Can this happen in VMK????

[AmberDaze]

but why duh duh or mummy????? :

In the most innocent scenarios, they're just playing house like in real life. But there are many times these situations have implied something else.
Which is why VMK finally ruled against this.

 

[Maleficent2]

If I can ask what is it with ToonTown that is wrong? We have been playing it for a couple years now and haven't really had any problems on there at all.

And as was suggested with VMK if you are unsure then play it yourself. Let your daughter know to stay away from those guest rooms and to leave a public area if something looks like it isn't right being said. Its really not all that bad. Your daughter is 12 so she should be able to tell if something isn't right on her own. Obviously it is up to you guys on what happens but get her to show you how to play the game and you can see how it works and what is going on that way.

My sister plays, I do not so I really should reserve judgment, but from what she tells me there is alot of adult content(Adult role play) happening in that game.

 

[aliceblue]

Wow, I check before pushing "submit" and see that you've already gotten a lot of responses! Hope this is not too repetitive of what has already been offered.

VMK has a limited dictionary; there are many words that cannot be typed in the speech bar. Unfortunately that does not prevent some players from "dictionary dancing" (using sound-alike words) to say things that are against the VMK values. It is the policy of staff to ban players caught doing this from the game, however there are always some that slip through. As far as what players can actually "do" in the game, there is nothing that can be construed as improper in itself. The shower that can be bought in the Golden Horseshoe Mercantile is just a fun piece of western-themed furniture, and players like to use them in creative ways in their room designs. The only way to convey anything innapropriate with them is if a player deliberately makes comments to that effect.

Unfortunately there's no way to guarantee that your daughter won't, at some time, witness someone trying to get around the rules. I would suggest you read the rules with her to make sure she understands them thoroughly herself. That will both protect her from making bannable mistakes herself, and show her how to deal with player violations that she sees. Many kids that play VMK have just as much desire to keep the game clean as the adults do.

I would also suggest creating a character yourself, so you can see how the game works. The more knowledgable you are about it, the more you'll be able to help her deal with any problems she comes across. Plus families that play it together can have a lot of fun!

Bottom line: Some people are intent on violating the rules. There's no way to avoid that in a real-time communication game. But by knowing the rules herself and spending time with players that follow them, your daughter can have a lot of influence on her VMK experience.

 

[Maleficent2]

So there is this whole laugage that get's around it being "safe"?

I think it must depend on what you mean by "safe".

VMK is safe. Your daughter would have to give out personal info for it not to be safe.

Safe from people dictionary dancing, no that will never happen and all dictionary dances are not "Bad".

I think maybe what it has to boil down to for you is how much you trust your DD12's judgment and whether or not she can remove herself from a situation she should not be participating in.

I said this before but I think you have gotten the wrong impression about VMK...it is for the most part a VERY child friendly game and the bad apples are only about 15% if that of the players in the game.

You will afterall read about bad things happening in the game because we all here try to help keep VMK the enviroment that we want to play in, so things get reported, don't read into that, that bad behavior is the norm in VMK, it is not.

 

[starwishing]

Ok...what is the friend list? Also I am reading the VMK sticky & it all looks terribly complicated. (Please DON'T make fun of me! )

 

[BriarRosie]

Unfortunately there's no way to guarantee that your daughter won't, at some time, witness someone trying to get around the rules. I would suggest you read the rules with her to make sure she understands them thoroughly herself. That will both protect her from making bannable mistakes herself, and show her how to deal with player violations that she sees. Many kids that play VMK have just as much desire to keep the game clean as the adults do.

<snip>
Bottom line: Some people are intent on violating the rules. There's no way to avoid that in a real-time communication game. But by knowing the rules herself and spending time with players that follow them, your daughter can have a lot of influence on her VMK experience.

I thought Alice had a HUGE point to make, especially when it comes to new players. I suggest that you look at the homepage at vmk.com and read anything linked to VMK Values, Scam Alerts, things like that. Explore all the little newsletter items, as they are very helpful to new players.

And the new players often don't realize they could get banned for saying something like, "Oh, I live near Disneyland, so we can do the quests when they come out." That's considered giving out personal info, in this case, location. VMK staff will ban players for this, although when it happened in my guest room, the entire room got a pop up message warning us. Before that, though, many of us told the new player she should not say that anymore because she could get banned, and we had a visit from VMK_Runo (one of the staff members) to make sure we knew The Big White Glove (aka the VMK staff) was watching.

 

[AmberDaze]

Ok...what is the friend list? Also I am reading the VMK sticky & it all looks terribly complicated. (Please DON'T make fun of me! )

Aww, we would never do that -- we've all been new at one time or another. You can find your friend's list by clicking on the envelope symbol on the bottom left (first there is an "i:" where you find out the room information; a globe: where you can find other places to go in VMK, including other players' rooms; a chair: where you can locate your inventory; and then the envelope: contains your friends list (max of 150) - you can also send messages to ppl on your friends list; the SHOP button brings you to the stores (for specials you'll have to visit each store directly though); the "Q" button for quests...have to run for now so I can't finish, but I'm sure someone else can help out!

