Whyville

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Whyville

Type of site	Virtual world serious games
Owner	Numedeon
Created by	Numedeon
Launched	February 1999; 25 years ago (1999-02)
Written in	Java Flash HTML5

Whyville is an educational Internet site geared towards children aged 8–14, founded and managed by Numedeon Inc. Whyville engages its uses in learning about a broad range of topics, including science, business, art and geography. Whyville's users (Whyvillians) engage in virtual world simulation based games and role play sponsored by a wide range of governmental, non-profit, and corporate entities. In 2009, the website had a registered base of more than 7 million users.^[1]

Whyville was launched in 1999, by Numedeon Inc, which was founded by Dr. James M. Bower, his students, and collaborators at the California Institute of Technology. They were interested in whether simulation-based serious gaming could change education, and Whyville's purpose remains primarily educational.