Emerald Island (Windows, Mac)
common sense media says
Eco-focused MMO in which kids' in-game actions do real good.
parents & educators say
- 40% say there are positive role models
- 40% say there are positive messages
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this is a massively multiplayer online game (MMO). While there are two kinds of chats available, neither is activated until a parent consents to their use. On option is Restricted Chat where kids can only use a limited, predefined menu of phases to communicate. For older kids, parents can authorize the use Safe Chat, where kids can type messages limited to words from within the Emerald Island Safe Chat dictionary, which prohibits inappropriate language and the sharing of personal information. While free to play, the subscription membership offers a more robust experience including a wide range of parental controls. These controls allow parents to set the maximum daily play time within the game, restrict play time to specific hours of the day, determine whether their child can trade items within this world. For Earth Day, the game is partnering with www.TreesForTheFuture.org so that when kids plant trees within the game, real trees are planted in the real world as well.
Educational value:
This game uses a learn-by-playing method of teaching ecological issues.
Violence & scariness:
You'll throw fruit at the bad PiRats to make them go away.
Language:
Not applicable.
Consumerism:
While the game is free to play, a more robust experience is available for paying members. Membership is $5.95 for a month, $29.95 for 6 months, and $57.95 for a year.
More on Emerald Island
Review It
Based on 5 parent & educator reviews:
- 40% say there are positive role models
- 40% say there are positive messages
- 40% say it's educational
Most useful reviews by all members
verovel
parent of 10 year old
parent of 10 year old
perfect for ages 8+
I love it
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rainbowgirls
parent of 8 year old
parent of 8 year old
Emerald Island no longer there
We also loved this game, but can't find it anymore. My 7 yo daughter Tiana sure hopes that they bring it back.
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pleione
teen, 15 years old
teen, 15 years old
The perfect site for kids under 8
This site seems to be tailored to the uptight parents on this site. IMO, kids should be allowed to play as soon as they are able to read the instructions. really, it teaches great lessons, like "plant a tree" and "help people". Throwing cartoon apples at bad guys is laughable violence.if that's the worst your four year old has seen, then you are way overprotective, i think.
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Sweetmaker
parent of 7 year old
parent of 7 year old
We loved this game. note that I said loved past tense. Since this game has been sold to another company we have not been able to log on in over a week. We had to start our characters over due to the transition. If your computer is slow it tends to make the game slow but other than that we didn't have any troubles until they changed owners. Now we can no longer play. I tried contacting the company but their email in box was full and can no longer accept emails. We are very disappointed.
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Bari156
parent of 9 and 11 year old
parent of 9 and 11 year old
emerald island
This game is no longer available on the web.
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tpm
parent of and 3 , 6 , 8 year old
parent of and 3 , 6 , 8 year old
Hours of clean, engaging fun!
My 6 y/o girl has played 5-6 games online (disney, nick and bella sara) and a couple of MMOs (club penguin). Emerald Island is the most engaging, thoughtful game she's played by a wide margin. She diligently goes back to the world to water and take care of her garden plot and loves the quests. She's just now starting to spell and really grooves on the word sailing mini game too. She's become a great deal more environmentally conscious over the last few months and the "save the world" theme of the game really resonates with her. She still hasn't found the magic avocado seed yet but hopes to soon!! She's recruiting her cousins from NYC to join her in the world too...I love the social aspects of this one too. A must try for boys/girls in the 6-12 range.
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