 

[Berry Princess]

My sister plays, I do not so I really should reserve judgment, but from what she tells me there is alot of adult content(Adult role play) happening in that game.

I don't understand how with the limited chat for that game. Which I guess would be why I haven't seen it maybe. If that is the case then only those that are friends of those weirdos would see it. Thankfully. Sadly no matter what the game is I guess there has to be some wacked people. I know in MMOs roleplaying is common but its not usually like that. Its more so playing the part of their character and acting as that character. Which I have never understood doing. When I play a game I want to play. If I decide to play with others and talk I will just chat like normal in the games I play. I think of all games Toontown has got to be the safest for kids if you don't let them have friends in the one chat and just use speedchat since the phrases are all right there to use. Plus they can't get into the other chat unless whoever puts the user name and password in to approve it. I have it set up so it is different from the log in one for that game.

Anyways, I agree about reading the rules together. As well as making sure to read the newsletter page every week to see if things have changed or not for rules or new scam reports listed and to read the old ones since you are new to it all. This will help prevent things happening and she will really know what to watch out for.

 

[starwishing]

Aww, we would never do that -- we've all been new at one time or another. You can find your friend's list by clicking on the envelope symbol on the bottom left (first there is an "i:" where you find out the room information; a globe: where you can find other places to go in VMK, including other players' rooms; a chair: where you can locate your inventory; and then the envelope: contains your friends list (max of 150) - you can also send messages to ppl on your friends list; the SHOP button brings you to the stores (for specials you'll have to visit each store directly though); the "Q" button for quests...have to run for now so I can't finish, but I'm sure someone else can help out!

Thanks!! Everybody has been so nice on this thread & I am glad to see you are all also the ones playing the game!

I would still like to know some tips on what my daughter should be staying away from or watch out for?

 

[Bugdozer]

I meant with MY OWN KIDS!!

I'm reminded constantly "I'm NOT one of the COOL moms"

Hi,

I apologize for my mistake. I guess that I am a lucky mom that in 23 years of raising my 3 boys I have never had to use that line

I want to reiterate that no matter what we all say you really should check it out yourself and make the final call. I understand about not having the time but it will be worth it in the end if it gives you peace of mind with the game your daughter is playing.

Bug

 

[Berry Princess]

See I think she does go into the guest rooms cause it is something she told me about, like she said she works at a restaurant.....and I was like "that's so cool to work at a Disney restautant" but know I wonder what the heck it is???

If she is doing the quests that others make then that shouldn't be a problem. They are fun to do and a way to win something (credits or items in game). Not sure about the whole restaurant thing cause I have never gone in most rooms. From what I have understood in the past is some set up rooms like that and they have people that "help" as "servers" and its all make believe. Which is cool. I don't have a problem with those type things. For the most part I never saw completes about those type rooms. Which you can always sit down with her and watch her do whatever with those rooms so you know exactly what is going on. She might like showing you as well and explaining it all.

 

[Maleficent2]

I don't understand how with the limited chat for that game. Which I guess would be why I haven't seen it maybe. If that is the case then only those that are friends of those weirdos would see it. Thankfully. Sadly no matter what the game is I guess there has to be some wacked people. I know in MMOs roleplaying is common but its not usually like that. Its more so playing the part of their character and acting as that character. Which I have never understood doing. When I play a game I want to play. If I decide to play with others and talk I will just chat like normal in the games I play. I think of all games Toontown has got to be the safest for kids if you don't let them have friends in the one chat and just use speedchat since the phrases are all right there to use. Plus they can't get into the other chat unless whoever puts the user name and password in to approve it. I have it set up so it is different from the log in one for that game.

Like I said, I do not play Toontown(never have)so I am just going by what she has told me.

 

[DaraAllen]

Things to stay away from. Ok, we've talked about rooms with titles that seem in appropriate. Things that can happen in rooms that she should avoid include being asked to PAY for playing a game or a quest ("Give me your gold ears and I'll give you this dirty rug"). Rooms that are giving away things that seem unlikely ("Rare items to give away") tend to bring out the bad apples ("What, you title that rare? I want more! Give me all your stuff! Give me stuff!"). People who walk into a room and beg for things ("I'm poor, give me stuff! I wish I had that, give me yours.")

If she's a very sensitive girl, have her stay way from "cute or boot" or "colors" games. These are totally subjective, and there are variations. For example, owner says "Blue!" which means everyone must dress in blue. You put on your blue clothes and stand there. The owner walks by each person and says, "cute" or "boot" as in you are dressed in a cute way, or I'm going to boot you. I know I'm mixing some of the variations here, but you get the idea. My daughter is a very sensitive girl, and doesn't do well with the boot part.

