University of Southern California

USC Network Culture Project

USC Annenberg School for Communication

Virtual Worlds: Virtual World Directory: Habbo

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	Habbo 04.27.08

Habbo is a virtual world aimed at teenagers. Users create avatars to represent themselves and can chat with each other in chat rooms that is modeled after a hotel.

As of January 2008, 86 million avatars had been created. Habbo users can purchase credits with real currency to buy furntiure and other accessories which can be used to decorate private chatrooms. Credits can also be used to play games and to purchase a premium subscription which gives users more freedom to move into chat rooms, and allows them to purchase special goods.

Basics

Publisher: Sulake Corporation

Launch Date: 2000

URL: http://www.habbo.com

Number of registered accounts: Over 100 Million avatars have been registered, but the exact number of unique users is unknown.

Target Audience: Teens

Cost and subsequent subscription fees: Habbo allows users to create and register an avatar for free. For 20 Habbo Coins a month, or roughly $4, a user can upgrade to a premium account called the Habbo Club.

General Description: Habbo, formerly Habbo Hotel, is a collection of virtual spaces and rooms provided for teens to meet and socialize. Teens create their own avatar for free, and enter public chat rooms, play games, and design their own personal room with virtual furniture and items.

Technical

Platform: PC/Mac, Web based

2-D, full 3-D, or other: 2D sprite based world

Special hardware required (upgraded video card, sound card, etc): None

Language availability: There are Habbo sites for Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China (now closed), Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and more.

Option for authoring (can users create and build?): Users can use Habbo officially designed furniture to decorate their own spaces, however users cannot create their own content. Users are able to create their own webspace and host their profile, group list, friends list, guest book, and Habbo game achievements. However, users are able to run events, lead quests, and host competitions between other users.

Design tools available: A point and click interface is used to place furniture in private rooms.

Search (does the world offer a way to search users and/or places?): In Habbo there is a main front page, where a user can view available public and private chat rooms. On the Habbo site, you can search for users by indicating Tag words, such as “games.” The search will return all users with the word “games” tagged in their profile. Clicking on a user’s name will take you to their personal webspace.

Security (is there protection against hacking, identity theft, or theft of IP?): All objects are created by Sulake, so users have no claim to IP.

Can the virtual world be accessed through mobile devices: Habbo can only be accessed through web browsers that have Shockwave enabled.

Can the virtual space be accessed offline: No.

Is the world persistent? (Does the world continue when the user logs off): Yes, to a certain degree. Users are always creating avatars and playing games and chatting, however there is no sense of the passage of time in the virtual world.

Legal & Management

Entry (what personal information is required?): Email address and birthdate.

Is a free trial account available (if so, what are the account restrictions)? Users begin with a free account and can choose to upgrade to a paid account if they wish. Free users get the basics of everything: basic appearance choices, room choices, zone access, homepage space, and a small friends list.

Are there age restrictions: Different countries have different age laws, some older some younger. The minimum age for a user in the United States is 13 years.

User Profiles (what do they contain?): Users cannot post any private real life information on their user profiles or websites. Any private information will be deleted immediately at a Habbo coin cost to the user. User profiles contain interests, achievements and gaming records, and their friends list.

Privacy management (protecting personal data, information sharing with other companies): Personal information is not shared with other companies and user private information is fiercely protected, as the site is for young teens and is meant to be a safe environment.

If a premium membership exists, what benefits are there to upgrading? For a monthly fee of 20 Habbo coins (roughly $4.00), users can join the Habbo Club. Users in the Habbo Club have access to added accessories to dress their personal avatar, bigger room layout options, unrestricted access to chat rooms with no waiting, no ads on their homepage, extra commands, and a friends list of up to 600.

Can access be restricted to designated groups? Users have their own private customizable rooms where they can restrict user entry.

Intellectual Property management (who owns users' creative works?): Users cannot create any items.

Are there in-world moderators: Moderators are available 24 hours a day.

Management of abusive behavior: Users can be banned or suspended by in-world moderators depending on the severity of the offense. Sometimes the ban can include not only the avatar, but a user’s IP address as well.

Virtual Space

Avatar description (are they customizable?): Avatars are basic 2D sprites. Users can choose hair, hair color, skin color, facial appearance, and clothing.

Is in-world property ownership available? Users are given a personal room to decorate and host other members, but otherwise no land ownership is available.

What are the common meeting spaces (and how many do they accommodate)? All of the lobby rooms are popular hangouts, and can hold as many users as tiles on the floor. However, avatars cannot walk through other avatars, so in tight spaces, several avatars can block the path of many others from entering spaces.

Video or animation capabilities: None.

Are there any restrictions on what users can create in their "owned" space? All furniture is produced by Sulake, so users can lay out their private spaces as they choose. The only restriction is that the user does not publicly provide any personal information.

Example of a prominent corporation present in the virtual world: Warner Brothers is currently sponsoring a contest based on the new film, The Dark Knight.

 

Socialization/Communication

Does the world include in-world instant messaging? Yes, the Habbo Instant Messenger allows users to contact other users on their friends list directly.

Out of world instant messaging? No.

In-world email? No.

Blog space? Customizable web space is provided.

Screenshot or photo albums? No.

Can other users be blocked or ignored? Yes

Is there language filtering? Yes, all language is filtered for users.

Economy

Does the virtual world have currency? Habbo coins, which can be bought at the base equivalent of 20 cents per coin.

How does the user obtain currency in-world? Users can only obtain Habbo coins by purchasing coins directly from Sulake or by purchasing pre-paid cards at one of many retail stores such as Gamestop. Users can also trade earned furniture to other users for Habbo coins.

Can a user convert in-world currency to real world cash? No.

How does the company assist with in-world trade? (Official commerce sites/auction sites/etc): There is an in-world trading system that protects the user from having items stolen or being cheated by a buyer.

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 InfoBus is a virtual environment where experts interact with Habbo users in an open forum regarding a variety of topics.

Examples of areas in which instruction is currently offered: Although not an educational organization, Sulake Corp. attempts to teach its Habbos, young teens who are generally high risk, safe internet usage and practices.

Are there special privileges for instructors? Not applicable.

Are there virtual classrooms or meeting areas? The InfoBus is a bus shaped virtual meeting space.

Strengths of this product as an educational or learning tool: Learning and education are available in an environment that is comfortable and natural to teens, because this is where they are and want to be anyways.

Links to some institutions or organizations currently using this product for learning:

* InfoBus

(URL) http://www.habbo.com.sg/articles/281-infobus

Opportunities for Philanthropy

Prominent educational, government and corporate organizations known to be using this product for philanthopic purposes: Unicef, The Red Cross, FRANK, Powerchild, Childright, Matthew Shepard Foundation

Are there zones or areas reserved for promoting real life issues? The InfoBus often addresses real life issues and concerns.

Do users find the virtual world an appropriate place for philanthropy? Habbo is a social virtual world and hangout where users are interested in meeting new people and chatting. Although some users are interested in the discussions that InfoBus and philanthropic organizations have to offer, the majority of users are still only interested in socializing and playing games.

Links to some institutions or organizations currently using this product for philanthropy:

* The Red Cross in Habbo

(URL) http://www.habbo.com/groups/Red-Superhero

* Habbo teams up with Matthew Shepard Foundation to Erase Hate Among Teens

(URL) http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/6/prweb1063574.htm