The May 21 closure of Virtual Magic Kingdom, a Disney online social gaming site, is continuing to draw passion from its fans along with an online response from the site’s producer.
We wrote about the online Kingdom’s closing last week. The free site (also called VMK) was designed as an online promotion for Disneyland’s 50th anniversary. Be sure to check out that first post, as it has a poll with so far more than 1,400 votes.
VirtualWorldNews.com has also written about VMK’s ending and mentions that Disney has formed a team dedicated to virtual worlds. That article also links to the VMK newsletter page that has a reaction from Yavn (Seth Mendelsohn, producer for VMK) - his VMK avatar, or online character, is shown at right.
Yavn writes:
“So it’s been a difficult past few days for all of us. I know many of you are upset – some upset with me, some upset with the company, and lots of you just plain upset. Many of you are still struggling to understand the decision we made to close Virtual Magic Kingdom. We hear you and we share your concern and sorrow….Please know that the decision to close VMK was not made without a great deal of thought and discussion – because we loved creating VMK just as much as you loved playing it. We considered many options prior to closing but ultimately determined that VMK had accomplished its goal and then some. VMK was a valuable part of the Disneyland 50th Celebration, but it was never meant to live on forever. It’s now time to focus our resources on our new virtual worlds.”
We also have some new VMK links to share. Here is the summary page for VMK posts on MiceChat. Also, there is another site dedicated to preserving VMK, SaveVMKToday.com (artwork from site at left).
One of the VMK fans involved with the SaveVMKToday site is Jennifer, also known as “ForeverWDW.” She said that as an adult who suffers from severe depression, anxiety attacks and post traumatic stress, VMK is her personal escape.
“Here my friends unknowingly have provided the love and laughter I needed to make it through my darkest hours when I had nowhere else to turn to,” she said.
She also said that her two boys play VMK, and that both are upset about the ending of VMK.
“All I can do is try to tell them that it will all be ok, while inside my own heart breaks in two. Disney fails to realize the importance of this game to so many people worldwide.”
Note: Anyone can post a comment, you do not need to be a Register subscriber. You will need to enter a valid e-mail address and your name. I’ll have to personally approve your first comment but after that, you can comment freely and instantly. Keep it clean folks!
Related posts:
- Virtual Magic Kingdom will end May 21, frustrating some fans
- Disney developing 3D and Tinker Bell films
- Disney Channel now available on mobile phones through MobiTV
- Small world, big controversy
- Ask Us Anything: What will happen to Disney Dream Suite?
- Share your Disney photos
I received the following comment via e-mail regarding this blog post:
I saw your story on the closing of our beloved game. I wanted to share with you a letter I sent to Disney CEO Mr. Iger. Of course no way of knowing if he got it but I have sent to every Disney manger I can find address for and posted it all over the place. Feel free to post it:
Dear Mr. Iger,
I am writing to tell you about a magical place. A place where young and old can gather to play, learn and enjoy the Disney Magic. A place envisioned by an amazing man who dreamed of places where families could gather and have fun leaving behind the real world when they entered. A place that only the magic and creativity of Disney could build.
Where is this place you may ask? It sounds magical and fun. The first thought you may have of course is that it is Disneyland- but this is not the place I speak of. It is a form of Disneyland in a different technological age. The place I speak of is Virtual Magic Kingdom.
VMK started out as what Disney thought would be a promotion for the 50th anniversary of Disneyland. So they built this amazing virtual world to replicate Walt’s amazing Disneyland.
They threw open the gates and invited us in. We came slowly at first but once word spread we grew. VMK did not become an online park where we entered for a while then left. It became a community built by its players. A community of young and old, sick and well, and people of all races from near to far off distant countries. Here we found a place that evoked the Disney spirit in all of us. We played, danced, built rooms and formed friendships in the spirit of the man himself Walt Disney.
VMK was growing and becoming more popular so that when the promotion ended the gates were left open and our community flourished. There is no place like it on the Web where children and adults can play in a safe controlled atmosphere. I personally found a place where I and my 13 year old son could be together. We shared in this wonderful kingdom built only as Disney can do-amazing graphics, fun games, a sense of being part of the parks and much pixie dust.
They created our characters to look lifelike, like little people. We named them, dressed them, and formed their personalities. They became part of us. We look forward and enjoy seeing our little people everyday.
Suddenly on April 7th we were hit with an unbelievable devastating blow. On May 21, 2008 our kingdom, our community will cease to exist. The shock that took over was beyond belief. I felt numb, weak, and sick to my stomach, like I had been hit by a bat. How can this happen? How can a company as compassionate as Disney allow the doors of our Kingdom to close?
The news crushed my 15 year old son (slinkyman). VMK has become part of his life, part of his daily routine. A day is not complete without seeing his little person who he created to look like himself. After a few moments the shock and reality sank in and the tears started to flow. WE hugged and just cried asking how, why, how can they?
You see VMK is not just a mere game to us. Six months after slinkyman started playing VMK he was diagnosed with cancer. A shocking blow to any family made worst it being a child. I found my strength to get him through this, and then an amazing thing happened. Thanks to the spirit of Disney he took refuge in his Kingdom. In VMK he was not sick. He was a normal kid that still had hair and he had many friends. He had a support team in this community that was not available elsewhere. Cancer scares many people and our family pulled back-offering no support or visits. Here in VMK slinkyman and I have a community of amazing friends. They talked, listened, comforted us, prayed for us and sent mountains of pixie dust our way.