And finally, just as in real life, if someone is doing or saying something that makes you feel uncomfortable, leave. Have her get a couple of people from here on her friends list. We all work together to keep things safe. If someone is threatening or being truly disgusting, get her out of there, but first write down the instance of the room (in the player's guide in the setting up your character/navigation part) and the name (titles) of the person or people being inappropriate. Use the Contact Us feature on the VMK home page to report, in detail, where, when and who did or said what to whom. Do not attempt to engage them in a discussion about what they are saying until you've been playing a while yourself. Unfortunately, there is an element of "guilt by association" and if you are in a room where someone gets reported, even the non-guilty parties can be warned or banned.

I also do not let my daugther trade items yet. Turn off the trades function (on the screen, lower right, thing looks like an equalizer, uncheck the "show trade requests" box). That will keep her from getting ripped off. If there's something she really wants but does not yet have, post something here in the Trades and Wishes board and I'm sure someone can hook you up.

If you have a question, and don't want to post a thread for something simple, PM people here who are online (the green light in the lower left corner of each person's post shows if they are currently online).

 

[mtlhddoc2]

Like I said, I do not play Toontown(never have)so I am just going by what she has told me.

My 10 year old plays Toontown and in the 18 months we have been members, has never run accross a problem - the only way to get unlimited chat in TT is to be friends with the person OFF Toontown and then send your friend the special code to allow unlimited chat. Toontown is MUCH MUCH MUCH (5 million more "MUCH"es) better than VMK in regards to civility and child safety - he is NOT allowed to play VMK or Runescape any longer because of the sheer vulgarity in both games. VMK, in my opinion, is NOT for children under about 12 I would say.

 

[goldengourd]

It is interesting to read this thread and see how we all try to explain the good, the bad and the ugly of VMK.
I did start playing it with my daughter to make sure I found it okay. That is my excuse, and I'm sticking too it. I'm not going to admit I am addicted. And that I play it more than she does now.

It really isn't an unsafe game. Just like on any internet messaging, chat boards or other internet games, she must know not to give out personal information. VMK makes it especially difficult to give out information anyways. Anything else she MIGHT come across that is offensive will not be physically personally unsafe. It might be offensive, gross, or just plain mean to read. But it really is just written comments that can be ignored (literally as there is an ignore this character button), or avoided.
The restaurant is most likely just as it sounds. Some person has put in table and chairs in a room. They and their friends will pretend to work there, seating people, asking them what they would like, pretending to bring them food and drink. The typical pretend play that you see kids do in real.

Many kids that play VMK have just as much desire to keep the game clean as the adults do.

Oh yes, very much so. As my daughter says, Why would anyone like that (meaning the vulgar ppl), even want to play a little kid's Disney game? It has to be boring for them.

 

[coolkidhann95]

No Flames Please.

If your daughter is like me she likes her privacy and will feel uncomfortable if you sit next to her and watch. Taken I aggree on with Dont Go Into The Room policy. Bay be not so much. You can be a bay be and be innapropriet (Sp?) and you can be a bay be and be funny and have fun. Last year I got banned for going into the rooms and saying not to do bay be. I used to do it and I was not inapropriet (SP?). Think of it as house. When you were young you played house didnt you? Well, this is the VMK version of it. You can play it and not go against VMK Values or even values in real life you just have to ignore people that are going against values. My mom sometimes looks in on me playing real quick or asks me what I am doing on it and I feel that my moms knows what I am doing and that I have my pirvacy at the same time.

If your daughter wants to meet me on vmk some time I am on mostly on the weekends and my name there is coodisneyfan (No L)

 

[AbsoluteAwesome]

Yes, there are some bad players in the game, but there are also some great friends. I've made some amazing friends in VMK, and I can tell you that VMK has helped me in real life too. I'm a youngish VMK player, and because of VMK, I feel more comfortable talking to people and making new friends. Even my teachers have noticed a difference is that I feel more confident during class. VMK can help your daughter in so many ways. If you just let her play, I am sure that she will make a great circle of friends. Once you get past "newbiedom," VMK becomes, very much, a Disney game.

 

[Random Villains]

Ill say this.....

Even though what people say on here, from what kids are saying in VMK. It is the SAFEST place on the internet for kids.

Because whether you want to believe it or not, no matter how bad stuff can be on VMK it is NOTHING compared to what kids hear at school from other kids.

 

[Berry Princess]

Ill say this.....

Even though what people say on here, from what kids are saying in VMK. It is the SAFEST place on the internet for kids.

Because whether you want to believe it or not, no matter how bad stuff can be on VMK it is NOTHING compared to what kids hear at school from other kids.

I had thought about this myself but wasn't sure how to phrase it but its true. Especially once they hit into middle school. Which there is no control over what is said by other kids when in school. Or even when you are in public for that matter by anyone. Obviously it all comes down to us parents and making sure they know what is right or wrong. You seem to be a good parent since you came here looking for info on the game. Not many others would do that or take the time to ever look at what their kid is doing.

As was said there are lots of us that would gladly help her in game if she needed it for any reason at all. I'm QueenBerry in the game and am off and on it at different times of the day.

And as was suggested also turn the trades off. This way she can't lose something she bought with her credits and be scammed in a trade. I think it was also a good suggestion for if she wants something to post it for her on the boards and any of us can help if we have the item(s).