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| name= ''Club Penguin''
| name= ''Club Penguin''
| image= File:CPLogo2012.PNG
| image= File:CPLogo2012.PNG
| caption= The new version of Club Penguin logo after partnering with Disney.
| caption= The Club Penguin logo after partnering with Disney.
| platform= Web Browser
| platform= Web Browser
| developer= [[New Horizon Interactive]]
| developer= [[New Horizon Interactive]]
Line 13: Line 13:
| year= 2005
| year= 2005
}}
}}
:''Not to be confused with the [[Club Penguin (app)|mobile application]] or the virtual [[Club Penguin Island|island]].''
:''Not to be confused with the [[Club Penguin (app)|mobile application]] or the virtual [[Club Penguin Island (location)|island]].''
'''''Club Penguin''''', commonly abbreviated as '''CP''', is a [[wikipedia:MMORPG|MMORPG]] designed for children and teenagers fourteen and under (but it's open for all ages)<ref>http://www.clubpenguin.com/parents/club_penguin_guide.htm#who</ref> that was developed by [[New Horizon Interactive]]. Using cartoon [[Penguins|penguin]] avatars, players can chat, play [[Games|mini games]], and participate in other activities with one another in a snow-covered virtual world. ''Club Penguin'' was first made available to the public on October 24, 2005 on 12:00 PM ([[Penguin Standard Time]]) and has since then expanded into a large online community. ''Club Penguin'' shares similarities with other popular browser-based online environments such as RuneScape and Habbo Hotel. ''Club Penguin'' was also awarded the "Editor's Choice" award from ''Children's Technology Review'' Magazine.
'''''Club Penguin''''', commonly abbreviated as '''''CP''''', was a [[wikipedia:MMORPG|MMORPG]] designed for children and teenagers fourteen and under (but open and intended for all ages)<ref>http://www.clubpenguin.com/parents/club_penguin_guide.htm#who</ref> that was developed by [[New Horizon Interactive]]. Using cartoon [[Penguins|penguin]] avatars, players can chat, play [[Games|mini games]], and participate in other activities with one another in a snow-covered virtual world. ''Club Penguin'' was first made available to the public on October 24, 2005 on 12:00 PM ([[Penguin Standard Time]]) and has since then expanded into a large online community. The game was shut down on March 30, 2017 at 12:00 AM (PST). ''Club Penguin'' shared similarities with other popular browser-based online environments such as ''RuneScape'' and ''Habbo Hotel''.


Though a large amount of the game can be played for free, some of features are not available unless a [[membership]] is purchased. These features include: upgrading and buying items for your personal [[igloo]], buying [[clothes]], hats, and [[Big Wigs|wigs]], visiting unique [[The Party|party rooms]], playing different mini games and a lot more.<ref name=Cp />
Though a large amount of the game could be played for free, some of the features were not available unless a [[membership]] was purchased. These features included: upgrading and buying items for your personal [[igloo]], buying [[clothes]], hats, and [[Big Wigs|wigs]], visiting unique [[The Party|party rooms]], playing different mini games and a lot more.<ref name=Cp />


==Gameplay==
==Gameplay==
Line 24: Line 24:


==== Club Penguin world ====
==== Club Penguin world ====
''Club Penguin'' is essentially a chatroom that takes place in a 2D world (from an isometric point of view) divided into several rooms. These rooms can be either outdoor or indoor rooms. Outdoor rooms usually are more popular because getting there is easier (you can be transported to an outdoor room instantaneously via the [[Map]]) and they offer more links to other rooms. Outdoor rooms are also the gateways to indoor rooms. Indoor rooms offer a lot more to do within them; players can find [[Book Room|books]] to read, [[minigame]]s to play and [[mission]]s to participate within.<ref name=Cp />
''Club Penguin'' was essentially a chatroom that took place in a 2D world (from an isometric point of view) divided into several rooms. These rooms were either outdoor or indoor rooms. Outdoor rooms were usually more popular because getting there was easier (instantaneous transportation was available via the [[Map]]) and they offered more links to other rooms. Outdoor rooms were also the gateways to indoor rooms. Indoor rooms offered a lot to do within them; players could find [[Book Room|books]] to read, [[minigame]]s to play and [[mission]]s to participate within.<ref name=Cp />


