Stardoll
| Stardoll | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publisher(s) | Stardoll AB; Mattias Miksche |
| Engine | Adobe Flash |
| Platform(s) | OS Independent (Web Based Flash) (Flash 7 Required) |
| Release date(s) | 2004 |
| Genre(s) | Ages 7+ |
| Mode(s) | Royalty and Superstar (Paid account) or Non-Superstar (Free account) |
Stardoll is a browser game based on the paper doll concept. Launched in 2004, the Stardoll website was attracting a reported 200 thousand unique users a month in September 2009. As of March 2014, there were over 300 million users worldwide.[1] Users can dress up dolls using a range of tools and can participate in interactive activities depending on the type of account they used. There are also "educational" games included in the site which are claimed to improve quick thinking.[2] Members can create clubs, in which they communicate with other members.
History
Stardoll first appeared as Paperdoll Heaven in 2004 as a personal page about paper dolls, on Geocities. Creator Liisa Wrang (a 57-year-old Finnish retired housekeeper[3]) wanted to bring to girls a place where "they could get away from the shooting and killing games that boys played".[4] It expanded in 2006 after receiving venture funding from Index Ventures[5] and Sequoia Capital.[6] Relaunched in 2006, the site targets a demographic of girls and boys between the ages of 9 and 17, who can either register for free or sign up for a paid account (called a 'Superstar' account) that opens a number of aspects on the site.[7] At one point, it had more than 300 million members worldwide.[1]
In March 2009, Stardoll acquired youth-targeted blog site Piczo.[8] After the acquisition Piczo's previous management left and Piczo.com was run for some time by Stardoll's CEO Mattias Miksche and his Stardoll team.[8]
Concept
The game is mainly aimed at girls over the age of seven, though male members are also permitted. Once a member joins, they are introduced to the rules and regulations on Stardoll and are given 500 "Starcoins" and 20 "Stardollars" to get started, that will encourage the new doll to in the future purchase Stardollars. The member can then make progress in their level status and explore the game. In the "Starplaza", they can spend their Starcoins and Stardollars (which have a higher value) on clothes, accessories, make-up for their doll, and items for their suite. Members can become friends, interact, and give items to each other.
References
- 1 2 "Stardoll Reaches 300 Million Members". PRWeb. Vocus. 7 March 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
- ↑ Walker, Rob (February 17, 2008). "Dress-Up for Dollars". New York Times Magazine. Retrieved April 25, 2008.
- ↑ [http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Liisa+Wrang+-+the+rags-to-riches+story+behind+Stardoll/1135262186716 Snellman, Ritva Liisa. "Liisa Wrang - the rags-to-riches story behind Stardoll" Kuukausiliite December 2010
- ↑ "Stardoll.com: From Little Things Big Things Grow". TechCrunch. Retrieved April 25, 2008.
- ↑ Index Ventures, accessed April 25, 2008]
- ↑ "Virtual Dress-Up Site Gets $6M". Red Herring. Retrieved May 4, 2008.
- ↑ "MySpace not their space". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 25, 2008.
- 1 2 Sweney, Mark (March 9, 2009). "Social networking sites merge operations". The Guardian (London).