Virtual Family Kingdom Thread

[aengus]

I understand what you are saying with this and reason(s) why. I would like to know something though. Do you or someone else continually post of safety issues for children on all the other threads for Sociotown, or Smallworlds, and/or any other ones where there is unfiltered/unmoderated chat?

A friend in Sociotown told me that anything can be said/asked there. I know that's true in Smallworlds. Isn't this a safety issue with children as well since they can be asked what their real name is, where they live, how old they are, etc? I know this for fact in Smallworlds-while I was there last week I saw someone asking those questions; and to top it off two nghts ago a random stranger asked a girlfriend and me if we wanted to have sex with him

I am not trying to be a you-know-what about this; just asking here because I don't feel like checking all other game threads and all those Smallworld threads.


Hugs to you both

-sigh- yep

no i dont the other games all have the following characteristics

the other games meet COPPA requirements (HUGE WITH ME! childrens online protection and privacy act)

secure logins in the event money is exchanged.

they also arent blatently pouncing on the copyright of a disney product, deceased or not. Remember everyone, one thing that is also being overlooked. This is a Disney fansite, we were disney fans first.

 

[GoofyWaterCoaster]

Beejer - Go Eagles!! hehe - Oh I am a dragon slayer too, but must not do a good job because they tend to resurface overnight and return to work the next morning.

I find this post offensive

 

[funfly]

Aengus, thanks for your answers

 

[aengus]

Aengus, thanks for your answers

despite our disagreements on this topic funfly, I would like you to know, we didnt have a whole bunch of memories on vmk together. when we did come across eachother, they were memorable, and we were most likely helping someone out that needed our help.

thats how I remember your avatar, helping people.

 

[TLinden16]

All this talk about vfk has me wondering something.

Are all of the old VMK staff who joined on as VFK still active in the game? When was the last time you saw the old VMK staff who are now VFK staff on VFK?

 

[aliceblue]

I might not log in but I read these posts everyday. I defintely no more than a casual player.

there is no secure login, and accepting credit card payments to boot

They do not follow COPPA federal regulations

they are encouraging the exchange of account information between players

they are trampling on the intelectual property of Disney (copyright)

Did I miss anything?

I hope you understand its important to bring them back up as new people from our forums read this everyday and I hope they read these things before even thinking about joining the game.

I hope you know how many of us are grateful for this, Aengus.

Aengus....

I understand your concerns, I really do. BUT what do you really think you're going to accomplish (and the others on this thread) by posting over and over your distaste and outrage at this game (sometimes in a very sarcastic manner, I might add).

We all KNOW they have an unsecure log-in... we all know how you feel about them "copying" VMK. However, posting about it in this thread will do no good - all it does is harm this community.

To think that you're protecting the "children" by blasting VFK in this thread is ludicrous. Sounds noble, but it's NOT practical. If you have that big of a concern for the safety of children, take it up in a letter.. not only with VFK but the hundreds and thousands of other online games and forums.

Not one of you is going to "save the world" by your posts. So put the Superman capes away.

Just let those of us that choose to enjoy this game with all its bugs and flaws enjoy it without having to deal with all the rudeness and sarcasm and hatred on this thread.

There are far more "noble causes" in the real world that you could be putting your energy towards.

With the utmost respect, I must disagree with the idea that these efforts are being wasted. On the contrary, Aengus and the other moderators are doing their job by advising Dis members of some serious problems they see with this game. I for one am grateful for the caution that is being exercised in the interest of Dis members young and old.

A little perspective here: Of the major boards that were formerly devoted to VMK, this is the only one to my knowledge that is even allowing VFK to be discussed. I'm glad there is somewhere for people to get a "heads up" on possible risks, and at the same time be free to discuss what they like or don't like about the game. Mixed discussion is a whole lot better than no discussion at all.

Obviously, a lot of us have differing opinions on VFK, and have our reasons for liking or disliking VFK. We aren't going to agree on everything here, and that's fine, but we have to be respectful of our fellow posters.

Bottom line is, we all found these forums in the past few years because of our love for Disney and/or VMK. These forums have been a great place for all of us to share stories about are interest in VMK, build friendships, and help one another.

Believe me, I can understand why VFK supporters are so vocal about it. I can understand why you are looking for something to fill the void left when VMK was closed. If VFK is the right fit for you, thats cool.

I would hope that the VFK supporters can understand the position of many of us have taken against VFK. There are obviously a lot of issues with the game, and things that have raise big red flags for us. We just want to remind people to be aware of some of these things, and protect themselves.

Ultimately, my main concern here is I don't want to see people put all their faith and trust into VFK, only to have their hearts broken when and if VFK is closed (and I believe that Disney will eventually shut it down because of the infringement against their intellectual property--it just takes time for that to happen).

This is beautifully put; thank you so much.

