An Intro to Club Penguin Games for Parents

There are only a few games that allow more than one penguin player. Usually it is 2 or 4 players in these games. If there are not enough players, the game waits until enough players join before starting the game. Don't worry, it usually only takes a few seconds to get enough players if there weren't enough to start with.

All the players in multi-player games receive coins at the end of the game. How many coins depends on how well the penguin did. It can be up to 30 coins per game.

Some of the games include

• Find Four (Ski Lodge and Ski Attic)
  
• Mancala (Book Room), and
  
• the popular Sled Racing (Ski Mountain
  

Most of the games are single-penguin-player games. These games dole out much more coins than single player. Typically, a penguin can earn in coins about 10% of the final game score. Single player games include

• Astro Barrier (Dance Lounge)
  
• Bean Counters (Coffee Shop)
  
• Cart Surfer (Mine)
  
• Catchin' Waves (Cove)
  
• Hydro Hopper/Ballistic Biscuit (The Dock)
  
• Ice Fishing (Ski Lodge)
  
• Jet Pack Adventure (Lighthouse Beacon)
  
• Puffle Round-Up (Pet Shop)
  
• Pizzatron 3000 (Pizza Parlor)
  
• Thin Ice (Dance Lounge)
  

And there are a couple of games that don't rake in any clubs, especially for members that aren't paying for a membership (see more on how Club Penguin works). These games are

• Ice Hockey (Ice Rink), and
  
• Snowball Fights (Snow Fort)
  

If you are concerned about online safety, check out other pages like
Club Penguin Safety
NetSmartz

There are cheats out there even for this virtual world. It entails using another piece of software that looks at the information going back and forth between the computer and Club Penguin then changes some of the information like increasing number of coins won in a game. This is called hacking and it requires a little sophistication--your 8 year-old probably won't be using cheats. However, some older kids have been known to figure it out, or read the sites of hackers who use these methods, and used it on Club Penguin.

Club Penguin looks for hacking this all the time. Players caught hacking Club Penguin are banned for a short time a first, then indefinitely, from the game. If your child enjoys the game, this will not make them happy. Banished members would have to ask their parents to create a new account and explain why they were kicked off the site.

If your child is "getting around" the game, you also have to consider, what this type of game playing teaches your child about getting ahead. Getting a leg up is large part of in the culture in computer gaming. Some people would also say hints, short cuts, and hidden codes are cheating. Is hacking the same? Is it a little worse or lot? Just like the consumer aspect of this game, you have to consider what your child is getting out of it.

As I mentioned, new penguins all get their very own igloo when starting. All penguins and igloos are plain at first, but as you accumulate coins from various games, you can buy nicer clothes and get a fresh new 'do for your penguin. You can also or buy furniture and home improvements for your igloo. Each month, a new catalog of outfits and igloo upgrades is introduced. One month an Ice Castle igloo upgrade was offered in the catalog for 5,100 coins.

Thus, there is constant competition among the penguins to have the coolest igloo and the latest fashions. In fact, for those kids too impatient to play a game to earn coins, can buy virtual coins with real money.

The consumerism aspect of Club Penguin tends to be controversial. Personally, our children already barraged with enticements to "buy". As a parent, you go with the philosophy you already use. For me, I see my kids learning their own lessons on spending, earning, and budgeting, but the minute they ask to buy coins with their allowance, we'll have to pull back.