Pitching It To Kids

On sites like Neopets.com, brands are embedded in the game. Is children's marketing going too far?

Chirita isn't feeling well. A furry green creature with four legs and a pair of wings, she has come down with a case of the Neomites, a common affliction in the mythical online world of Neopia. The Neopian pharmacy sometimes stocks a cure, but it's pricey, costing about 330 Neopoints. What's Chirita's owner, Wendy Mendoza, 10, of Atlanta, to do? One way to rack up the points would be to play any of the 110 free games on Neopets.com trying activities like bumper cars or chemistry for beginners. Then again, Wendy could also score by hunting for secret images...

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