Like many technological entertainment devises, though, there is certainly potential for abuse. One would not necessarily want their children to sit in front of a NASCAR racing program, replete with ads, for hours at a time and never have any physical activity. It is not the place of technology to mandate other behavior, but the wisdom of parents and society to create a balance. Ensuring that this will not be a fad is quite simple -- continue to evolve, to grow, to become more sophisticated in content and interaction. In a similar way, funding could come from private foundations that might sponsor a segment (e.g. Boeing on history of flight; Microsoft on computing or the world food crisis, etc.); educational programs designed to enhance curriculum, particularly for schools that have internet access but not enough students, say, to take a class in oceanography. Currently, NeoPets wants to keep the site mostly "fun" and game like for younger children. As these children grow, though, and others come in, the level of complexity and sophistication will also need to evolve. The benefits, though, educationally, certainly outweigh any negatives. It is a fact that children are bludgeoned with advertisements -- it is a fact that cross marketing at movies and fast food locations literally "brand" a new movie before it even reaches the theaters. However, none of these preclude the educational value of walking through a reenactment of the signing of the Constitution, a tribal dance, a trip to Manchu Pichu, and thousands of scenarios that even children can help write. Finally, what better way to teach the importance...

It is not a question of whether these types of technologies will blossom; it is simply a matter of how quickly that will happen.
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