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Millsberry09.16.08 |
Millsberry is an advergaming world created by General Mills and based on several popular General Mills cereals.
Basics
Publisher: General Mills
Launch Date: 2004
URL: http://www.millsberry.com
Number of registered users: Several thousand
Target Audience: Youths who consume General Mills products
Cost and subsequent subscription fees: Millsberry is free to play forever.
General Description: Millsberry is an advergaming world created by General Mills and based on several popular General Mills cereals. Users can create a personal avatar and enter the web based world of Millsberry. Users can play games, decorate a house, learn about nutrition and good eating habits, as well as earn trophies for leveling up their intelligence, health, fitness, and civics.
Technical
Platform: Web based (any browser)
2-D, full 3-D, or other: 2D limited virtual world (clickable spaces, no movable avatar)
Special hardware required (upgraded video card, sound card, etc): None
Language availability: English
Option for authoring (can users create and build?): No.
Design tools available: Not applicable.
Search (does the world offer a way to search users and/or places?): Users can view all of Millsberry’s buildings by clicking on the City button. There is currently no way to search for other users.
Security (is there protection against hacking, identity theft, or theft of IP?): Users cannot create original content.
Can the virtual world be accessed through mobile devices: No
Can the virtual space be accessed offline: No
Is the world persistent? (Does the world continue when the user logs off): The character’s stats are put on hold when the player is logged off. However the world has events and contests that go on during the week regardless of the player’s presence.
Legal & Management
Entry (what personal information is required?): Email address, birthdate and gender are required. First name, Zip code and state are optional information.
Is a free trial account available (if so, what are the account restrictions)? All accounts are free.
Are there age restrictions: No, children of all ages are welcome at Millsberry.
User Profiles (what do they contain?): There are no user profiles.
Privacy management (protecting personal data, information sharing with other companies): Personal information is not shared with other companies.
If a premium membership exists, what benefits are there to upgrading? There are no premium memberships, all memberships are 100% free forever.
Can access be restricted to designated groups? Personal homes can be locked from visitors, if the owner wishes. However locked homes will not be entered in the weekly home design contest.
Intellectual Property management (who owns users' creative works?): Users cannot create content.
Are there in-world moderators: No, users with technical or account problems must submit an email to Millsberry and wait for a response.
Management of abusive behavior: Users can be removed and banned from world if caught cheating, abusing the system, sending offensive mail, or violating the terms of service.
Virtual Space
Avatar description (are they customizable?): Avatars are customizable in clothing and facial features only. The choices for facial structure and hair are very limited compared to other virtual worlds, and the clothes that the user begins with are plain. New clothes can be purchased from Millsberry shops. Clothes are sold by season, so clothes that are available in winter will be gone from the shops in spring.
Is in-world property ownership available? Millsberry users are given a choice of a sub-area of the city to choose for a residence, then are allowed to pick their own street name, outdoor home color, front door, and window. Once inside the home, users are free to add furniture and decorate their home to their liking.
What are the common meeting spaces (and how many do they accommodate)? The Arcade is very popular in Millsberry as a place to level up your avatar’s characteristics and skills.
Video or animation capabilities: None.
Are there any restrictions on what users can create in their "owned" space? Users cannot create any content, so all content, even in owned spaces, is Millsberry created.
Example of a prominent corporation present in the virtual world: VerbNow, The President’s Physical Fitness Challenge
Socialization/Communication
Does the world include in-world instant messaging? No.
Out of world instant messaging? No.
In-game email? Yes, if they are on your friends list. There is no chat in Millsberry, so email is the only method of sending messages to another user.
Blog space? No.
Screenshot or photo albums? No.
Can other users be blocked or ignored? No.
Is there language filtering? Users cannot chat.
Economy
Does the virtual world have currency? Yes, users can earn currency by playing games, balancing their avatar’s statistics and improving its health, and by winning trophies for accomplishments in Millsberry.
How does the user obtain currency in-world? The user can obtain currency by playing games, clicking sponsors’ links, or selling items at yard sales.
Can a user convert real world cash to in-world currency? No.
How does the company assist with in-world trade? (Official commerce sites/auction sites/etc): Users can have yard sales in Millsberry to sell other users their old unwanted items.
Does it cost money or currency to upload user created content? Not applicable.
Educational Presence
Prominent educational, government and corporate organizations known to be using this product for educational purposes: The President’s Challenge, VerbNow
Examples of areas in which instruction is currently offered: Nutrition, Physical Fitness, Health and Disease Control
Are there special privileges for instructors? None.
Are there virtual classrooms or meeting areas? No.
Strengths of this product as an educational or learning tool: As Americans become more and more concerned with healthful eating, changing the current American lifestyle begins with today’s youth. General Mills has taken the steps to encourage kids to understand what it is they are eating, what they need to be healthy, and how to balance themselves as physically and mentally whole human beings. By assigning characteristics to the virtual avatar such as intelligence, fitness, civics and health, children play games to raise not only their avatar’s attributes, but their own as well. Children also are rewarded points for viewing educational pages belonging to Millsberry sponsors, making learning fun and rewarding.
Links to some institutions or organizations currently using this product for learning:
* President’s Challenge
(URL) http://www.presidentschallenge.org/home_kids.aspx
* VerbNow
(URL) http://www.verbnow.com/
Opportunities for Philanthropy
Prominent educational, government and corporate organizations known to be using this product for philanthopic purposes: None
Are there zones or areas reserved for promoting real life issues? No.
Do users find the virtual world an appropriate place for philanthropy? No, children are mostly involved with learning good nutritional health and playing in a fun virtual environment.