==== History ====
==== History ====
Before ''Club Penguin'', there was a game created by Rocketsnail (Rsnail) called ''[[Penguin Chat]]''. ''[[Penguin Chat]]'' was the game that ''Club Penguin'' was based on. In 2005 this game was closed and the players were told to move to a new game known as ''Club Penguin''. Ever since beta testing, ''Club Penguin'' has grown to one of the most popular online games and has over 35 million users worldwide.
Before ''Club Penguin'', there was a game created by Rocketsnail (Rsnail) called ''[[Penguin Chat]]''. ''[[Penguin Chat]]'' was the game that ''Club Penguin'' was based on. In 2005 this game was closed and the players were told to move to a new game known as ''Club Penguin''. Ever since beta testing, ''Club Penguin'' has grown to one of the most popular online games and has over 35 million users worldwide.


==== Penguin Avatars ====
==== Penguin avatars ====
 
After registering an account, users could create their own [[penguin]] avatar and igloo, initially only choosing their color. Each penguin also owned an igloo (igloos were not located in ''Club Penguin'' proper, and could only be entered through a [[buddy list]] or the house button on a player card; if on map), and users that had paid for a membership could further decorate this igloo. Pets known as [[puffle]]s could also be purchased, and they could be kept in the owner's igloo or taken for walks.
After registering an account, users can create their own [[penguin]] avatar and igloo, initially only choosing their color. Each penguin also owns an igloo (igloos are not located in ''Club Penguin'' proper, and can only be entered through a [[buddy list]] or the house button on a player card; if on map), and users that have paid for a membership can further decorate this igloo. Pets known as [[puffle]]s can also be purchased, and they can be kept in the owner's igloo or taken for walks.


The gameplay input of ''Club Penguin'' uses the mouse and the keyboard, players click where they want to waddle to within a room. Although the whole can room can hear what one [[penguin]] says, players often waddle near their friends or to people they want to talk to.
The gameplay input of ''Club Penguin'' used the mouse and the keyboard, with players clicking where they wanted to waddle to within a room. Although the whole could room can hear what one [[penguin]] says, players often waddle near their friends or to people they want to talk to.


====Items====
====Items====
 
When a person first signed up for ''Club Penguin'' they got 2 free items: the [[New Player Red Baseball Hat]] and the [[New Player Background]]. This feature was introduced on June 27, 2011.
When a person first signs up for Club Penguin they get 2 free items: the [[New Player Red Baseball Hat]] and the [[New Player Background]]. People have gotten them since June 27, 2011.


==== Chatting ====
==== Chatting ====
 
All penguins had the privilege to chat to one another, however filters were introduced by New Horizon Interactive to prevent messages being sent that include certain blocked words. Messages appeared in speech bubbles and a history of messages within a room could be seen by clicking on a drop-down at the top of the screen. Whenever someone swore or used a swearing acronym, the message would not show up (asterisk or direct censoring was absent in ''Club Penguin'', in order for it to not suggest spoken swear words within the game) and a pop-up message indicated that you had been banned for a certain amount of time. Safe Chat used a variety of preset messages so players could communicate safely. The Safe Chat messages were available for players with Normal Chat, in addition to the standard chat. Numbers would not show up when chatting, to ensure that players could not reveal their age or phone number to other players. When Club Penguin originally launched, there were no filters. The moderators would stay on most of the time to monitor. When they were offline, people could say inappropriate things freely. However, when the moderators logged back on, they would look at the chat history during the time they were offline. If they saw that a user said something inappropriate, they would ban them. In early 2006, the chat filters were introduced, making it easier on moderators, though te moderators still looked at the history to make sure there were no filter errors.
All penguins have the privilege to chat to one another, however filters have been introduced by New Horizon Interactive to prevent messages being sent that include certain blocked words. Messages appear in speech bubbles and a history of messages within a room can be seen by clicking on a drop-down at the top of the screen. Whenever someone swears or uses a swearing acronym, the message does not show up (asterik or direct censoring is absent in ''Club Penguin'', in order for it to not suggest spoken swear words within the game) and pop-up message indicates that you have been banned for a certain amount of time.Safe Chat uses a variety of preset messages so players can communicate safely. Safe Chat is also available for players with Normal Chat. Numbers do not show up when chatting. This move ensured that players could not reveal their age or phone number to other players. When Club Penguin originally launched, there were no filters. The moderators would stay on most of the time to monitor. When they were offline, people could say inappropriate things freely. However, when the moderators logged back on, they would look at the chat history during the time they were offline. If they saw that a user said something inappropriate, they would ban them. In early 2006, the chat filters were introduced, making it easier on moderators. The moderators still look at the history to make sure there are no filter errors.


