Important Factors to Consider Before Giving a Webkins Pet as a Gift

Important Factors to Consider Before Giving a Webkins Pet as a Gift

Are you the process of finding that perfect gift for a child between the ages of six and thirteen? If you are, you may know that finding the perfect gift can be hard and it may even seem impossible. That often changes when gift givers come across Webkins pets, which is also commonly spelled Webkinz. These neat little plush toys open up a world of fun and excitement for children, but are they really the right gift?

Before examining a few factors that can help you decide if a Webkins pet is right for your gift recipient, it is important that you know how they work. As for what you will buy, you will get to choose from a large selection of plush animals. These animals include pandas, turtles, cats, dogs, snakes, and so much more. Attached to the tag is a Webkinz secret code. This code can be used on the website to adopt, name, and care for a virtual pet. The child in question can play games to earn KinzCash, which is virtual money. That money can be used to buy food, toys, medicine, and other accessories.

One of the many factors that you will want to take into consideration, when determining if you should give Webkins pets, as a gift is your recipient’s age. As it was previously stated, Webkins pets are ideal for children between the ages of six and thirteen. This is because that is the age range that the website is designed for. The games and questions that will be asked are age appropriate for this age range; however, older and younger children can also use the website. If you are looking for a gift for a toddler or a preschooler, you can still purchase a Webkins pet, as the secret code provided does not have to be used.

When looking to give a Webkins pet as a gift, computer access should also be examined. Does your gift receipt have a computer with internet access in their home? They should if you want them to get full use out of this popular toy. If your gift receipt does not have internet access in their home or if you are unsure, it may be best to examine other ideas. With that said, you should know that the Webkinz brand sells much more than these plush and virtual pets, including clothing, clothing accessories, trading cards, lip gloss, and so forth.

Speaking of computer access, is your intended gift recipient even allowed to use the internet? Do their parents let them? If the answers is no or if you don’t know, you may first want to talk to the parents. Most children, especially between the ages of six and thirteen, will want to do the virtual portion of this toy.

Your gift recipient’s likes and dislikes should also be taken into consideration. This is because there are a large number of Webkins pets for you to choose from. Does the child already own a Webkins pet? Ask their parents to make sure that you don’t purchase the same one. If not, what animals or colors does the child like? Be sure to purchase one that you think they will like and want to play with

When looking to buy Webkins pets for a child that you know, cost is another factor that should be taken into consideration. They are affordably priced, but the secret Webkinz codes only last for one year. Would the parents be willing to buy another pet the next year? Better yet, would you be wiling to? You want to make sure that you choose a gift that will keep on giving, not one that your recipient will automatically be unable to use or play with after a year.

As stated above, there are a number of factors that you will want to take into consideration, before you buy a Webkins pet for a child that you know. When in doubt, it may first be best to quickly speak with the child’s parents.

Important Milestones

Important Milestones

Video Games have a history of over 50 years and have been well documented. This is a synopsis of the most important milestones in the history of video gaming.

Video games can be dated back to 1952. It was A.S.Douglas who created the first documented computer game “Noughts and Crosses.”

The first American to invent an interactive video game was William A. Higginbotham. He invented “Tennis for Two” in 1958. In 1962, Steven Russell created “Space war.”

In 1971, Nolan Bushnell created the first coin arcade style game “Computer Space.” Ralph Baer, later known as “the father of video games”, created the first home game console, The Odyssey, capable of playing 12 different games.

The first multi-game home console, Atari 2600, with plug-in cartridges that store game information was released in 1977. 1978 saw Magnavox releasing – a console system that includes a full 49 key keyboard- Odyssey 2.

The popular Pac-Man was brought to the United States by the Japanese Company, Namco, in partnership with America’s Midway in 1980. Pac-Man is the first game to have an animated character with its own name.

Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto created Donkey Kong, introducing “Mario” as a character, in four different levels. Miyamoto went on to become an industry giant followed by a string of successful games beginning with Donkey Kong in 1981.

Software giant Microsoft jumped on the bandwagon in 1982 and released its first version of “Flight Simulator.”

The Americans, hitherto used to play games on slow systems with almost negligible sound systems, were overwhelmed by the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) released in 1986. NES had 8-bit color graphics, elaborate sound effects and faster game play.

As video games grew popular and addictive, a slew of games that were racist, pornographic and violent to the core, hit the market. This trend of feeding to the barbaric streaks in gamers began with Custer’s Revenge in 1983. This type of gaming reached a boiling point with the release of Mortal Kombat in 1992. The extreme violence in Mortal Kombat, lead to a Senate Investigation 1993.

Following the Senate Investigation, the Entertainment Software Association established The Entertainment Software Rating Board in 1994. This board began by providing ratings and information about video and computer game content. The ESRB has since evolved 6 ratings and 31 content descriptions that slot every game into a particular category.

While the games were growing rich in content and presentation, the technology available to play the games was not as best as one would have liked it to be. The systems were either too pricey or lacked the finesse to play the games. Breaking this spell in 1999, Sega released Dreamcast System. Dreamcast with its groundbreaking technology – VMS memory card/PDA and built in 56kbps modem for online play – was described by Popular Science Magazine as “one of the most important and innovative products of 1999.”

Technology at its best is available in the video game industry. Sony released the 128 bit Play station 2 – the first console to use DVD technology – with graphics capability that was better than that available on a PC. This is one of the major milestones of the year 2000.

Hoping to cash in on the video game popularity, the U.S.Army, gave away the game, America’s Army, for free. The motive was to attract new recruitment for the army. The game eventually became the top online action game in the country in 2002.

While the army was using the video games positively, citizens were concerned about the impact of “cop-killer” games. Deciding that enough was enough, Washington State signed a legislation prohibiting selling or renting cop-killer games to minors. This historical regulation, fining violators’ up to 0, came into force in 2003.

What has been listed here is only about what can be termed as Major Milestones in the evolution of Video Games and does not claim to be a calendar of events in the history of video games.