National Geographic Animal Jam

Development

The game was developed in 2010 by WildWorks (formerly called Smart Bomb Interactive), and it was launched on September 9, 2010. It is one of the fastest-growing online children's properties worldwide; in May 2011, Animal Jam announced it had surpassed 1 million registered players. By August 2012, the game surpassed 6 million players. In March 2013 the game had surpassed 10 million players. In 2014, it was announced Animal Jam has reached 30 million players worldwide. By 2016, it had reached over 50 million players.

Gameplay environment

Animal Jam takes place in a fictional area known as Jamaa, containing various biomes and cartoon player-created animals. Players can create an animal with an anonymous 3-part name, such as "Crashing Magicshark", dress it up with virtual clothing, and control it in the gameplay environment. The original six virtual animals that could be created were the panda, rabbit, tiger, wolf, koala, and monkey. Many more animals have been added following the six, letting players have the possibility of seeing one of their favorite animals in the game. Players can also customize their dens with furniture, chat with other players, adopt pets, play mini-games, buy additional furniture and clothing with gems and diamonds, attend parties, and go on various RPG-style adventures. There is a membership feature costing real money, and members get access to exclusive dens, pets, animals, and adventures among other things.

Game economy

The in-game economy is made up of gems that can be obtained by playing games and participating in many other activities. There is also a more valuable currency of diamonds which can be obtained through Animal Jam Outfitters purchases, membership purchases, the daily spin, and the member daily spin. In addition, a diamond is distributed to members once every week. For the summer exclusively, there are tickets, which can be used to buy special items only in an exclusive area called the Summer Carnival. To get the tickets, the player must either play minigames or exchange gems for them.

Communication and safety

Animal Jam contains three versions of in-game chat, which offer varying levels of restriction. Restricted Chat, the default setting, only allows players to type pre-selected words or phrases. Bubble Chat does not allow players to type messages, but they can select expressive words and phrases from a pre-approved list. Safe Chat allows players to freely type words and phrases, which are still run through the game’s safety chat filter. Parents can control players’ chat settings from the site’s parent dashboard.

The game is free from outside advertising and it adheres to a strict privacy policy.

Educational elements

In addition to in-game nature facts and activities, Animal Jam provides educational video content featuring National Geographic herpetologist Brady Barr and marine biologist Tierney Thys. Furthermore, activities and messages subjected on preventing environmental problems can be found throughout the game.

Merchandise

Animal Jam shirts, books, notebooks, wristbands, tote bags, in-game currency and mouse pads are sold on the Animal Jam Outfitters site.

As of February 2017 Animal Jam has begun having limited edition items that only last a day, such as their sun hoodie, blackout spiked collar, spring worn, and more to come...

In March 2015, WildWorks announced it had registered Commonwealth Toys and Novelty as master toy licensee. Currently, Commonwealth is producing a new toy line called "Enchanted Earth".

In October 2015, WildWorks named Jazwares as the master toy partner for the Animal Jam brand. Jazwares will develop figures, playsets, and plush items that will launch globally in 2016.

In March 2016, WildWorks added six multi-category licensing partners for the “Animal Jam” brand. The new licensees include Isaac Morris for apparel, Accessory Innovations for bags, backpacks, and accessories, Palamon for costumes, Wooky for crafts and activity books, Bulls-i-Toy for trading cards, and Penguin for publishing.

In June 2016, WildWorks released Animal Jam toys which consisted of stuffed animals, figures and toy sets.

In September 2016, thetoyinsider.com included Animal Jam in the Hot Top 20 Game List for 2016.

On November 16, 2016, WildWorks launched "Animal Jam Box", a subscription box containing merchandise sent to those who subscribe the box plan.

Animal Jam Academy

Animal Jam Academy is a program by WildWorks directly linked to the Animal Jam website. It deals with projects with the themes of science, technology, engineering, and art.

Mobile apps

On July 18, 2013, a mobile app based upon the game titled "Tunnel Town" was released. The game allows for players to create their own "bunny empires" by purchasing new rabbit species. Later in 2013, a second Animal Jam mobile game was made available for purchase, titled "AJ Jump." This game centers on kangaroos (which, at the time, were recently introduced to the Animal Jam game) and is very similar in format to Doodle Jump. After two years without an Animal Jam-based mobile game release, WildWorks released Play Wild!, a 3D mobile version of the Animal Jam universe. In February 2016, they announced their mobile app Play Wild had reached over 1 million downloads. The app is the top downloaded iPad educational game in 20 countries, the top downloaded game for kids 9-11 in 35 countries, and top grossing iPad game in 54 countries.

Donations

The Gem donation box in the Conservation Museum is one way that Animal Jam helps support the mission of the National Geographic Society to inspire kids to care about the planet. A significant portion of all revenue Animal Jam collects goes to support National Geographic's worldwide conservation efforts. They determine which animal National Geographic should contribute more to. By June 2012, players enabled the Animal Jam creators at WildWorks to contribute over $3 Million to the National Geographic Society's work. The Play Wild Fund was introduced in November 2011 to allow players to choose which animals and conservation efforts they wanted to donate to.

Reception

The game has received relatively positive reviews, however was criticized for moderation flaws and strict limitations. Common Sense Media reviewer Dana Villamagna gave Animal Jam a 3-star rating, saying that the site was most appropriate for ages ten and over due to dangerous "unmonitored chat." Gamezebo reviewer Nick Tylwalk gave the site a 4-star review, stating that "there's something [here] for animal lovers over a wide range of ages."