Asylum Entertainment has announced that GardenParty, an online world/game aimed at 5 – 11 year olds, has entered public beta. GardenParty is a world built for children to play and interact. Players plant seeds and tend to the seeds until they grow into toys or other games. Sounds like an interesting concept for a game, plant seeds that allow players to play more games.

It can be difficult to develop an online game for children, but Asylum Entertainment has gone to great lengths to make sure the world is a safe environment for children. They comply to all of the laws around online sites for children and have even partnered with some of the governing bodies.

GardenParty will stay in public beta for about a month and then will be released as an official product. The game is free to play with some of the areas requiring a subscription to play in.

Press Release Follows:

A well-kept secret for the past 3 months, GardenParty (www.gardenpartyworld.com), an exciting new online world for kids aged 5-11 is entering into its Public Beta phase. For the past 3 months, GardenParty has been an invitation-only opportunity, during which the product has become more stable and many improvements to the game have been made. All in all, the Closed Beta has proved incredibly successful!

As of the 4th September ’08 many more children will have the opportunity to sign-up and join forces with our invitation-only testers to continue to improve the experience of playing. In the game, they can take part in immediately accessible activities, ‘grow their own fun’ by planting seeds that grow into things to play with or simply explore all the places this world has to offer. There’s a frequently updated website where testers can learn about what’s new and a forum where they can post suggested improvements. The Children who participate in Beta Testing have a truly pioneering role in aiding the development of GardenParty!

‘Grow your own fun!’ – The inspiration behind GardenParty. It is a world where your imagination knows no limits. Gardeners buy seeds, then plant and tend to them in their private garden by watering them till they are fully grown. GardenParty promotes collaboration and community, based round a stunning natural looking space. ‘Gardeners’ can explore, discover and take part in various activities throughout the world as well as buy and grow seeds in their own garden. Each seed may produce an exciting new toy they can play with along with the other kids in the world!

GardenParty is a fun, safe and friendly online community for kids. This has already been evident from the Closed Beta testing over the summer. We have been testing GardenParty in a school which proved incredibly successful. The children enjoyed the fact they could speak and play online with their friends as well as meet new children in a safe and moderated environment.

To ensure that users remain happy and safe whilst they explore GardenParty, Asylum Entertainment has gone to extreme lengths to partner up with the relevant bodies and to comply with all laws and regulations. To gain and maintain these labels, Asylum must follow specific terms and privacy conditions to comply with their standards as well as the COPPA laws. Safety of children online is often a huge concern to parents, and GardenParty prides itself on the lengths it has and will go to, to ensure children remain safe whilst they play online.

Public Beta is anticipated to last for a month before GardenParty is officially launched. After launch, GardenParty will be free to play with some premium activities requiring a subscription fee. Players can sign up for free right now at www.gardenpartyworld.com using a valid e-mail address. Please come and Grow Your Own Fun!