Michael is getting his OWN VIRTUAL PLANET :)

[MJonmind]

Love it! Thanks SD. The MindArk is interesting too, similar to Ark of the Covenant.

[LOVESoldier28]

Just to keep in mind for this game it says you can replenish your account by using your own money. The only thing I would want to question is where is money exactly going?  You also have to ask would Michael Jackson really be into this kind of thing and promote it to his fans?  Because the way the economy is I wouldn't want to use my own money to replenish an account just to play in that game.

I would rather get the game that is coming out November 23rd.

[The Little Mermaid]

Oh goodness, I also just noticed that the "A" in Planet and the "A" in Michael are not A's.  They are upside down "V's" - V for Vendetta...??

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Ha ha, I also noticed the butterfly...  

I was too excited (and still am, btw) to notice the upside down V's, but I DID notice the butterfly right away! Good catch, lovemj4everandever

Omgosh, I wonder how this is gonna go. "Planet Michael"--It's like he's literally taking over the world now. D:

And LOVEsoldier28, you don't HAVE to buy items. It's always an option! Some people get reaaallly into it and do it, but I never buy stuff for my online games/forums. [/color]

[Serenitys_Dream]

From what I have read and posted about this "game". I personally don't think this is a good thing. People are living their lives in a virtual world that is crossing the boundary into the real world. That is why I posted the trailer for the movie "Surrogates" as I saw similarities. People becoming further disconnected further from one another, living their lives in a fantasy world and not in reality.

In these types of games you have a home, a trade (job), you select what you look like especially this one. I created an account yesterday, to see what it was all about and you actually select ALL of the physical features, body shape etc for your character.

With the ability to bring aspects of the game into the "real" world, the line between fantasy and reality starts to become blurred. You can borrow money from virtual banks within this game, which have a "real" counterpart outside the game, and because this "money" can be transfered to and from the virtual and the real world, you could find yourself in debt in your real life from loans you have taken in the virtual world. I find all of this very concerning and a real manipulation of those who are participating in this "Game".

Question really is...When is a Game no longer just a "Game"?

Video Game Addiction No Fun
Compulsive video gaming is a modern-day psychological disorder that experts tell WebMD is becoming more and more popular.
At an addiction treatment center in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, teenagers and young adults begin detox by admitting they are powerless over their addiction. But these addicts aren't hooked on drugs or alcohol. They are going cold turkey to break their dependence on video games.

Keith Bakker, director of Smith & Jones Addiction Consultants, tells WebMD he created the new program in response to a growing problem among young men and boys. "The more we looked at it, the more we saw [gaming] was taking over the lives of kids."

Detox for video game addiction may sound like a stretch, but addiction experts say the concept makes sense. "I was surprised we didn't think of it here in America," says Kimberly Young, PsyD, clinical director of the Center for On-Line Addiction and author of Caught in the Net: How to Recognize the Signs of Internet Addiction -- and a Winning Strategy for Recovery. "I've had so many parents call me over the last year or two, particularly about the role-playing games online. I see it getting worse as the opportunity to game grows - for example, cell phone gaming."

But can a game truly become an addiction? Absolutely, Young tells WebMD. "It's a clinical impulse control disorder," an addiction in the same sense as compulsive gambling.

Defining Addiction
While most people associate addiction with substances, such as drugs or alcohol, doctors recognize addictive behaviors as well. In a WebMD feature on the definition of addiction, psychiatrist Michael Brody, MD, set forth the following criteria:

   1. The person needs more and more of a substance or behavior to keep him going.
   2. If the person does not get more of the substance or behavior, he becomes irritable and miserable.

Young says compulsive gaming meets these criteria, and she has seen severe withdrawal symptoms in game addicts. "They become angry, violent, or depressed. If [parents] take away the computer, their child sits in the corner and cries, refuses to eat, sleep, or do anything."

The Psychological Factor
Unlike with substance abuse, the biological aspect of video game addiction is uncertain. "Research suggests gambling elevates dopamine," Young says, and gaming is in the same category. But there's more to addiction than brain chemistry. "Even with alcohol, it's not just physical. There's a psychological component to the addiction, knowing 'I can escape or feel good about my life.'"

