Club Penguin uses a combination of colourful 3-D graphics, fun fonts and animated icons to create an inviting world for kids to play in.
The annotated screen grab below highlights the key features in the Club Penguin navigation.
1. Newspaper Icon – Appears on every page to give updates on the latest games, happenings or item catalogues. The use of a newspaper icon taps into the player’s prior knowledge of real world texts to allow for easy comprehension.
2. Nightclubs, Coffee Houses and Gift Shops – These are the first three locations a player sees when they log in. Why the need to have adult themed locations? Perhaps to cater to that universal desire of kids to appear older?
3. Moderator’s Badge – The moderator’s badge appears on every screen and links players to a real life person who is watching the behaviour and chat of other players. While moderation is necessary for a safe environment, the idea that someone is “always watching” reinforces the acceptance of a surveillance society, while at the same time creating a panopticon where players check their behaviour for fear of being reported.
4. Speech Bubble Text - These appear above the head of a player’s avatar when they type a text message or “speak” in the world. This method is common in mmos and carries over from comics. Another example of using prior knowledge to convey meaning in a new medium.
5. Map Icon - Appearing on every screen, the map icon allows players to move rapidly through the world of Club Penguin. Clicking on a location will take players to the location. Once again, prior knowledge of a real world text is used to convey meaning.
6. Chat & Emote Bar - This is where text messages are typed to communicate to other players in the world. It works very much like instant messaging, with many of the associated shortcuts and abbreviations making their way seamlessly into the chat between penguin avatars. For safety, there are pre-scripted sentences and emoticons that allow parents to limit their child’s range of communication to other players.