Free Realms

Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 3
Genre: Online Multiplayer
Publisher: Sony Online Entertainment
Developer: Sony Online Entertainment

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'Free Realms' Implements NetModerator to Keep Young Audience Safe

by Rainier on Sept. 30, 2009 @ 8:14 a.m. PDT

Free Realms is a free whimsical fantasy MMORPG offering lighthearted adventuring, aimed primarily at casual female gamers, and optional bonus content via micro transactions.

Join thousands of other players and make your home in Free Realms! Do what you want to do, when you want to do it, in a lush, living, 3D world filled with lush landscapes and fun wildlife.

Free Realms gameplay is as varied as the people who play. Looking for adventure? Unlock jobs like Ninja, Explorer and Wizard to battle enemies and disarm traps as you search for lost treasure, or duel other players. Battling not for you? Take time to teach your pet a new trick, decorate your house, or grow vegetables and flowers. When you're ready for a different kind of challenge, play a wide variety of completely integrated mini-games to craft useable items or get your high score onto the leaderboards.

There's always something new to see and do in the world of Free Realms, with weekly and monthly content updates, regular and special events, and even player-created parties and celebrations.

NetModerator identifies and blocks predators and other threats in online games in real time as well as providing an unprecedented level of analysis of veiled online communications which might be a well-disguised wrong-doer or an escalating situation of bullying.

“We take our responsibility to ensure child safety in our products very seriously and that makes it a priority in Free Realms especially. We feel strongly that it’s up to us to implement protections for children while they’re playing our games,” said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. “After installation and weeks of testing, we found Crisp NetModerator is a high-quality product that works well. It goes far beyond anything else we’ve seen. We are looking to implement it into other SOE games in the future.”

Designed for the next generation of family-orientated Massively Multiplayer Online (MMOs) games and virtual words, NetModerator analyzes the intent of dialogue between players as well as the actual words they are using. The software therefore can identify potentially escalating situations such as potential self-harm or cyberbullying as well as immediately calling attention to predators. In tests undertaken by Cambridge University in the UK in 2007, NetModerator proved 98.4 percent accurate.

Crisp Thinking’s system blocks potential threats in real time, quickly finding behavioural situations of immediate concern, and also offers ongoing, in-depth analysis of communications between players in an online game or virtual world so that perpetrators that are hiding their intent as well as situations that started out innocently, but are escalating, are identified to be further monitored. It even takes over some of the moderation tasks, freeing technical staff for other work.

NetModerator is the only system available that can monitor and store all communications, analyze ongoing conversations between individuals over time, decode content and give developers and publishers a better understanding of the true meaning of the communication between users.

“NetModerator sets a new standard for moderating communications in online games, websites, social networking sites, instant messaging services and forums,” said Andrew Lintell, CEO of Crisp. “Our solution goes way beyond black lists of ‘bad’ or inappropriate words and filtering solutions. We analyze context as well as content so we catch coded and invented words and slang, for instance. Our software raises the bar, substantially improving the safety of game play.”

Child and family-friendly MMOs and dynamic, fun and engaging virtual worlds such as Free Realms are proving to be popular with consumers. At the same time, parents want assurance that companies offering these online playgrounds are including safety measures to protect users.

Key Features :

  • Free Gameplay: Free Realms is free to play, however additional content can be accessed through a membership or micro transaction.
  • Rich Character Creation: With thousands of customizations and combinations, you can blend fantasy and reality to create your perfect avatar.
  • Be Whoever You Want: Characters aren't locked into classes or jobs - you can be a wizard one minute and a race car driver the next.
  • Kid-Safe: Parental controls allow for the customization of safety options, including pre-canned chat, reporting and filters for younger players.
  • Fun for Everyone: With so much to do and see it’s easy to find something for you! Start by playing one of 14 different styles of minigames like cooking, kart racing, mining, demolition derby and music conducting. The action doesn’t stop there, as there are over 460 quests for everyone with an additional 240 available to Members. Even though combat is optional, there are 80 free battles and 15 additional Members Only battles—plenty of action for those eager to fight fierce creatures!
  • Vibrant, Deep Environment: Eight distinct, unique and breathtaking environments for gamers to explore for launch. Areas include the snowcapped mountain villages of Snowhill, the dark and mysterious Blackspore, and real fun in the sun at Seaside.
  • Connect with Friends: Whether you’re meeting up with old friends or finding new ones, Free Realms lets players stay connected through its social networking page. Just log in, see what your friends have been up to, click their avatars and join them in the game!
  • Trading Card Game: The Free Realms Trading Card Game will let players pit a variety of fun characters and creatures against one another in fun, fast-paced combat. Half the game is collecting new cards, to arm yourself with the best line up of attacks and defenses. You can even prove your might in online tournaments!

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