http://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/ Switched Comments for http://www.switched.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.switched.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/http://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/
http://freeextras.blogspot.com/
http://lifeorsomethingnotquitelikeit.blogspot.com/]]>Apr 15th 2008 11:13AMhttp://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/http://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/Apr 15th 2008 11:53AMhttp://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/http://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/The fight is not yet over! As far as Im concerned and about 12000 others at this point we have not yet begun to fight,so
before you shoot down 12000 kids and their families Let the fight run its course without the negativity. If anything this protest will teach the children involved that if they want to make changes with things in life sometimes they might need to take a stand. Regardless of the outcome these kids(and parents) are taking just that stand.
Dont be so quick to dismiss this fight as if there were no way of making a change. I personally know some adults involved in this protest that it is there primary agenda to get National attention called to Disney as we speak. -Kenny G]]>Apr 15th 2008 4:19PMhttp://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/http://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/the $73 dollar sodas amnd $576 tee-shirts and crap.
i gaurentee tho that some disney maggot would look you in the face and spew about how disney "cares" abour their kids.]]>Apr 15th 2008 1:02PMhttp://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/http://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/Apr 15th 2008 1:35PMhttp://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/http://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/
This has been a FREE game for everyone, so needless to say, Disney doesn't find it profitable. However, thousands who have signed petitions, like the one on savevmktoday.com, have stated that they are willing to pay to keep the game open. For all the tripe children can pick up on the internet, it is experiences such as these that parents seek for their kids while online. It's shameful that Disney does a cost/benefit analysis on that. In this day and age, that kind of thing is priceless.]]>Apr 15th 2008 2:31PMhttp://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/http://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/]]>Apr 15th 2008 2:46PMhttp://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/http://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/Apr 15th 2008 3:00PMhttp://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/http://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/
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]]>Apr 15th 2008 3:46PMhttp://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/http://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/
Your letter was so heartfelt and real and I just wish the Disney people could read it. More than that, I wish they would sponsor a trip for you and your son to Disney.

I also had tears well up in my eyes, as I play it with my son on a regular basis. Although not in your situation, we still loved the comraderie of it all.

I want you to know that my son and I will pray for your family and that the cancer would leave your son's body. We still believe in miracles and will pray for that for you!

]]>Apr 21st 2008 12:28PMhttp://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/http://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/We will continue fighting, whether you all like it or not, thanks. (:]]>Apr 15th 2008 3:53PMhttp://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/http://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/Apr 15th 2008 3:48PMhttp://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/http://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/Apr 15th 2008 7:53PMhttp://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/http://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/Apr 15th 2008 10:38PMhttp://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/http://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/Apr 15th 2008 4:22PMhttp://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/http://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/
Not all VMK players are Kids, there are PLENTY of Adults playing this game.]]>Apr 15th 2008 4:34PMhttp://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/http://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/Disney knew exactly what they were doing. the got adults with kids to join, promoted the parks with quests and in game items you could only win at the parks, and then after they build the customer base for theier new games they pulled the game that started it all.
Now they hope that ppl will stay and jion the othergames? ....Hello Disney we see what you did, and you can and will do it again to our kids,so...NO my kids will NOT be playing ANY disney game on line, you gave them enough tears for a life time......
They have even Gender seperated the kids with the new games, and pushed out the adults that played VMK. here is what they said about Cars the new game do not let the name of the game fool you, guys will not want to play this game.....


Disney Cars ONLINE, a new massively multiplayer ONLINE game for girls ages 6 -10 based on the popular Disney franchise featuring Tinkerbell and all her famous fairy friends.



they are gender based games now and they will continue to do that as they build new games.
Disney, now that they have built a game base, using the adults money, are now is pushing away the adults that PAID for the trips to the parks and bought thier tickets and food and goodies at the parks. so.. protest at DLR, you darn tootin, WE the adults that PAID for it all and now are getting the shaft from Disney and have our kids asking ..why? we WILL be there. And so will CNN and several other NATIONAL news agencys and Disney will have mud on thier faces , and the investors and stock holders will now know what they did, they threw away the chance for a pay to play site and a profit based games, with a player base that was already built?
Who voted on that one? Walt would be flipping right now.......
]]>May 4th 2008 11:20AMhttp://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/http://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/Apr 15th 2008 4:36PMhttp://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/http://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/
What angers me most, Disney did not listen to their fan base. We want our game!

We would pay to play VMK!]]>Apr 15th 2008 4:46PMhttp://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/http://www.switched.com/2008/04/15/disney-fans-petition-to-save-virtual-magic-kingdom/
Not all VMK players are Kids, there are PLENTY of Adults playing this game.

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These are the adults that need to grow up and get a job. :)]]>Apr 15th 2008 9:57PM