Paul noted how kids show up at the theme parks already knowing their way around, and when they recognize some feature, say “Look, Mom, there’s the xxx from VMK!” seemingly not realizing that it’s VMK that’s modeled on the real world (if you can consider a Disney theme park the real world) and not the other way around. It’s a world in which Paul Yanover, the head of the group that developed VMK, says “people swim around in our iconography and brand.” Games allow kids to experience - and by their reactions, even help to design - coming attractions. But what’s really interesting is the way that Disney based the structure of the world on the real-world theme parks, and how rooms and avatars are modeled on real-world Disney attractions. But it’s a dynamic virtual world with users who’ve created 1.4 million avatars, and 3-4 million “rooms.” Not too shabby. Now, to start off with, most Radar readers are likely to be unfamiliar with this site, since it’s aimed at kids 8-12, the so-called “tweens,” not at folks like us.
I got an interesting tour of Disney’s Virtual Magic Kingdom a couple of weeks ago, and it surely drove this point home. This prompted Disney to post a message on the VMK homepage that the game was a promotion, and was closed, and that there were 'no plans' to reopen VMK in any form.One of the trends we’re watching is the growing crossover between real and virtual. Many fans asked Disney if VMK was going to reopen. Because of the need for human monitors, the time that the game was open had to be limited it was open to the public daily between 7:00am–10:00pm (10:00am–1:00am, 3:00pm–6:00am ).On May 21, 2008, the Virtual Magic Kingdom game was closed by Disney. Due to the young age of the game's target users, it was patrolled by paid staff who watched out for inappropriate behavior and language. The of the game was children between the ages of 8 and 14, although VMK was designed to be enjoyed by guests of all ages. The rest of Tomorrowland opened on April 4, 2006, and, the final land added, opened on January 8, 2007.VMK initially launched as an attachment to the Disneyland 50th-anniversary celebration, without long-term intentions, but it gained popularity and eventually became a long-term venture on its own.
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