Bakker agrees. "The person is trying to change the way they feel by taking something outside of themselves. The [cocaine] addict learns, 'I don't like the way I feel, I take a line of cocaine.' For gamers, it's the fantasy world that makes them feel better."

The lure of a fantasy world is especially pertinent to online role-playing games. These are games in which a player assumes the role of a fictional character and interacts with other players in a virtual world. As Young puts it, an intelligent child who is unpopular at school can "become dominant in the game." The virtual life becomes more appealing than real life. (I say the same goes for adults too)

Where's the Harm?
Too much gaming may seem relatively harmless compared with the dangers of a drug overdose, but Bakker says video game addiction can ruin lives. Children who play four to five hours per day have no time for socializing, doing homework, or playing sports, he says. "That takes away from normal social development. You can get a 21-year-old with the emotional intelligence of a 12-year-old. He's never learned to talk to girls. He's never learned to play a sport."

In older addicts, compulsive gaming can jeopardize jobs or relationships. Howard, a 33-year-old project manager who asked to be identified only by his first name, started playing an online role-playing game about six months ago. He plays for three to four hours almost every day -- more on weekends -- occasionally putting off meals or sleep. His fiancée says he's addicted.
According to the Center for On-Line Addiction, warning signs for video game addiction include:

    * Playing for increasing amounts of time
    * Thinking about gaming during other activities
    * Gaming to escape from real-life problems, anxiety, or depression
    * Lying to friends and family to conceal gaming
    * Feeling irritable when trying to cut down on gaming

In addition, video game addicts tend to become isolated, dropping out of their social networks and giving up other hobbies. "It's about somebody who has completely withdrawn from other activities," Young says. "One mother called me when her son dropped out of baseball. He used to love baseball, so that's when she knew there was a problem."

Video Game Detox
Treatment for video game addiction is similar to detox for other addictions, with one important difference. Computers have become an important part of everyday life, as well as many jobs, so compulsive gamers can't just look the other way when they see a PC.

"It's like a food addiction," Young explains. "You have to learn to live with food."

Because video game addicts can't avoid computers, they have to learn to use them responsibly. Bakker says that means no gaming. As for limiting game time to an hour a day, he compares that to "an alcoholic saying he's only going to drink beer."

Bakker says the toughest part of treating video game addicts is that "it's a little bit more difficult to show somebody they're in trouble. Nobody's ever been put in jail for being under the influence of [a game]."
(But I remember stories of when Dungeons & Dragons was popular and there where individuals who had a hard time separating the game world scenarios from the real world and people died)

The key, he says, is to show gamers they are powerless over their addiction, and then teach them "real-life excitement as opposed to online excitement."
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[ForTheTruth]

Planet Michael' will let players builds virtual Jackson worlds

By Mike Snider, USA TODAY
It has been 15 months since Michael Jackson died, leaving his Neverland in limbo. But a virtual Neverland is in the works as a tribute to the late King of Pop.

Planet Michael, an online virtual world devoted to Jackson's life, music and concerns, being developed to open late next year, will combine features of a massively multiplayer online game and social network.

"We put a focus on something that will truly allow fans to immerse themselves in a Michael Jackson-like universe or music-video-like world and interact with each other and then go on adventures and do gameplay stuff and socialize," says Josh Gordon of developer SEE Virtual Worlds.

Think World of Warcraft— with no violence and more dancing. "The player is more apt to succeed in a situation using song, dance and adventure as opposed to violence," Gordon says.

A free-to-download game, Planet Michael will let players (ages 13-up) customize their own avatars, perhaps with red Thriller jackets and sequined gloves. However, you will be able to spend money on items, and some virtual objects earned and created in the world can be traded or sold to others. (More information at planetmichael.com.)

But will Planet Michael's publishers be able to overcome Jackson's tarnished reputation, which included such behavior as holding a newborn off a hotel balcony and charges of molesting children (he was acquitted on criminal charges, while some civil cases were settled out of court)?

"The answer is, 'I'm not sure,' " says video game industry analyst Michael Pachter, commenting not on Planet Michael specifically but on potential projects including the recently announced Michael Jackson The Experience dance video game from Ubisoft.

