Toontown Research Questions

10. Attempt some collaborative actions such as Chat and teaming up to fight Cogs. Describe the basics of what you did and the results. What were the limitations you experienced?

-A limitation to the chat is certain words that you cannot say. Words I found interesting that are blocked are "politics, killer, tongue, and printmaking." You're only limited to words that tend to be superficial to what the idea of this particular world brings. You can't bring out your own ideas, express yourself, or ask people what your real name is. This helps protect people's anonymity outside the virtual world and pre-establishes an identity within the virtual world, with no chance of bringing uniqueness to sharing ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

For fighting cogs, you're given a limit of actions to fight the cogs. When teaming with other people, especially when people come in at any time, you must wait for other players to make their choices, which they must also choose their gag in a time limit.

11. The concept of “health” of each avatar is a key element in all online virtual worlds. In Toontown, how is “health” managed and its status displayed?

-Health is managed through the use of a displayed counter in a form of a cartoonish face. It is showing it's maximum health on the right eye and what your current health is. Displaying your health in this game is suppose to be simplistic, but also visualizes your health in a form of bar by the face's teeth. The teeth displays colors that shows the place you are in terms of health, which also makes use of traffic light colors (green means you're healthy; yellow means caution, think about your health; red means you're in danger.)

6. Name several ways that you are encouraged to complete tasks and attain goals.

-An incentive that is given us to complete tasks are more exploration into items, expansions of power-ups, upgrades, and especially customization of your character and your virtual house, for example. Jelly beans, which is basically currency in Towntown, helps you give some incentive in purchasing your own pet, which you can buy in the pet store, for example.

In a way, completing tasks and goals creates this sense of adventure for each player and progressing through each goal is suppose to have more rewards in the long run, for example.