When I first read about Scion marketing in the tween virtual world Whyville, my first instinct was to cringe a little at the thought of those shoeboxes on wheels ambling through this "educational" space. And no matter how much people trick these cars out, they still look like shoeboxes on wheels to me. Today's press release gave me more of a clue as to how the Whyville folks and Toyota are spinning Scion's presense:

"Sponsored by Toyota's Scion brand, the Scion xB first arrived in Whyville in May. Whyville citizens, but only those with enough clams (Whyville's virtual currency), could customize and buy virtual Scion xBs for cruising around the virtual world. Now, with help from Scion Solutions, Whyvillians who do not have enough clams to buy Scions outright will be able to finance them.

'Whyville Scion Solutions is a perfect example of motivated, engaged learning,' explains Dr. Jen Sun, President of Numedeon, Inc., Whyville's parent company. 'The Scions are a huge hit with our kids. They want cars! But most citizens just don't have enough clams. We've set up the motivation for them to learn what it means to take out a loan. They'll learn about interest rates, down payment, credit history, and, perhaps most important of all, being responsible. If you default on your loan, you'll lose your car, and your credit history will be ruined so that you can't take out another loan. Educators and researchers know that students learn best when they really care about the topic. That's exactly what we try to do in Whyville.'"

I wonder if the Toyota salespeople in Whyville were like the guys who sold me my Toyota? I mean if they're simulating reality why not teach tweens about how hard it is (especially for women) to buy a new car from a dealership...or how tweens should shop around for financing (and not just accept a loan from Toyota Financial Services)? Then I wonder, what happens when Honda and Ford come to Whyville, too? How quickly will these virtual worlds lose the magic of being able to create your own car, complete with wings and a tail? I guess I'm just wondering where virtual reality spaces will draw the line with how much branding and marketing they allow into their worlds. At what point is "sponsored education" no longer purely educational?

In a related article, BusinessWeek's Heather Green gives us a tour of Whyville's clam economy, where teens have to participate in educational activities to earn clams, as well as its safety features, including virtual red phones where teens can report bad behavior.

Posted by anastasia