Will all toys soon have a digital component?

Lego seems to think so!

Can you believe that kids spend over 5 billion hours playing with Legos each year? This number could triple or even increase 10 fold with the launch of a new massive multiplayer online game called Lego Universe.

The idea of these virtual worlds of toys is not a new idea, however they are becoming more and more popular and Lego is following right in step.

You buy the traditional toy, the Barbie, the Legos, the stuffed animal Webkinz, and register the code it comes with online. This registration allows you to enter into an online world where kids play with a virtual version of their real life toy and interact with other kids around the world.

Lego Universe, will have characters who can buy Lego bricks and other tools for building. However, whereas in games like WebKinz the virtual characters have to earn their money through virtual jobs, the Lego characters “earn” their currency through time spent playing, Trendhunter describes.

Not revealing too much info on the details of the game, Brian Booker, the game’s designer says, “Aside from just playing games or trading and socializing, the story allows minifigs to team up—and that’s when the real adventuring begins. If the teams of little LEGO people are successful in their endeavors, they’ll uncover new zones where they can have new and different experiences…”

Lego Universe will also differ in the fact that rather than winning or beating an opponent, players build capital by spending time in the game. “The more a child plays, they collect more coins and more bricks. The more you play, the more you get to build things,” Hansen said.

Can you imagine what kind of addiction this will lead to?

Source: Trendhunter, Reuters

What are your thoughts on virtual toys? Does it encourage spending too much time online and not enough time outside? Are these toys educational?

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