=== Economy ===
=== Economy ===
 
The Economy of ''Club Penguin'' revolved around mini-games and the [[coin]] system. Money could be earned via playing mini-games, which could be both single-player and multiplayer. Items such as clothing, [[furniture]] or pets could be bought to accommodate the lifestyle of a character in ''Club Penguin''.
The Economy of ''Club Penguin'' revolves around mini games and the [[coin]] system. Money can be earned via playing mini-games, which can be both single-player, and multiplayer. Items such as: clothing, [[furniture]] or pets, can be bought to accommodate the lifestyle of a character in ''Club Penguin''.


=== Membership ===
=== Membership ===
{{Main|Membership}}


:''See main article: [[Membership]]''
Members<ref>http://www.clubpenguin.com/membership/</ref> were players who paid for extra benefits in the world of ''Club Penguin''. Members could use [[coin]]s to buy clothing, furniture and puffles - domesticated animals which were kept as pets. They also had the privileges for VIP rooms and were more recognized in ''Club Penguin''. However, non-members could still acquire items, which were usually given out at "[[parties]]". Members could also attend exclusive parties and events and get [[stamps]] that others couldn't get. There were more things exclusive to members later on than when the game first launched. From the launch to the start of the [[stamps]], players could play mini-games without being prompted to buy membership.
 
Members<ref>http://www.clubpenguin.com/membership/</ref> are players who pay for extra benefits in the world of ''Club Penguin''. Members can use [[coin]]s to buy clothing, furniture and puffles - domesticated ''animals'', which are kept as pets. They also have the privileges for VIP rooms and are more recognized in ''Club Penguin''. However, non-members can still acquire items, which are usually given out at "[[parties]]". Members also can attend exclusive parties and events and get [[stamps]] that others can't get. There are more things exclusive to members now than at the start. From the launch to the start of the [[Stamps]], players could play minigames without being prompted to buy membership.


=== Parties ===
=== Parties ===
 
Parties were monthly events that were popular in ''Club Penguin''. The island was usually decorated to fit the theme, and as aforementioned, free items were given to non-members. In some parties, members could gain VIP access to a special, exclusive room which was only available at the time of the party, and thereby called [[The Party]]. Parties usually last for 2 weeks, although extensions were possible.
Parties are monthly events that are popular in ''Club Penguin''. The island is usually decorated to fit the theme, and as aforementioned, free items are given to non-members. In some parties, members can gain VIP access to a special, exclusive room which is only available at the time of the party, and thereby called [[The Party]]. Parties usually last for 2 weeks (formerly 1 week), although extensions are possible.


=== CPIP ===
=== CPIP ===
:''See main article: [[Club Penguin Improvement Project]]''
{{Main|Club Penguin Improvement Project}}


In Spring 2008, there was a project called [[CPIP]] when ''Club Penguin'' was upgraded to version 2. While the [[Moderators|designers and programmers]] worked on the new features, penguins played the beta testing version of the new ''Club Penguin''. The project was finished and closed on July 13, 2008.<ref>"The team finished testing and launched the new features yesterday! Thank you for all your feedback and help with this project. 2006 forever guys!" — [[Billybob|BillyBob]], CPIP Blog</ref> <!-- He was known as "BillyBob" in the blog, so don't change it! -->
In Spring 2008, there was a project called [[CPIP]] when ''Club Penguin'' was upgraded to version 2. While the [[Moderators|designers and programmers]] worked on the new features, penguins played the beta testing version of the new ''Club Penguin''. The project was finished and closed on July 13, 2008.<ref>"The team finished testing and launched the new features yesterday! Thank you for all your feedback and help with this project. 2006 forever guys!" — [[Billybob|BillyBob]], CPIP Blog</ref> <!-- He was known as "BillyBob" in the blog, so don't change it! -->


