XP and Economy Design in Kids Games

JDuaneJ

Hey everyone, over the last couple months I've been racking my brain with the economy design of my current project. We have coins, stars and XP (wich adds level to the mix). Coins are awarded to the player when minigames are played, certain games have a star rating, and there is an XP layer in the mix. I'm finding a ton of useful information on Economy Design pertaining to XP and reward systems. But they are mostly catering toward an older crowd. Does anyone have useful links/advice to share about what kids are more engaged in? Do they actually care about XP? Or would coins and stars be enough?

Thoughts?

Also, do you think kids enjoy playing games with their own friends, or playing games with random kids online? (Talking ages 7-12)

RP

Check out Club Penguin (or vids on club penguin stores and such on youtube). They have a coin system similar to what you mentioned for mini games, scavanger hunts and special activities. You can buy items, pets, houses etc.

http://www.clubpenguin.com/

From what I've seen kids don't mind playing with randoms, but it is quite trendy to play with neighbors and schoolmates (especially if they can't get out to play). A lot of next-gen girl gamers on these types of games too.

JDuaneJ

Yeah, I've been playing Poptropica Moshi Monsters and Club Penguin. It's hard to get any true data from playing these games because I can't tell if anyone is actually having fun. lol

I want to do things a bit differently and provide XP to encourage creativity and customization. But it's hard to tell if kids like XP, or if it's just something that goes with the territory of the games they play. Never heard of a game that actually lets you pick if you want to earn XP.