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Massively Multiplayer Hello Kitty

Posted by Zonk on from the i-swear-i-am-not-making-this-up dept.

Thanks (I guess) to GameGossip for the news that SanrioWave Software is planning a Hello Kitty Massively Multiplayer Game. From the article: "The game will give players access to up to three characters, each customizable, and will include 15 different occupations, and five shops in which players can make in-game progress. Hello Kitty Online World will carry an subscription fee of sorts when launched throughout Asia later this year." The official game site is also available for perusal.

6 of 59 comments (clear)

  1. Let me be the first to say... by hunterx11 · · Score: 2, Insightful
    I am at a total loss for words. The only thing I can say is that this is only possible...

    ...IN JAPAN!

    --
    English is easier said than done.
  2. This could work... by Gothic_Walrus · · Score: 4, Insightful
    There is a possibility that this could work. Hello Kitty has been huge in Japan for ages, and games like The Sims Online or A Tale In The Desert have performed decently.

    And lest we forget, NeoPets is still insanely popular with younger kids...the demographic of this game.

    I wouldn't be caught dead playing it, but if it will make a little girl in Japan happy, it's served its purpose.

    --
    Goo goo g'joob.
  3. Re:My idea of a Hello Kitty MMO... by Poseidon88 · · Score: 4, Insightful
    You link does not work because the site checks the referer to prevent this kind of direct linking.

    Ironic, because the page is full of direct links to images and media on other sites.

  4. Hello... by Moofius.the.Cow · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Hello Festering Den of Pedophiles!

  5. Seriously though... by Moofius.the.Cow · · Score: 1, Insightful

    ...MMORPGs like this just plain out scare me. Speaking as someone who's MUDded and MMOed for entirely too long of a time, I'd never let a kid in my care (not that there are any, but still) anywhere near an online multiplayer game. I've seen far too many chatroom flamewars, seen little 'girls' scream A/S/L, and done my share of trashtalk on games like Counterstrike. To actively setup a game that's specifically targetting the young and impressionable demographic is just.. not right. Even to market it in Asia, home of the schoolgirl fetish. I'm fairly open-minded in my values, but this sorta thing just plain out disturbs me. Their TOS specifically prohibits harming minors, but it also has the standard corporate CYA legalese thrown in, probably 'just in case'. I wonder what degree of policing will these folks do on their servers? Or how much involvement will Asian parents have in their kids' use of the service? It's ultimately the parent's responsibility for their children, of course, but services like these should be held to some sort of standard, should they not?

  6. Seriously though. by Moofius.the.Cow · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Gah, formatting. Hello Preview Button!

    ...MMORPGs like this just plain out scare me. Speaking as someone who's MUDded and MMOed for entirely too long of a time, I'd never let a kid in my care (not that there are any, but still) anywhere near an online multiplayer game. I've seen far too many chatroom flamewars, seen little 'girls' scream A/S/L, and done my share of trashtalk on games like Counterstrike.

    To actively setup a game that's specifically targetting the young and impressionable demographic is just.. not right. Even to market it in Asia, home of the schoolgirl fetish. I'm fairly open-minded in my values, but this sorta thing just disturbs me.

    Their TOS specifically prohibits harming minors, but it also has the standard corporate CYA legalese thrown in, probably 'just in case'. I wonder what degree of policing will these folks do on their servers? Or how much involvement will Asian parents have in their kids' use of the service?

    It's ultimately the parent's responsibility for their children, of course, but services like these should be held to some sort of standard, should they not?