 

[funfly]

despite our disagreements on this topic funfly, I would like you to know, we didnt have a whole bunch of memories on vmk together. when we did come across eachother, they were memorable, and we were most likely helping someone out that needed our help.

thats how I remember your avatar, helping people.

I understand your concerns, I really do. (As I said before I wasn't trying to be a pain, just was curious.) And I appreciate your looking out for us all as always, it is very much appreciated I have always considered your opinion important in my final decision(s) in any of these games; and when asked for more info you've replied promptly. (Thanks Aengus for all you do)
True while we didn't have bunch of memories on vmk together; yes they were usually helping people. Thank you for your kind words. No matter where or how many places I will end up, I'll help people. I'm sure you will too, I remember that about you as well.

Ok, this was probably all off topic really...so back to VFK talk

 

[JulyGirl]

Well, I have to say that I am actually enjoying the fireworks game.Yes, it sure has a lot in common with VMK's version, but I am grateful for that. When I first played this game today, my heart felt a little bit fuller. I miss those fireworks dearly. I couldn't stay up for the final hours of VMk's closing, but my final moments in the game were spent playing fireworks with my friends. So I say, "Thanks, VFK !", for bringing a little bit of magic back.

Having said that, so far the fireworks game is the only thing about VFK that I enjoy. Oh, and I also enjoy finding some of my old friends again.

 

[Bugdozer]

This is a Disney fansite, we were disney fans first.

This is so so true. I have been approached several times in the game and asked if I was the Bugdozer that wrote that big letter to Disney. I reply yes and then I am asked how could i defend Disney after what they did to us and they were shocked I would have anything good to say about Disney.

Yes I wrote many letters but never in any of them did I say I hated Disney or that I am done with them. Disney was part of our lives before VMK and is part of our lives after VMK. Disney made the life of a boy better and going to the park allows this mom and her son the much needed time to spend together. Disney is part of our past a huge part of the present and without doubt a major part of our future. Ink has all ready mapped out his life and careerer and it includes Disney-with his determination I have no doubt he will accomplish all he wants to.

I am often amazed how much so many people have forgotten what VMK meant to them. They have forgotten the fun, friends and amazing times and have turned bitter. This makes me sad. I hope someday that everyone will find in their hearts again the love they had for VMK and for Disney-after all without Disney there would have been no VMK and our lives would not be richer for having had a wonderful game and community to be part of.

Thank you Aengus for reminding us that we are truly Disney fans first

Bug

 

[Belle1997]

All this talk about vfk has me wondering something.

Are all of the old VMK staff who joined on as VFK still active in the game? When was the last time you saw the old VMK staff who are now VFK staff on VFK?

To my knowledge they are still there. But I do not see all of them but fin, harmony lion the ones I saw when the game first opened are still there.

The question I have why are the developers not following COPPA federal regulations. Is this difficult to do. Does it cost alot. That is one thing I do not under as it is the law right. So what actually happens so we know if it ever gets fixed. Does this law apply for beta games or just public games. Is that when they send an email to parents saying their child joined this game site.

Oh and what stops a child from putting in another one of their emails and not the parents.


As for sharing account information the only thing the founder head of family gets is the title name which they know and password.

The account information is what is confusing. Because you could only sign up with a credit card. Thus if a child signed up a parent would have to have been there to fill out the account info. So for a child to be a founder they would have had to have parental consent.

The trampling on intellectual property. I have no idea of even where to start looking for the legal definition. And if I did find it probably would be in some lawyers legal foreign language.

Where is the line. How many types of Bewjewelled have we all played.

So have no idea if they have cross the legal line or just the ethical line.

As for secure login do not get that either. What do they need to do to make is secure. How would we know. Is there computer programs that find you and take your password.

I guess it is nice to spout off issues and maybe it was discussed maybe 100 thread ago.

So just as you see the need to point out the major flaws maybe some explaination behind it would help too. every so often

 

[vmkfan13]

One thing I don't understand is how the game switched to Gamma? It didn't seem to change at all?

 

[GoofyWaterCoaster]

edit

 

[aengus]

The question I have why are the developers not following COPPA federal regulations. Is this difficult to do. Does it cost alot. That is one thing I do not under as it is the law right. So what actually happens so we know if it ever gets fixed. Does this law apply for beta games or just public games. Is that when they send an email to parents saying their child joined this game site.

yes its that simple, they are supposed to notify the parents.

Oh and what stops a child from putting in another one of their emails and not the parents.

nothing, but it doesnt mean they shouldnt adhere to the federal regulation

As for sharing account information the only thing the founder head of family gets is the title name which they know and password.

yes, but people are already saying PLZ PLZ let me be in your family so i can have a hat!! PLZ, i saw it on other boards already, and then they give that person the information... and... you know what can happen to a naive kid at that point.

