Yesterday my girls and I walked into the LEGO® Club House in Fun Town to get away from the heat (86 degrees in November--Southern California is finally having a summer) and to treat ourselves to a cold ice cream cone. I was surprised and excited to find out that the entire Club House has recently been remodeled into a game center for the new online LEGO game, LEGO Universe.
In place of the three LEGO brick play stations that used to reside in the Club House, are fifteen state-of-the-art PC stations where kids can learn and explore this brand new, cutting-edge, online video game. Before walking into the Club House, I thought I was pretty up on my hip acronyms, but in learning about this game I was introduced to a new acronym I had never heard before--MMOG which stands for Massively Mulitplayer Online Game, a video game played on the Internet that can support thousands of players simultaneously. Truthfully, the thought kind of blows me away, to think that kids from all over the world can be playing against each other at the same time. Now LEGO has its own online universe where, “players can build, explore and make friends based on the LEGO play experience.”
My daughters and I sat down to play a little and had a blast trying to maneuver our way through the MMOG (I’ve got it down now). I love the idea of being able to test out a game first before committing to buying it. With this LEGO Universe experience, Park guests and their kiddos can learn about the game and give it a go so they can see if they like it before purchasing it (it is for sale in the Park).
With LEGO Universe, “creativity is the name of the game, and children will build with LEGO bricks and bring their creations to life using a simple programming language. They can communicate and share with friends in a moderated environment, and set off for adventures in game worlds designed to inspire digital play and building.” LEGO Universe delivers the classic story of good versus evil where kids work together to save imagination.
At first I had a few safety concerns regarding the game though they were quickly put to ease as soon as I sat down with the game facilitator in the room. She explained to me that chat windows are regulated so that no profanity or harassing language may be used. Also, the developers of LEGO Universe created characters called Mythrans whose sole purpose in the game is to keep the playing field safe and to make it fun for players to learn about moderation and safety.
The LEGO Universe MMOG is a perfect Holiday gift for your little one and the LU Experience at LEGOLAND California a perfect place to give it a test run!
P.S. How are the Holidays here already?
Brick regards,
Model Mom Mary