=== Languages ===
=== Languages ===
:''See main article: [[Language]]''
{{Main|Language}}


''Club Penguin'' is currently available in English, Portuguese, French and Spanish. The Portuguese was released in October 2008, French was released on February 2009, Spanish was released in June 2009, German was released in October 2011 and Russian was released on February 2014. Club Penguin in German and Russian were closed on September 2, 2015.<ref>http://www.clubpenguin.com/blog/2015/06/important-news-about-club-penguin-russian-and-german-languages</ref>
''Club Penguin'' was available in English, Portuguese, French and Spanish. The Portuguese version was released in October 2008, French in February 2009, Spanish in June 2009, German in October 2011 and Russian in February 2014. The German and Russian versions were closed on September 2, 2015.<ref>http://www.clubpenguin.com/blog/2015/06/important-news-about-club-penguin-russian-and-german-languages</ref>


== Reception ==
== Reception ==
Although it had attracted some criticism, ''Club Penguin'' was for the most part well received. The [[wikipedia:Better Business Bureau|Better Business Bureau]] gave it the “Kids' privacy seal of approval”. It has been praised for teaching children to "practice safe money-management skills".{{Fact}} ''Club Penguin''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s userbase was rapidly growing up until its closing, showing that it continued to be successful.


Although it has attracted some criticism, ''Club Penguin'' is for the most part well received. The [[wikipedia:Better Business Bureau|Better Business Bureau]] gave it the “Kids' privacy seal of approval”. It has been praised for teaching children to "practice safe money-management skills".{{Fact}} ''Club Penguin''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s userbase is rapidly growing showing that it continues to be successful.
However, concerns about the safety of ''Club Penguin'' were raised. Caitlin Flanagan from ''[[wikipedia:Atlantic Monthly|The Atlantic Monthly]]'' said ''Club Penguin'' was “certainly the safest way for unsupervised children to talk to potentially malevolent strangers — but why would you want them to do that in the first place?". Lynsey Kiely from the ''[[wikipedia:Sunday Independent|Sunday Independent]]'' said: “we cannot guarantee that every person who visits the site is a child." ''Club Penguin'' has also been called "childish" on numerous occasions.


However, concerns about the safety of ''Club Penguin'' have been raised. Caitlin Flanagan from ''[[wikipedia:Atlantic Monthly|The Atlantic Monthly]]'' said ''Club Penguin'' was “certainly the safest way for unsupervised children to talk to potentially malevolent strangers — but why would you want them to do that in the first place?". Lynsey Kiely from the ''[[wikipedia:Sunday Independent|Sunday Independent]]'' said: “we cannot guarantee that every person who visits the site is a child." ''Club Penguin'' has also been called "childish" on numerous occasions.
''Club Penguin'' has also been criticized for the “member’s only part of the game”{{Fact}}. Non-members could not acquire certain [[clothing]] items, furniture for their [[igloo]]s, new igloos or many types of [[puffle]]s. Most non-member items were found in parties and given out as free items, but most of them were head items.


''Club Penguin'' has also been criticized for the “member’s only part of the game”{{Fact}}. Non-members cannot acquire certain [[clothing]] items, furniture for their [[igloo]]s, new igloos or many types of [[puffle]]s. Most non-member items are found in parties and given out as free items, but most of them are head items.
''Club Penguin'' was also awarded the "Editor's Choice" award from ''Children's Technology Review'' Magazine.


== Technical ==
== Technical ==
Internally, ''Club Penguin'' was powered by [[wikipedia:LAMP (software bundle)|LAMP]] servers for the websites. SmartFox servers were used in the game.<ref>http://www.smartfoxserver.com/showcase/</ref>


Internally, ''Club Penguin'' is powered by [[wikipedia:LAMP (software bundle)|LAMP]] servers for the websites. SmartFox servers are used in the game.<ref>http://www.smartfoxserver.com/showcase/</ref>
On the administrative side, Plesk, ClickZ, WinHTTrack, The Web Developer toolbar (for Firefox), and Firebug were all used.<ref>http://support.clubpenguin.com/help/technical/clear_my_cache.htm</ref>
 
