Animal Jam

Animal Jam

GENRE: Free to play Simulator
PLATFORM: Web Browser
DEVELOPER: WildWorks & National Geographic

OVERVIEW

An exciting interactive playground Animal Jam is a game made for children to both entertain them and educate them with wonderful facts about animals and their environment. With a host of features that enable children to customise their own characters as well as various mini games to keep them entertained, this free to play MMO is ideal for younger audiences. Animal Jam is a browser-based MMO that requires no client download.

KEY FEATURES

- Choose from eight different Animal avatars
- Customise your characters with clothes and accessories
- Adopt your own cuddly virtual pet
- Decorate your own Den
- Meet other players and form friendships
- Play lots of different mini games
- Learn all about the animal kingdom
- Browser-based gameplay
- Free to play

GAMEPLAY

At its core Animal Jam is an MMO RPG where users create their very own animal character persona in an open sandbox environment where they can meet and play with other users, seek out new games and discover new regions. The game offers a high level of customisation for characters, player housing and pets to give players their own unique individuality.

As the game has been designed for (and with) National Geographic it is a fun interactive learning tool where users can learn about the animal kingdom. Whilst the game is free it offers an optional subscription model where Members have unrestricted access to all game content and additional options unavailable to free to play accounts.

AUDIENCE

The game is focused on providing content suitable and enjoyable for children, with the educational element, fun and colourful environments it offers a basic gameplay that will appeal to a younger audience. Due to the vulnerability of children playing online games Animal Jam ensures to provide the highest level of protection and security with both its naming and chat filters restricting certain words from being used or said, monitoring behaviour with online moderators and encouraging players to follow certain rules and guidelines and to report those players that break them.

CHARACTER CUSTOMIZATION

Users can make their character from eight available animals: Panda, Wolf, Seal, Koala, Monkey, Rabbit, Tiger and Penguin. Once chosen players get to name their character using preapproved word combinations to make silly and funny usernames that are also inoffensive. Players can then further customise their character with a range of colours, eye shape/colours and different patterns and markings on their fur; not only this but there is a wide selection of clothing and other accessories available to buy in the game that players can equip to further make their character stand out.

VIRTUAL PETS

Around the world players will find different areas that they can adopt their own pets such as cats, dogs, snakes, mice and more and, as with their character, these pets can be customised in all shapes, colours and sizes. Virtual pets are heavily restricted to Members, though there are a handful of options available to free to play accounts, when equipped a virtual pet will follow its owner around so that other players can see it.

DEN

Continuing the trend of customisation players also have their own home/Den that they can fully customise with different decorations, furniture and items that they have acquired in the game. These personal abodes can be accessed by the public or made private with the click of a button and accessible only by a player’s friend list.

MINI-GAMES

Animal Jam offers a number of mini games for players to discover, play and master. Ranging from puzzle games such as turning over cards to match animal pairs or more traditional and popular games such as and Angry Birds type catapult game. Players can earn Gems currency by playing mini games that they can spend on various items.

EDUCATION

Whilst the game is meant to be fun it is also meant to be a learning experience for its users, embedded throughout the various interactive elements and fun games are various means for players to learn about animals, conservation and the technology and techniques employed by scientists to find out more about the wildlife around the world. With printouts, videos and various facts available in the game it is an ideal learning tool for young children.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENT

Web Browser