With this concert, Whyville.net gave 6,000+ of their kids an opportunity to just have some fun. Taking a break from figuring out how to get oxygen to the Whyville Space Station (supported by NASA), or understanding the origins of renaissance art (supported by the J.P. Getty Trust), or vaccinating themselves against the Why-flu (a program developed with the U.S. Center for Disease Control), Whyvillians were treated to a concert in the town's Greek Theatre with Stacy Orrico. More than 6,200 Whyvillians attended Stacie's performance, which featured an interactive performance by the "real" Stacie Orrico, who appeared in avatar form inside Whyville. While total attendance was 6,200, Whyville's virtual world technology allowed each participant to feel like they were listening in a small venue surrounded by only 39 of their friends. The intimate venue, Whyville's Greek Theatre, is designed to feature a variety of performances and activities. For example, the virtual "crowd" was able to show their admiration for Stacie and her music by clapping, chatting and even dancing along with the performer. At the end of each song, they could also vote to express their opinion of the song, providing instant feedback to the artist and EMI executives. Adding to the excitement, kids submitted questions and comments to Stacie during the concert, and then a few select lucky fans joined Stacie "on stage" to ask their questions, live in front of thousands of their virtual friends. In a virtual world first, participants could also purchase virtual merchandise and souvenirs with virtual money to keep and use in Whyville. More than 100,000 "clams," Whyville's virtual currency, were used to purchase specially designed Stacie Oricco concert gear for use on their avatars. True to real world concert tradition, Stacie made several virtual wardrobe changes during the show, which are now being auctioned off on eBay with the proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The concert also featured an "after-party" owners' event sponsored by Scion. Kids who own a virtual Scion in Whyville and their passengers were able to get together in a virtual airport hangar for a party. There were over 5,000 "drives" made to the Scion event. "The reactions from the kids, many of whom would never have access to Stacie Orrico, were absolutely incredible. The energy level during the concert was apparent on so many levels," said Jay Goss, Chief Operating Officer of Numedeon, Whyville's parent company. Goss went on to say, "The performance Stacie gave was 5 stars....from start to finish. She seemed to have a great time with the kids." About Whyville Whyville (http://www.whyville.net) is the leading edu-tainment virtual world for boys and girls, ages 8 to 15. For eight years, the site has successfully created an environment that engages children to learn while having fun. Inside Whyville, "citizens" learn & play, socialize & recreate, govern & earn, write & design, eat & dance, and much, much more. Numedeon, Inc., Whyville's parent company, develops virtual worlds that promote learning through interactivity and engagement. Numedeon's founders are scientists, who combined research expertise in neuroscience with education experience from the internationally recognized Caltech Pre-college Science Initiative to conceive of an innovative way to harness the power of the Internet for the purpose of engagement and education. In formal education parlance, the education in Whyville is designed to be hands-on, inquiry-based and constructivist, embedded within motivational settings among peers.
Contact Information: Contact: Jennifer Fader Terpin Communications Tel: (310)922-7507 Email Contact