On the administrative side, Plesk, ClickZ, WinHTTrack, The Web Developer toolbar (for Firefox), and Firebug are all used.<ref>http://support.clubpenguin.com/help/technical/clear_my_cache.htm</ref>


== Merchandise ==
== Merchandise ==
=== Toys ===
=== Toys ===
 
''Club Penguin'' has sold many merchandise such as stuffed penguins (named Plush Toys) and sets of [[Card-Jitsu]] Cards.
''Club Penguin'' has sold many merchandise such as stuffed penguins (named Plush Toys) and sets of [[Card-Jitsu]] Cards. Lately it seems that toys and trading cards aren't being produced anymore.


=== Books ===
=== Books ===
Several books, such as "''[[The Ultimate Official Guide to Club Penguin Volume 1|The Ultimate Official ''Club Penguin Guide'' Volume 1]]''", "''[[The Official Stage Playbook]]", "[[Secret Agent Handbook]]"'', ''"[[Stowaway! Adventures at Sea]]''" and "''[[Waddle Lot of Laughs]]''" have been published by ''Club Penguin''.<ref>http://www.clubpenguin.com/toys</ref>
Several books, such as "''[[The Ultimate Official Guide to Club Penguin Volume 1|The Ultimate Official ''Club Penguin Guide'' Volume 1]]''", "''[[The Official Stage Playbook]]", "[[Secret Agent Handbook]]"'', ''"[[Stowaway! Adventures at Sea]]''" and "''[[Waddle Lot of Laughs]]''" have been published by ''Club Penguin''.<ref>http://www.clubpenguin.com/toys</ref>


==Applications and video games==
==Applications and video games==
 
Several video games based on ''Club Penguin'' have been produced:
Several video games based on Club Penguin have been made:


* ''[[Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force]]'' (Nintendo DS)
* ''[[Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force]]'' (Nintendo DS)
Line 99: Line 89:
* ''[[Club Penguin: Game Day!]]'' (Nintendo Wii)
* ''[[Club Penguin: Game Day!]]'' (Nintendo Wii)


Club Penguin also has several mobile applications:
''Club Penguin'' also had several mobile applications:
 
*[[Puffle Launch (application)|Puffle Launch]] (iOS/Android)
*[[Club Penguin (app)|Club Penguin]] (iOS/Android)
*[[Sled Racer]] (iOS/Android)
*[[Puffle Wild]] (iOS)
*[[Club Penguin SoundStudio]] (iOS/Android)
 
== Sites supporting Club Penguin ==
''Club Penguin'' can be played via five different websites:


* [http://play.clubpenguin.com/ ClubPenguin.com] (Since 2005)
*''[[Puffle Launch (application)|Puffle Launch]]'' (iOS/Android)
* [http://www.miniclip.com/games/club-penguin/en/ Miniclip.com] (Since March 2006)
*''[[Club Penguin (app)|Club Penguin]]'' (iOS/Android)
* [http://www.disney.com Disney.com] (Since 2007)
*''[[Sled Racer]]'' (iOS/Android)
* [http://clubpenguin.wildtangent.com/index.php?lang=en&p=5 WildTangent Orb] (Since July 2009)
*''[[Puffle Wild]]'' (iOS)
*''[[Club Penguin SoundStudio]]'' (iOS/Android)


== Trivia ==
== Trivia ==
* Club Penguin's Business Number is 1-888-861-4111. Only call if you have any serious questions or if you want to unban your penguin that has been banned forever (lots of users have successfully accomplished this before).
* ''Club Penguin''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s business phone number is 1-888-861-4111.
* For the [[Puffle Party 2012]], "Club Penguin" was crossed out and replaced with "Club Puffle".
* For the [[Puffle Party 2012]], "Club Penguin" was crossed out and replaced with "Club Puffle".