"If parents are the target, I think that the legacy baggage will be a problem," Pachter says. "If the user is the target, I think that all will be forgiven, because there is no question that he was a phenomenal performer. So I suppose the answer is 'somewhere in between.' "

"There is no doubt we will be open to people joking about it and criticizing it," says Gordon. "We'll just have to roll with that as it comes, so to speak. ... He's such a big name and he's such a big legend that no matter what we do, we are going to get a lot of people who are excited, and we are going to get people who criticize us. And we have just taken that as the way it is going to be."

Before he died, Jackson was exploring games and interactive entertainment prospects. "Unfortunately, he never got to this point," says Martin Biallas, president of SEE Virtual Worlds, a division of Biallas' larger company SEE (Special Entertainment Events), for which he organized real-life happenings around Star Trek's 30th anniversary and the 1999 world tour of Titanic props, sets and costumes.

The Swedish company MindArk, which operates the Entropia Universe online service, ap- proached SEE about entertainment properties that might be worthy of virtual-world treatment, and Biallas contacted the Jackson estate. "They loved it and said this could actually be something where we could also transmit the ideas (and) the vision that Michael had, and not make it just a game but make it a social-interacting platform."

So in addition to areas based on songs such as Thriller, Beat It and Smooth Criminal, there might be an altruistic area based on a song such as Heal the World. Players will be able to donate to charities as well.

"We believe this online social gaming experience will bring the most passionate Michael Jackson fans together with those just discovering his artistry in a unique environment where they can celebrate his music, his art and his devotion to helping those in need," says an e-mailed statement from Jackson's estate and executors. You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login


Thriller-land: This area of Planet Michael is based on the music video for Michael Jackson's Thriller.


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[Serenitys_Dream]

Q&A with Pamela Pearlman On Planet Michael
Posted on 21 Sep 2010 by The News Department

Yesterday on Twitter we asked you for your opinions on Planet Michael and got a lot of feedback. The majority of replies wanted to know if this was all just some money spinner targeting MJ fans and a lot of people also wanted to know what exactly Planet Michael is all about.



We took all feedback and came up with some questions for Pamela Pearlman, Marketing & Advertising at See Global Entertainment (the company behind Planet Michael.)

MJNEWSALERTS: Will the basic game be free to play?

Pamela Pearlman: Planet Michael will be FREE to download and players will NEVER be charged a subscription fee! The basic game play is free. The player only needs to deposit money if he/she wishes to purchase virtual goods, upgrade their skills quickly etc.

MJNEWSALERTS: Will ALL fans be accepted? Regardless of age?

Pamela Pearlman: You must be 13+ to play Planet Michael.

MJNEWSALERTS: Will the game experience be a developing one? Meaning will the content be updated regularly or will we all be left to our own devices?

Pamela Pearlman: Planet Michael will be a true virtual world/MMOG, meaning we will be updating Planet Michael regularly.

Sounds great right?



We must add that even after that we were still cautious, then, Pamela replied to an additional comment we made,

MJNEWSALERTS: One more note, Michael Jackson fans can be very sensitive. Just something to keep in mind.

Pamela Pearlman: Absolutely, we're all MJ fans too... So we're committed to developing a product that Michael Jackson himself would be proud of.

This is really positive news, especially to the fans who suspected Planet Michael would be a subscription based game.

There is ONE negative, we have to wait until 2011 to play laughing

To keep up to date on Planet Michael visit the Official Website You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

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UPDATE: See Global Entertainment have been "monitoring" our Twitter and have just sent us this,

"Please let your followers know that game play on Planet Michael will drive
charitable donations in-game to real world causes that were important to MJ. I know you expressed some concern about how this would work."

EXCELLENT!
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[SoundOfCrescendo]

Anyone else think of the picture he signed, "See you in 2011" when you saw the game will be released in 2011? Or is this just my paranoia? :lol:

[Red_Rose]

Anyone else think of the picture he signed, "See you in 2011" when you saw the game will be released in 2011? Or is this just my paranoia? :lol:

This one?
[attachment=0:10z5z1xa]See-you-2011-michael-jackson-10464095-400-261.jpg[/attachment:10z5z1xa]

[willddoMJ]

i subscribed to it yesterday, and found it when i was looking at google news on MJ

[whatyourheartsays]

Sound funny, even if i don't really like the fact of spending real money in virtual world...
I guess that now we will have to search Michael's magic world among all the "anything for money" stuffs...