Parents' Guide to

WeTopia

By Erin Bell, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Players help real-world charities in this Facebook sim.

Game Facebook 2011
WeTopia Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • WeTopia Game: Screenshot #1
  • WeTopia Game: Screenshot #2
  • WeTopia Game: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 3+

Based on 1 parent review

fefekeefe
fefekeefe Adult
February 13, 2012
age 3+

Not a waste of time

Love this game, it's still in the early stages so they haven't perfected everything, but it has real promise and you feel good about playing. :-) My kids really like it, there are videos you can watch that tell you all about the organizations that you are donating your Joy too, so it's very educational, teaches kids about other cultures and makes them aware of just how lucky they are, all in a positive setting. I highly recommend it and hope it stays around, we need more games like this.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
See all 1 parent review

What’s It About?

In WETOPIA, players build up a virtual city by placing structures, roads, and decorations, and harvesting crops. In return, players earn an in-game currency called \"Joy,\" which they can \"spend\" on donations that go towards real-world children's charities, which cover everything from providing nutritious meals to dental hygiene for underprivileged kids. Players aren't obligated to give real money, but by donating \"Joy\" they help decide where the revenue generated by the game (through ads and the sale of Facebook Credits) should go. Players who do want to make a monetary donation can buy Facebook Credits to spend on exclusive items and buildings. According to the game's literature, the makers of WeTopia donate 50% of the game's revenue to its charitable partners.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (1 ):

WeTopia is a wonderful "gaming for good" initiative that lets players feel like they're making a positive impact in the real world instead of just playing an Internet time-waster for its own sake. Once players earn enough "Joy," they can visit Joy Central, browse through a list of charities and learn more about each one, then click the "Donate" button and watch the Joy Balloon fly away as takes the donated Joy to the real world.

On the gameplay side, WeTopia is a pretty standard building sim that eventually requires the help of other Facebook friends to complete structures and finish quests -- unless the player is willing to spend Facebook Credits to speed things up. However, in this case, players at least know that their in-game purchases are going towards a good cause.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the different charities in the game. How did you decide which charities to donate your "Joy" to?

  • Families can talk about other ways to do charitable work besides donations, such as volunteering or canvassing.

  • Families can also talk about the concept "games for good." Would you like to see more games become involved with charities?

Game Details

  • Platform: Facebook
  • Available online?: Available online
  • Release date: December 12, 2011
  • Genre: Simulation
  • ESRB rating: RP
  • Last updated: August 29, 2016

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