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
=== Club Penguin logos ===
=== ''Club Penguin'' logos ===
<gallery>
<gallery>
Image:Club-penguin.png|The ''Club Penguin'' logo before partnering with Disney.
File:Club Penguin Logo Pre-Disney.png|The ''Club Penguin'' logo before partnering with Disney.
File:Big Cp Logo.png|''Club Penguin'' logo between 2008 and 2012.
File:Big Cp Logo.png|''Club Penguin'' logo between 2008 and 2012.
Image:Club Puffle Logo.PNG|The ''Club Penguin'' logo during the [[Puffle Party 2012]].
File:Club Puffle Logo.PNG|The ''Club Penguin'' logo during the [[Puffle Party 2012]].
File:CPLogo2012.PNG|The current ''Club Penguin'' logo.  
File:CPLogo2012.PNG|''Club Penguin'' logo between 2012 and 2017.
</gallery>
</gallery>
=== Other images ===
=== Other images ===
<gallery>
<gallery>
Image:Club Penguin.jpg|''Club Penguin''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s official poster.
File:Club Penguin.jpg|''Club Penguin''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s official poster.
Image:3D Penguin.jpg|3D development/mesh of a [[penguin]] avatar with a Chef Hat and Pizza Apron.
File:3D Penguin.jpg|3D development/mesh of a [[penguin]] avatar with a Chef Hat and Pizza Apron.
</gallery>
</gallery>


== See also ==
== See also ==
 
* [[Club Penguin Island (location)|Club Penguin Island]]
* [[Club Penguin Island]]
* [[ClubPenguin.com]]
* [[ClubPenguin.com]]
* [[Club Penguin History|''Club Penguin'' History]]
* [[Club Penguin History|''Club Penguin'' History]]
Line 141: Line 123:
* ''[[Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force: Herbert's Revenge]]''
* ''[[Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force: Herbert's Revenge]]''
* ''[[Club Penguin: Game Day!]]''
* ''[[Club Penguin: Game Day!]]''
* [[Basic Club Penguin Tutorial]]
* [[Club Penguin Wiki:Basic Club Penguin Tutorial|Basic ''Club Penguin'' tutorial]]




== Sources and References ==
== Sources and references ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
* [http://www.clubpenguin.com ''Club Penguin'' official website]
* [http://www.clubpenguin.com ''Club Penguin'' official website]
* [http://archives.clubpenguinwiki.info/swf.cpcheats.info/music/full_unnamed/232.swf ''Club Penguins'' offical music]
* [http://archives.clubpenguinwiki.info/swf.cpcheats.info/music/full_unnamed/232.swf ''Club Penguin''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s official music]
* [http://play.clubpenguin.com Play ''Club Penguin'']
* [http://play.clubpenguin.com Play ''Club Penguin'']
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club_Penguin Wikipedia article on ''Club Penguin'']
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club_Penguin Wikipedia article on ''Club Penguin'']
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20061231194457/http://www.clubpenguin.com/ Club Penguins Old Website]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20061231194457/http://www.clubpenguin.com/ ''Club Penguin''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Old Website]
* [http://www.youtube.com/user/Clubpenguin ''Club Penguin's'' official YouTube account]
* [http://www.youtube.com/user/Clubpenguin ''Club Penguin''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s official YouTube account]
{{Versions}}
{{Versions}}


Latest revision as of 05:02, 11 August 2018


 Featured Article
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Club Penguin
The Club Penguin logo after partnering with Disney.
Information
Platform Web Browser
Developer New Horizon Interactive
Publisher Disney Online Studios (Canada)
ESRB rating Mild Cartoon Violence
Genre MMOG (Massive Multiplayer Online Game)
Date released 2005
Not to be confused with the mobile application or the virtual island.

Club Penguin, commonly abbreviated as CP, was a MMORPG designed for children and teenagers fourteen and under (but open and intended for all ages)[1] that was developed by New Horizon Interactive. Using cartoon penguin avatars, players can chat, play mini games, and participate in other activities with one another in a snow-covered virtual world. Club Penguin was first made available to the public on October 24, 2005 on 12:00 PM (Penguin Standard Time) and has since then expanded into a large online community. The game was shut down on March 30, 2017 at 12:00 AM (PST). Club Penguin shared similarities with other popular browser-based online environments such as RuneScape and Habbo Hotel.

Though a large amount of the game could be played for free, some of the features were not available unless a membership was purchased. These features included: upgrading and buying items for your personal igloo, buying clothes, hats, and wigs, visiting unique party rooms, playing different mini games and a lot more.[2]

Gameplay

3D development/mesh of a penguin avatar with a Chef Hat and Pizza Apron.

