large online game world designed for children between the ages of 6 and 13. To play Webkinz online, you need to first buy a Webkinz pet. These are available online or at most major retail stores including Walmart, Target and Toys R Us. Though the price varies on the pets, most cost between $13 and $23. The pet itself is plush toy that is usually around 8" to 10" in length and they come in various characters from tigers to frogs and everything in between. The main thing about the Webkinz that you purchase is that they come with a code that is attached to the pet. This code is what gives you access to the Webkinz game.

Once you have your Webkinz pet, you go to webkinz.com to set up your account. Click on the new member tab and follow the instruction to set up your account. Remember to record your username and password for further use. The online game is played within your web browser so you do not need to download any software or have expensive video cards in order to play. You do need an internet connection to play. I would not recommend a dial up connection for playing but any type of broadband connection seems to work fine. My daughter has played this game with the Firefox and Internet Explorer browsers with no issues.

While the game is not free to play, the purchase of the Webkinz pet gives you a membership and access to play for one year. To renew your membership at the end of the year requires the purchase of another Webkinz pet. One thing to keep in mind is that the membership time is not cumulative with the purchase of multiple pets. If for example, you purchase three Webkinz pets then you will not get a three year membership. Instead you will get a membership that is valid for one year after the date that you entered the most recent pet code.

Actual game play is very safe and secure as most activities are structured and limited and scope. This virtual world is not anything like the world of adult online gaming like World of Warcraft. When speaking to other members, the players are limited to picking questions and phrases from a list of available options. This keeps the children safe from any predatory type questions.

When a purchased Webkinz code is entered for an account, the child will receive a virtual pet that looks like the purchased plush animal. In the game, the child has a house where all of the Webkinz pets for that account live. The child needs to feed and care for the pets in the game.

In the game, Kinzcash is used to purchase game play items. Kinzcash is earned within the game and is not purchased through the use of real world money. There are numerous activities and games that can be played in order to earn the Kinzcash. Many of these games are based on math, art, science, shape recognition and other learning activities. Once the Kinzcash is earned the player can spend it at the W shop on food for their pet, clothing for the pet or improvements to the virtual house.

I found there to be one very unexpected bonus that my daughter learned from the game. While talking to her about her account, I found that she was talking in terms about budgeting and prioritizing spending of her Kinzcash. She had developed a plan of growth for her virtual house that included a food and clothing allowance. Of course she did not phrase it that way but she had all of the elements of a budgeting plan.

Ganz has done a great job marketing this game and it has turned out to be a great success for them. It is very popular with my daughter's classmates and she is able to play online and interact with them from home. The cost of the actual Webkinz pet is pretty minimal when looked at in comparison to the number of hours of enjoyment that my daughter has got from the game. I would highly recommend this as a fun activity for children with normal parental restraints on time played.