Save VMK!

If you know me, you know my kids and I play an online game/community called VMK (Virtual Magic Kingdom) sponsored by Disney. We've played it since September of 2006. It's an awesome game world! The kids and I have a blast playing on there and have even recruited some of our real life friends to play, including their grandmother (my mom!!) lol

Basically, you sign up, create a character, and play games, do quests, and make friends. It really is like a virtual magic kingdom, with Main Street, Fantasyland, Adventureland, Tomorrowland, & Frontierland. In each of these lands, there's a shop, at least one game, and lots of places to hang out. You play games to earn credits and then buy stuff from the shops with the credits you've earned. You can buy clothes for your character or furniture for your room, which you get when you register, or you can buy a new theme room and furnish that. You can trade "stuff" with other people or you can just hang out and chat in people's rooms. Each of us like to do different stuff while on VMK. I like to play the games and do quests, then buy stuff for my rooms or clothes or hats for my character. Savannah likes to play games or hang out. Ashton likes to buy hats, make trades, and visit with online friends. And, Indy likes to just walk around and more recently he's begun playing some games.

The thing I like best about it is that it's safe. It is only open from 7am to 10pm, PST, and is monitored by Disney staff the whole time it's open. There is a huge list of things you're not allowed to say, such as places, names, numbers, and any "questionable" words, and sometimes it's a little extreme in what they limit. I was once in a room where a conversation was going on between two kids and one was telling about learning about something in school. The other one asked if the first one was in middle school and the first one answered, "Not yet, but soon." Immediately, a window popped up on my screen (and of everyone in the room at the time) reminding us to keep personal information private and not tell ages or grades, as it's not safe. It's "against VMK values." I was duly impressed at the speed of the response to the conversation and the warning. Even Ashton has been banned for a month before because she types too fast while conversing and misspelled words into things not allowed. It stunk, but she learned to be more careful when she typed.

So, now comes the bad news. Just this Monday, they announced that VMK would be closing permanently on May 21. Why? Well, basically, they're not making any money...isn't that the motivation of all business decisions? Apparently, VMK was started in 2005 as a celebration of Disneyland's 50th anniversary and was only intended as a promotion and not a permanent thing. There is no advertising on VMK and there is no charge to play and I guess now they figured they've sunk too much time, resources, and staff into this and it's not giving them a "return", so they're closing it. When Ashton saw this, she almost cried while telling me...and I know a real life friend who's daughter did cry when she found out. And, it's really a shame since it's a site I've felt comfortable letting my kids play alone. And, at any given time, especially on weekends, there could be 5-12 thousand people playing the game (they have a counter on the main page of how many people are online).

Well, apparently, there has been a HUGE response to VMK closing, with websites and YouTube videos protesting this. It's amazing. Ashton googled "save vmk" and found bunches of websites. I even wrote them and told them I'd be willing to pay monthly to be able to keep it up and let the kids play, but we'll see. So, if you're interested in following the happenings with VMK, signing a petition to keep VMK open, or contacting Disney about this, follow the link below and see just what thousands of kids (and a few adults, too) can do when they put their minds to it. And, if they keep VMK, and you have a little one, maybe you can sign up, too!