The account information is what is confusing. Because you could only sign up with a credit card. Thus if a child signed up a parent would have to have been there to fill out the account info. So for a child to be a founder they would have had to have parental consent.

to be a founder maybe. but to sign up no. Lets face it this is a tough one to tackle because the parents here are typically the better parents we know that from the past. All parents aren't.

The trampling on intellectual property. I have no idea of even where to start looking for the legal definition. And if I did find it probably would be in some lawyers legal foreign language.

Where is the line. How many types of Bewjewelled have we all played.

So have no idea if they have cross the legal line or just the ethical line.

I would agree, its my opinion they crossed it with fireworks, but i am no lawyer either, its my opinion. The game looks pretty much the same minus a few backgrounds that even make people think of vmk. but opinon none the less.

As for secure login do not get that either. What do they need to do to make is secure. How would we know. Is there computer programs that find you and take your password.

I guess it is nice to spout off issues and maybe it was discussed maybe 100 thread ago.

So just as you see the need to point out the major flaws maybe some explaination behind it would help too. every so often

this one puzzles me, its so easy to support https I dont know why they dont just do it. its just a service. I have to assume the programming in shockwave didnt take it into consideration and maybe that makes it a problem? I dont know have an answer honestly. a normal website would just enable https (secure http). its not a big cost or anything so I just dont know.

 

[TLinden16]

Here is some basic info on intellectual property with links to examples of each:

A patent is used for inventions of an object, system, or method of doing something. The chemical formula and process of making every medication you have in your medicine cabinet has been patented. The recipie for Coke has been patented.

An example of a patent would be the Fast Pass System. You can see the actual text of the patent for the fast pass system here:

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=/netahtml/PTO %2Fsearch-adv.htm&r=64&f=G&l=50&d=PTXT&s2=disney.ASNM.&co1=A ND&p=2&OS=AN/disney&RS=AN/disney

You can also have design patents. A design patent would be for something like the grill or the body of a car, or the outer casing of medical device like a diabetes blood test machine.

A trademark is a brand name, slogan, character name, or logo, etc. McDonald's. Disney. Goofy. Advil. All trademarked.

An example of a trademark would be for Disney would be the word FASTPASS. You can find that trademark here:

http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield...e=6cbg8s.10.17

Anoher example would be this one, which is a trademark of the logo of my favorite place on Disney property, Jellyrolls:

http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield...te=6cbg8s.11.5

A copyright is for an original song, movie script, poem, novel, story, etc.

Here is a link to the copyright info for the song "Part of Your World" from "The Little Mermaid"

http://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwe...07223752&SID=7

Patenting something like VMK cost Disney thousands of dollars in fees to the U.S. Patent Office (and thousands more in attorney fees), and it's a lengthy process that can take several years to complete. I don't know all there is to know about the patent process, but Disney is the owner of that patent, and unless they sell it to another entity, no one else can profit from that patent for many years (I want to say it's like seven years or something like that).
This is why you only see brand names of medicines when they first come out--the companies that develop them are the only ones who can make money off of them for the first several years, and then the generic brands can come out.

If a company or individual copies and/or profits off the product or process in a process that has been patented, that is called infringement. The owner of the patent has the right to challenge anyone who infringes upon their patent. They can start with having an attorney to send a letter to get them to stop using the product or process, and if that doesn't work, they can file a suit in a court and go to trial.

I have no doubt in my mind that Disney knows about VFK, and are debating whether or not they want to try to stop VFK (heck, they may have already sent a letter to VFK, and VFK may have chosen to ignore it so they can make some cash before they close). The powers that be at Disney may just be waiting until VFK gets to the point where they know they have a solid case against VFK to get them shut down (and from what I saw last night, I think they do--there were a lot of similarities).

 

[snowgracefulstone]

They want you to think that they are making progress

maybe its just me and im overtired or something, but i still dont see how comments like these are helping to keep any children safe or are addressing major issues with the game. To me, these are the kind of posts that are inflaming the debates and causing so many members of this board to just stop posting. And just to clear up another earlier comment, this board is not the only previously devoted vmk board that has threads and discussions concerning vfk, i belong to two that i visit on a daily basis, but i can say that the postings arent nearly as negative on either of those boards as they are here.

Just my two cents.

 

[aliceblue]

And just to clear up another earlier comment, this board is not the only previously devoted vmk board that has threads and discussions concerning vfk, i belong to two that i visit on a daily basis, but i can say that the postings arent nearly as negative on either of those boards as they are here.

Just my two cents.

My apologies if I wasn't aware of threads on some of the other VMK boards; my comment was prompted by knowledge of one board in particular.

I'm glad to hear that discussions of VFK are being allowed elsewhere. But the percentage of positive or negative opinions in those threads, in my opinion, is not nearly as important as the willingness of those reading and commenting to investigate issues affecting player safety.

