University of Westminster - Children grow in virtual worlds

Online worlds developed for children can help them to develop social and creative skills, a conference has heard. As part of a project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the BBC, researchers interviewed 90 children aged between seven and 11 years old across the UK, studying the development of the BBC's new virtual world for children, Adventure Rock. Children improved their computer literacy skills, learnt to create mental maps by exploring their new worlds, and rehearsed real-world responsibilities, such as looking after characters and objects in the game, according to findings presented last week at the University of Westminster's "Children in Virtual Worlds" conference.