User:Timeislandco/Sandbox

Time Island 

Time Island virtual world is a MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role-playing game), containing a variety of online games, activities and features. Its URL is timeisland.tv and it is currently undergoing Beta-technical testing. Time Island was developed by Dundee Knowledge Mastering Ltd. and commissioned by Globe Edutainment Inc. It is geared at children between the ages of 6 and 11. The online game is a spinoff of the second season of the children’s animated television series: VIPO & Friends, Surviving Time Island. The virtual world, however, features only a few of the characters from the original television series.

The Game
Time Island virtual world is a mysterious fantasy island where time behaves in strange and unexpected ways. The Island is inhabited by green creatures known as Goggs, who are the cause of much mischief and intrigue for the players. During game-play the children’s survival skills will be put to the test as they explore white beaches, lush jungles, dark underground caverns and more. The players are required to outsmart and outmaneuver the Goggs, create friendship tribes with their island friends, feed and care for the hygiene of their avatars and maintain the upkeep of their homes. Time Master, the wise old wizard who also lives on Time Island, provides advice and tasks to completer throughout the game. A wide range of online games and activities are integrated into the world. Aside from for fun, playing games is one way in which the child can accrue Time Chips (the Time Island currency), with which important survival items may be purchased at the three stores located on the Island. The child can also find food and crucial survival items by exploring the island and finding them scattered about.

Educational Values
Time Island seeks to promote values such as: friendship, loyalty, intellectual curiosity, compassion for others and their surroundings, independence, a “do-it-yourself” mentality and care for the environment. Games and activities on Time Island are designed to improve children’s cognitive capabilities; hand-eye coordination; spatial reasoning skills; math and general knowledge. Children are encouraged to behave properly during game play, including refraining from cursing and aggressive or threatening behavior toward other players. In this environment, children learn how to police each other and look out for one another, as they connect to other children from across the globe and form friendships.

Parental Involvement
Time Island tries to involve parents in their child’s online experience. Parents who wish to receive regular reports about their child’s activities can sign up for that service. The report includes the child’s preferences regarding games and activities; their list of friends; positive or negative reports made by the child or about the child; and which activities and skills their child does well in or not.

Children’s Safety
Time Island site managers are always monitoring the virtual environment. Displays of threatening or offensive behavior by players toward each other are not allowed. Players can report each other for positive or negative behavior. If reported for negative behavior the child receives a warning. After three warnings the child’s account is blocked and he/she can no longer play on Time Island. Depending on the severity of the offense, site managers retain the right to immediately block an account. The sharing of personal information or any forms of solicitation not related to Time Island are not allowed and violators will be banned from the game. There are two different chat modes available in the game - which the parent chooses for the child during registration: 1.	Standard Safe Chat Mode: The child can type in his/her own messages. Only other players using this chat mode can see these messages. There is a language filter on this mode which prevents the use of curse words. 2.	Supreme Safe Chat Mode: The child can choose between a wide range of pre-defined sentences (Shout Outs), with which to talk to other players.

Web Site
The virtual world is accessed through timeisland.tv by pressing the “Play” button. The web site for Time Island offers a discussion forum for children and parents, blogs, games and activities, FAQs, news updates from the virtual world and a training center.

Media Wizard
The Media Wizard is a multi-media device that each child receives when he/she begins playing. It can be accessed by clicking the Media Wizard icon on the toolbar in the game. The Wizard is used to send messages and postcards to other players, invite them to visit your home, play games, snap photos of the Island and much more.

The Islander
The Islander is Time Island’s very own newspaper. It can be accessed by clicking the magazine icon on the toolbar in the game. The Islander features stories, advice columns, blogs, jokes and riddles, a section for work submitted by players and much more.

Goggs
The Goggs appear randomly at different points in the game. Sometimes, only their footprints are visible. Either way, it’s important to keep your distance and warn friends that Goggs are in the area. Coming into contact with a Gogg will lower your avatar’s energy levels.

Tribe
Players can create their own tribe and invite others to join. Each tribe has its own symbol and special area that the members are responsible for designing. Tribes can also carry out tasks as a team. A player cannot belong to more than two tribes at once.

Emoticons
The player can choose to display his emotions on-line, by choosing between two different emote categories – Emotion Commotion and My Moods - both located on the toolbar in the game.

Training Center
The Training Center can be accessed from the Time Island web site (S.O.S.) or from the virtual world by clicking the icon on the toolbar. In the Training Center a player can learn how to perform the functions necessary to play the game. If a player isn’t clear on how to do something, the Training Center provides explanations in video, audio and text.

Business Model
Time Island is available for free or through different subscription packages.
 * Free play: Many features and games are unavailable to free subscribers.


 * Subscription comes in three subscription packages:

Monthly – recurring automatically. Six months, sixth month free - recurring automatically. Yearly package at 25 percent discount - recurring automatically.

Time Island