I always think virtual world applications are a bit odd. Their target demographic seems to be those who spent a large proportion of their lives online, and yet, stereotypically, those of us who spend a great deal of time online are neither particularly skilled nor overly interested in socialising. Whether or not this is true, Sony's bid to enter the social network space, Playstation Home, seems to have gone down much like a lead balloon around here, at least. Nevertheless, Sony Online Entertainment are making their own bid to conquer human interactions with their odd little MMORPG-slash-virtual-world-space, Free Realms.


Highly customisible avatars mean you can be a chick in a hat or, you know, a weird fairy thing.
Seeming very pointedly aimed at the young and young-at-heart, Free Realms is colourful, cutesy, and loudly declaring itself "kid friendly". Despite this, and the Second Life-like emphasis on freedom and creativity, there is actually a game hidden under that marketing exterior. It appears to be a fantasy themed MMORPG, which might seem a a little extraneous in an already saturated market, but Free Realms looks to have a demographic already sewn up, with the inclusion of strict parental controls providing a possible alternative in those households where concerned guardians restrict access to more adult-orientated titles.

While all the usual adventuring and battling elements have their place, there are plenty of other options available to those looking for a more pacifistic experience. As well as a host of the usual social networking options like chat and video sharing, players can occupy themselves in a range of different activities and games, including raising pets, go kart racing, working in various socially responsible jobs like mining or even sorting mail, or just explore the scenery.


I wonder if you can play as a goat?
Designed to be easily accessible, most of the game's data will be streamed rather than stored locally, making it possible for low-end machines to handle the load, although not low-end Internet connections, one presumes. There are no level or server restrictions, so that new players can join already experienced friends in any part of the virtual world.

Free Realms has just entered closed beta, which you can sign yourself (or your kiddies) up for on the Free Realms website. Eventually available on both PC and PS3, Free Realms is expected to release in the second quarter of this year.