WeTopia

Common Sense Media says

Players help real-world charities in this Facebook sim.

Age(i)

2
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Quality(i)

 
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WeTopia gallery

What parents need to know

Positive messages

By focusing on charity, the game fosters positive messages like generosity, empathy, and community engagement. Kids are made to feel good about helping those less fortunate.

Positive role models

There aren't really any other characters in the game, but the game's overall purpose serves as a good role model to the community by showing that games can be used for more than just entertainment.

Ease of play

The game's clean mouse-driven interface is simple to navigate -- especially if players are already familiar with Facebook building sims. Players receive plenty of guidance through tutorials, hints, and quests.

Violence
Not applicable
Sex
Not applicable
Language
Not applicable
Consumerism

Players are occasionally prompted with limited time offers of exclusive items that must be purchased with Facebook Credits, and Credits can also be spent to speed up the game. Players are also encouraged to post messages on their friends' Facebook walls when they achieve certain milestones.

Drinking, drugs, & smoking
Not applicable
Privacy & safety

Some privacy concerns. Some quests can only be completed with the help of Facebook friends who are also playing the game, which may tempt players to "friend" strangers on Facebook.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that WeTopia is a city-building game played on the Facebook social network that allows players to make a positive impact in the real world. Players can donate the virtual currency they earn in the game to charitable organizations that help children in need, such as Help Haiti Heal, Save the Children, and BuildOn. The game's positive message is well-suited to kids younger than 13, but players must be at least 13 to open a Facebook account.

Parents say

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AGE
3
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Kids say

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AGE
7
QUALITY
 
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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?

QUALITY
 

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.

Families can talk 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

Platforms:Facebook
Price:Free with Microtransactions
Available online?Not available online
Release date:December 12, 2011
Genre:Simulation
ESRB rating:RP for (Facebook)

This review of WeTopia was written by

Erin Bell

About our rating system

  • ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
  • PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
  • OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
  • NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids of any age.

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Quality

Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Learning ratings

  • Best: Really engaging, great learning approach.
  • Very Good: Engaging, good learning approach.
  • Good: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
  • Fair: Somewhat engaging, okay learning approach.
  • Not for Learning: Not recommended for learning.
  • Not for Kids: Not age-appropriate for kids; not recommended for learning.

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Kid, 12 years old December 16, 2011
AGE
7
QUALITY
 

Facebook Game With Heart

its on facebook and thats the only prob! Also The Ellen Shows Ellen Degeneres is a Player and lover of this game so check it out!
What other families should know
Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
Safety and privacy concerns
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Parent Written byfefekeefe February 13, 2012
AGE
3
QUALITY
 

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.
What other families should know
Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
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