Overview

Club Penguin world

Club Penguin was essentially a chatroom that took place in a 2D world (from an isometric point of view) divided into several rooms. These rooms were either outdoor or indoor rooms. Outdoor rooms were usually more popular because getting there was easier (instantaneous transportation was available via the Map) and they offered more links to other rooms. Outdoor rooms were also the gateways to indoor rooms. Indoor rooms offered a lot to do within them; players could find books to read, minigames to play and missions to participate within.[2]

History

Before Club Penguin, there was a game created by Rocketsnail (Rsnail) called Penguin Chat. Penguin Chat was the game that Club Penguin was based on. In 2005 this game was closed and the players were told to move to a new game known as Club Penguin. Ever since beta testing, Club Penguin has grown to one of the most popular online games and has over 35 million users worldwide.

Penguin avatars

After registering an account, users could create their own penguin avatar and igloo, initially only choosing their color. Each penguin also owned an igloo (igloos were not located in Club Penguin proper, and could only be entered through a buddy list or the house button on a player card; if on map), and users that had paid for a membership could further decorate this igloo. Pets known as puffles could also be purchased, and they could be kept in the owner's igloo or taken for walks.

The gameplay input of Club Penguin used the mouse and the keyboard, with players clicking where they wanted to waddle to within a room. Although the whole could room can hear what one penguin says, players often waddle near their friends or to people they want to talk to.

Items

When a person first signed up for Club Penguin they got 2 free items: the New Player Red Baseball Hat and the New Player Background. This feature was introduced on June 27, 2011.

Chatting

All penguins had the privilege to chat to one another, however filters were introduced by New Horizon Interactive to prevent messages being sent that include certain blocked words. Messages appeared in speech bubbles and a history of messages within a room could be seen by clicking on a drop-down at the top of the screen. Whenever someone swore or used a swearing acronym, the message would not show up (asterisk or direct censoring was absent in Club Penguin, in order for it to not suggest spoken swear words within the game) and a pop-up message indicated that you had been banned for a certain amount of time. Safe Chat used a variety of preset messages so players could communicate safely. The Safe Chat messages were available for players with Normal Chat, in addition to the standard chat. Numbers would not show up when chatting, to ensure that players could not reveal their age or phone number to other players. When Club Penguin originally launched, there were no filters. The moderators would stay on most of the time to monitor. When they were offline, people could say inappropriate things freely. However, when the moderators logged back on, they would look at the chat history during the time they were offline. If they saw that a user said something inappropriate, they would ban them. In early 2006, the chat filters were introduced, making it easier on moderators, though te moderators still looked at the history to make sure there were no filter errors.

Economy

The Economy of Club Penguin revolved around mini-games and the coin system. Money could be earned via playing mini-games, which could be both single-player and multiplayer. Items such as clothing, furniture or pets could be bought to accommodate the lifestyle of a character in Club Penguin.

Membership

Main article: Membership

Members[3] were players who paid for extra benefits in the world of Club Penguin. Members could use coins to buy clothing, furniture and puffles - domesticated animals which were kept as pets. They also had the privileges for VIP rooms and were more recognized in Club Penguin. However, non-members could still acquire items, which were usually given out at "parties". Members could also attend exclusive parties and events and get stamps that others couldn't get. There were more things exclusive to members later on than when the game first launched. From the launch to the start of the stamps, players could play mini-games without being prompted to buy membership.

Parties

Parties were monthly events that were popular in Club Penguin. The island was usually decorated to fit the theme, and as aforementioned, free items were given to non-members. In some parties, members could gain VIP access to a special, exclusive room which was only available at the time of the party, and thereby called The Party. Parties usually last for 2 weeks, although extensions were possible.

CPIP

Main article: Club Penguin Improvement Project

In Spring 2008, there was a project called CPIP when Club Penguin was upgraded to version 2. While the designers and programmers worked on the new features, penguins played the beta testing version of the new Club Penguin. The project was finished and closed on July 13, 2008.[4]

Languages

Main article: Language

Club Penguin was available in English, Portuguese, French and Spanish. The Portuguese version was released in October 2008, French in February 2009, Spanish in June 2009, German in October 2011 and Russian in February 2014. The German and Russian versions were closed on September 2, 2015.[5]

Reception

Although it had attracted some criticism, Club Penguin was for the most part well received. The Better Business Bureau gave it the “Kids' privacy seal of approval”. It has been praised for teaching children to "practice safe money-management skills".[citation needed] Club Penguin's userbase was rapidly growing up until its closing, showing that it continued to be successful.