Through out his treatment whenever we were at the hospital slinkyman would take along the laptop with him. During these painful and scary days of treatment he would play VMK as the poisons to kill the cancer were pumped into his body. Doctors and nurses would ask him what he was playing and he would passionately tell them of a place only envisioned in dreams. VMK became an instrumental tool in his recovery. We have made life long friends and have wonderful support thanks to the magic of Disney. So to us it is so much more then a mere game. It is in our soul.
I had a friend tell me the other day the VMK is in slinkyman’s DNA- they could not be more right. I was able to save my son from cancer but I fear I will not be able to save little “slinkyman” from the darkness that is about to be bestowed upon us.
Please I beg you to reconsider this decision. Please hear the cries of young and old and let our little people live. I can not imagine a day without seeing the face of my little person. I like may others are then willing to pay to keep this community of ours alive. Please consider this option. Please show compassion and Disney spirit and show the children you care. After all in VMK the minds of our young a being filled with Disney and they will grow into adults that spend much money on anything and everything Disney.
In this Year of a Million Dreams I ask you to please dry a Million tears and let our dreams come true.
Sincerely,
Bugdozer
Here is a letter to Disney as well. VMK is very important to my autistic son. Read on.
Dear Robert Iger,
RE: Closure of VMK
I am saddened by the closing of VMK this month. I wonder if you realize how
much business you have received in the last three years since the opening of
VMK. I know our family has spent all of our entertainment and vacation budget
on Disney for the last three years and we vacation monthly. I have a 15 year
old autistic son, (evoulie on VMK) who is devestated at the closing of VMK on
May 21st. He is the reason that we have spent all of our time and money on all
things Disney. He was obsessed with VMK which then got my husband interested.
What you don’t understand is that since my son is autistic, he has never had a
real friend. It is very difficult for autistic people to forge relationships.
Since the beta version of VMK, my son has enjoyed many friends. He has 150
people on his friends list and to him these are his true and only friends. VMK
was set up well and with a safety net which allowed our son to actively meet
friends without the risk inherent in most online gaming. To say that VMK was just a promotion and that all
things must come to an end is a joke. If you could see tangible proof of profit
,VMK would not be closing. I can assure you that you will soon see tangible
proof that VMK did in fact increase sales in all areas of Disney. Our family of
five has purchased annual passes to Disney for the last few years and spent
significant amounts of money. Without VMK, our vacation purchases will be to
the beach or cruising on Carnival cruises. We will no longer need to purchase
annual passes and will n
o longer choose to stay on Disney property.
Your assumption that all VMK users will just switch to one of the many games on
Disneyxd.com is incorrect. VMK had created it’s own culture and this is clearly
something you have not understood. Our family will be boycotting all things
Disney. If you doubt my sincerity, please be sure to check the 12 day vacation
I canceled on property that was for the first week of June. (It was listed
under Lynnette Henk as my name was spelled wrong) I made it clear to the reservation
center the reason we were canceling. There is no reason for us to go to your
parks or spend a premium price to stay on property. My children are 11, 13 and
15. They don’t care to see the characters in the park. What they cared about
was VMK which was the sole reason our interest in Disney was renewed. When our
children were little they were very interested. Lucky for us we can get an
annual pass with free parking to Universal Studios for only $99 each where they
cater to tweens and teenagers. I can assur
e you that you will see a significant drop in your revenue due to the closing of
VMK.
If the reason VMK is closing has to do with another company, then you should be
honest with your customers and let them know the truth. If the decision was
solely made by Disney then you should immediately reconsider. Why not keep VMK
and transition it to a pay per play game. Forget about the new games. Newer is
not always better. You have an existing customer base you are going to lose. These are the loyal,
obsessed with Disney people that you need to keep your balance sheets looking
good. These are the customers you should be fighting to keep, not the ones that
make one trip to Disney every 5 years. To assume that this entire base of
people is all children, is also not correct. In addition to the many adults
that play this game daily, you have many teenagers and college students who will
be marrying and having their own children. These obsessed fans will continue to
bring you income for years to come. Is it really worth the cost to close VMK?
I don’t think so. Also y
ou will need to rethink your whole advertising campaign. Currently your Disney
planning DVD says to play VMK while waiting for your vacation. That was a great
idea which you will now need to immediately change.
I expect that someone on your staff will actually take the time to respond
instead of a general letter. The decision to close VMK has far reaching effects to the future of Disney and it’s continued growth. I am sure you had
no idea how many people have been helped by VMK. There are people that survived
cancer with their will to survive from their friends on VMK. There are autistic
children and adults like my son who found VMK a safe way to have friends for the
first time in their lives. At the very least, you should find a way to provide
friends list and information to VMK’ers who choose to share their information
with each other.
Sincerely,
Lynette Henk
vmk was more than just a chat hangout place. It was a second life. i remember all the time when i was sick and i couldn’t go to school, have just about nothing to distract me from stomach aches or my heads stinging, when i would remember there was vmk. And on there i would learn. I would learn what was nice to say to people, decorating skills, socalization, and how to dream. I would love being on there and spending time with all my friends. I would love getting involved in virtual romance and trying to say something when it wasn’t in the dictionary. I loved having fun. I can’t believe this has happened. So, Disney, I would like to thank you very much for crushing all our hearts. I hope your happy.