Virtual teen community launches in UK
- Added:
- Mar 25, 2008
VizWoz, an animated virtual world for teens, has launched in the UK with the backing of a number of high-profile investors.
The site, at www.vizwoz.com, provides a virtual world were teens a can create their own avatar and interact through chat, games and user generated content.
VizWoz was founded by entrepreneur, Daniel Laurence who also founded School Stickers, UK’s largest sticker company and MyStickers, a school incentive and reward initiative.
The Flash-based site does not require any downloaded software, instead running directly on a user’s browser.
VizWoz includes a variety of worlds in a theme park style. Users can create and customize their own character avatars all of whom move on futuristic ‘hover boards’.
The site is aimed at boys and girls, and caters for a range of tastes and interests in the teen sector including film, music, sport and fashion.
To keep the site safe for children, VizWoz site is policed by key word screening, artificial intelligence and human moderation. Enforcement is either automatic (3 strikes and out), or by the VizCops – an online VizWoz ‘police force’ who patrol the community.
Daniel Laurence, Founder of VizWoz, said: “VizWoz, a stimulating, interesting and safe space for kids and teenagers to explore and ‘hover and hang out in’ whilst stretching their imagination and creativity, is set to become the future of chat and gaming. With the combination of unprecedented flash animation and innovative technology, created by our strong team, the service aims to produce a catalyst for interaction and virtual entertainment in its most realistic form.”
Basic membership is free and allows users to enter and explore with others; send messages to friends; play games and earn the site currency; Viz Dolla.
Meanwhile, VIP membership (from £2.95 a month) provides access to additional rooms and games, clothes and accessories for the avatars plus additional room on the VizWoz servers.
The site also has partnerships with numerous companies, which will run branded content on the site.
VizWoz is backed by a board of Directors including Chairman Doug Richard (entrepreneur of Dragon’s Den fame, Chairman, Library House, Co-Founder and CEO, TRU TAP), IQ Capital, Bridges, David Murray (Propel), David Mayman (Chairman, Local Search Technologies Group) and Andrew Straw (DatingDirect).
Doug Richard, Chairman of VizWoz Ltd, added: “Having been a seed investor in successful software companies and hearing a host of business pitches including those on Dragon’s Den, it is rare to find an inspirational entrepreneur of Daniel’s calibre in the children’s and teen market.
“It is an opportune time to invest in online communities and drawing on Daniel’s wealth of knowledge and success to date in this sector, plus his vision for VizWoz, we are confident that it has the right combination to make this online offering a huge hit,” Richards concluded.