However, concerns about the safety of Club Penguin were raised. Caitlin Flanagan from The Atlantic Monthly said Club Penguin was “certainly the safest way for unsupervised children to talk to potentially malevolent strangers — but why would you want them to do that in the first place?". Lynsey Kiely from the Sunday Independent said: “we cannot guarantee that every person who visits the site is a child." Club Penguin has also been called "childish" on numerous occasions.

Club Penguin has also been criticized for the “member’s only part of the game”[citation needed]. Non-members could not acquire certain clothing items, furniture for their igloos, new igloos or many types of puffles. Most non-member items were found in parties and given out as free items, but most of them were head items.

Club Penguin was also awarded the "Editor's Choice" award from Children's Technology Review Magazine.

Technical

Internally, Club Penguin was powered by LAMP servers for the websites. SmartFox servers were used in the game.[6]

On the administrative side, Plesk, ClickZ, WinHTTrack, The Web Developer toolbar (for Firefox), and Firebug were all used.[7]

Merchandise

Toys

Club Penguin has sold many merchandise such as stuffed penguins (named Plush Toys) and sets of Card-Jitsu Cards.

Books

Several books, such as "The Ultimate Official Club Penguin Guide Volume 1", "The Official Stage Playbook", "Secret Agent Handbook", "Stowaway! Adventures at Sea" and "Waddle Lot of Laughs" have been published by Club Penguin.[8]

Applications and video games

Several video games based on Club Penguin have been produced:

Club Penguin also had several mobile applications:

Trivia

  • Club Penguin's business phone number is 1-888-861-4111.
  • For the Puffle Party 2012, "Club Penguin" was crossed out and replaced with "Club Puffle".

Gallery

Club Penguin logos

  • The Club Penguin logo before partnering with Disney.
    The Club Penguin logo before partnering with Disney.
  • Club Penguin logo between 2008 and 2012.
    Club Penguin logo between 2008 and 2012.
  • The Club Penguin logo during the Puffle Party 2012.
    The Club Penguin logo during the Puffle Party 2012.
  • Club Penguin logo between 2012 and 2017.
    Club Penguin logo between 2012 and 2017.

Other images

  • Club Penguin's official poster.
    Club Penguin's official poster.
  • 3D development/mesh of a penguin avatar with a Chef Hat and Pizza Apron.
    3D development/mesh of a penguin avatar with a Chef Hat and Pizza Apron.

See also


Sources and references

  1. ↑ http://www.clubpenguin.com/parents/club_penguin_guide.htm#who
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Cp
  3. ↑ http://www.clubpenguin.com/membership/
  4. ↑ "The team finished testing and launched the new features yesterday! Thank you for all your feedback and help with this project. 2006 forever guys!" — BillyBob, CPIP Blog
  5. ↑ http://www.clubpenguin.com/blog/2015/06/important-news-about-club-penguin-russian-and-german-languages
  6. ↑ http://www.smartfoxserver.com/showcase/
  7. ↑ http://support.clubpenguin.com/help/technical/clear_my_cache.htm
  8. ↑ http://www.clubpenguin.com/toys

External links

Games in the Club Penguin series
Test programs
Beta era of Club Penguin (fall 2005) · Club Penguin Improvement Project (spring 2008) · Beta Team (2011-2013) · Card-Jitsu Snow Beta (2013) · CPNext (unconfirmed date) · Club Penguin Island Beta testing (winter 2016-2017)
Penguin Chat series
Experimental Penguins (2000-2001) · Penguin Chat (2002-2005) · Penguin Chat 3 (2005) · Penguin Chat variants (2004-present)
Club Penguin era
Club Penguin (2005-2017)
Video games
Mobile apps
Puffle Launch (2011) · Club Penguin (app) (2013-2017) · Sled Racer (2014) · Puffle Wild (2014) · Club Penguin SoundStudio (2015) · Club Penguin Island (2017-)
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