 

[KingQuackATac]

I just don't understand why "player safety" is barely discussed on other threads about games where anything can be said or suggested.

On VFK, there is limited text and plenty of VFK hosts walking around making sure inappropriate conversation stops.

This is the safety issue I'm concerned about for my children.

I understand the COPPA regulation and I think VFK should follow this. But ultimately child safety is the parents responsibility.

 

[Dreamytime]

I understand the COPPA regulation and I think VFK should follow this. But ultimately child safety is the parents responsibility.

It is why COPPA is around...because it is a parent's responsibility.

(9) VERIFIABLE PARENTAL CONSENT.—The term "verifiable parental consent" means any reasonable effort (taking into consideration available technology), including a request for authorization for future collection, use, and disclosure described in the notice, to ensure that a parent of a child receives notice of the operator's personal information collection, use, and disclosure practices, and authorizes the collection, use, and disclosure, as applicable, of personal information and the subsequent use of that information before that information is collected from that child.​

It is a safety measure to make sure that any child under the age of 13 has parent's approval before giving out the information that VFK (and other websites) request. One of the biggest things with the statute is that the website operator who has requested information about children under the age of 13, must "protect the security or integrity of its website". This is the area that sticks in Aengus' and many other people's craw. There is no security on this website. It is not encrypted. There are no safety measures in place to keep the log-in information, registration information, etc. from falling into other people's hands.

For a full read of the COPPA regulation go to http://www.coppa.org/coppa.htm

Not to mention that same lack of encryption holds true with the credit card information sent to VFK. As a poor masters student, I don't want my credit card information out for anyone to see. I'm going to need that available balance in about 6 weeks for books. But, that is a second place concern for me....the kids safety might ultimately be the parents concern as you say, but it has to be ours as well. You are putting your head in the sand if you believe that every parent in the world knows what is going on in their children's lives.

I'm an adult. I am smart. I am internet savvy. Yet, I was just a party to fraud for 14 months by someone I considered a very good friend on VMK. Everything that I was told was a lie...gender, story, facts. I talked and played with this person every day. We shared a relationship outside of VMK. This person lives at home with her parents. Yet, her parents had no idea this deception was going on in their house...in their daughter's life. The parents were TOTALLY clueless. And, as smart as I am, as old as I am, and as internet savvy as I am, I was still gulled. Took me 14 months to find out, and will take several years in therapy to work it out.

What is going to happen to the 10 year old who isn't as savvy as you and I? Whose parents are clueless as to what he does? Whose parents believe that their information is safe when they hit enter on that keyboard?

 

[Dreamytime]

And just to clear up another earlier comment, this board is not the only previously devoted vmk board that has threads and discussions concerning vfk, i belong to two that i visit on a daily basis, but i can say that the postings arent nearly as negative on either of those boards as they are here..

I, too, belong to these boards. There are still the ongoing debates on those sites as to whether VFK is a 'real' deal. Internet safety is still the topic being posted there as well. However, you will also note that those sites do not have the daily, hourly, and some times by the minute postings about VFK (and other Non-Disney/VMK games) as this site does. But still, lately the debates on those sites have turned nasty because of the pay-to-play aspect of the game. There is negativism abound on the separate boards (who allow discussion) as well as positive aspects as well.

I believe that it is how you read and relate to the criticism and compliments that shows your own character. When attacks against things that are said are made personal, and several things have been made into personal attacks, I have an issue with that. It is a lack of respect for another person's point of view and just a clear lack of respect for the person.

I do not have to agree with what you say, but I respect you for your opinion. My opinion might not ever change your mind, but if it makes you think, Google for an answer, or question why you believe what you do then we are both better people for it.

 

[disvaclub92]

I just don't understand why "player safety" is barely discussed on other threads about games where anything can be said or suggested.

Not sure if you read this, but this was deep in the thread.

I would like to point out yes, we have advised on the boards that these are PG 13 games. We do our best with the help of our community and by ourselves to identify issues when they surface. Both Smallworlds and Sociotown have listened to individuals in our community and have taken our feedback.

To elaborate further, Sociotown has taking on game guides. These are individuals who are there to help individuals and to moderate in the game. Several VMK players/DIS Members serve this role. Additional changes are in the works as well.

As for Smallworlds, many of us have spoke with staff and asked for "behavior modification" in the game. At one point, they allowed a radio in a public area to play "anything you can imagine", we suggested in the game to be limited to acceptable songs and a few days later the change was made.

As for Gaia, AmberDaze published an awesome guide and has pointed out the best possible way for us to be safe.

While we know these games are not perfect, several DIS members have made strides to communicate and help these games make changes so that others can enjoy and be safe. The community here is trying to find fun homes and safe places for us to play.