==Concept==
==Concept==
At Stardoll, players can create their own virtual doll or choose from a collection of celebrity dolls and dress them up in various styles of make up, clothing, and decor with a wide range of items available for purchase with in-game currency.
At Stardoll, players can create their own virtual doll or choose from a collection of celebrity dolls dress up in various styles of clothing in- .
Stardoll appeals to a wide cross section of users, but their core membership consists of boys and girls from the ages of 13 and upwards.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stardoll.com/en/help/article.php?sectionId=15&articleId=1|title=Help: What is Stardoll? {{!}} Stardoll|website=www.stardoll.com|access-date=2017-10-03}}</ref>
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Stardoll was developed with an emphasis on self-expression through fantasy and fashion.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stardoll.com/en/help/article.php?sectionId=15&articleId=1|title=Help: What is Stardoll? {{!}} Stardoll|website=www.stardoll.com|access-date=2017-10-03}}</ref>
Stardoll was developed with an emphasis on self-expression through fantasy and fashion.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stardoll.com/en/help/article.php?sectionId=15&articleId=1|title=Help: What is Stardoll? {{!}} Stardoll|website=www.stardoll.com|access-date=2017-10-03}}</ref>
Players use in-game currency to purchase clothing, beauty, and decor items from Starplaza, the game’s virtual shopping plaza. The Stardoll membership is free, and most of the game’s core features are entirely free of charge. All members can earn Starpoints (experience points) and Starcoins (in-game currency) by doing different activities, competing in weekly competitions, and completing challenges in the game.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stardoll.com/en/help/article.php?sectionId=15&articleId=18|title=Help: Stardoll FAQs {{!}} Stardoll|website=www.stardoll.com|access-date=2017-10-03}}</ref>
==Real-life collaborations==
==Real-life collaborations==
2004 video game
| Stardoll | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Developer | Glorious Games Group AB |
| Platform | OS Independent browser Game |
| Release | 2004 |
| Genres | Fashion, Style, Social |
| Mode | Free Account
Superstar Account (Membership) Royalty Account (Membership for over 1 year) |
Stardoll is a browser-based game from Glorious Games. One of the world’s largest online fashion communities,[1] Stardoll had reached over 400 million users as of January 2016[update].[2]
Focusing on an audience that is often overlooked by the gaming industry, Stardoll is open to everyone but focuses on providing a place for teens and young women to express their creativity and manage their own virtual fashion world, engage in creative social activities with other players around the world, and participate in mini games and challenges.[3]
History
Stardoll first appeared as a personal website featuring paper dolls from Finnish creator and enthusiast, Liisa Wrang. Inspired by a childhood passion for paper dolls, Wrang started drawing dolls and accompanying wardrobes and taught herself web design. Her personal homepage rapidly became a popular destination for teens. In 2004, with the help of her son, she upgraded the site and called it Paperdoll Heaven.[4]
In 2005, Stardoll was launched as a browser game under the guidance of CEO Mattias Miksche. The game was incredibly successful and served as a starting place for some of Sweden’s top tech industry performers, such as Spotify founder Daniel Ek and Lifesum co-founder Marcus Gners and Henrik Torstensson.[5]
Stardoll merged with the publishing site Piczo in March 2009, when the latter was acquired by Stardoll.[6] Both sites continued to operate as separate social networking sites, however, they formed (in part) the larger Stardoll brand.[7]
In May 2016, Stardoll celebrated its ten-year anniversary. Also in 2016, Mattias Miksche bought out his partner investors and placed Stardoll in the hands of gaming industry veteran, Thomas Lindgren. “He knows everything about the gaming industry and was the first person to help me understand that Stardoll is a gaming company,” said Mattias Miksche of Thomas Lindgren. Miksche now serves the company as acting chairman of the board.[8]
Under new management, Stardoll AB changed its name to Glorious Games Group AB and has expanded its offerings to include Stardoll, mobile app Stardoll Stylista, and fashion retail and social networking app and website Clique.[9]
Concept
At Stardoll, players can create their own virtual doll (“MeDoll”) or choose from a collection of celebrity dolls to dress up in various styles of makeup and clothing. Players can customise their own “MeDoll”‘s appearance, changing elements such as skin tone and different facial feature.[10]
Players use in-game currency to purchase additional clothing, beauty, and decor items from Starplaza, the game’s virtual shopping plaza. The Stardoll membership is free, and most of the game’s core features are entirely free of charge. All members can earn Starpoints (experience points) and Starcoins (one of two in-game currencies) by doing different activities, competing in weekly competitions, and completing challenges in the game.[11]
Stardoll appeals to a wide cross section of users, but their core membership consists of boys and girls from the ages of 13 and upwards.[12] Stardoll was developed with an emphasis on self-expression through fantasy and fashion.[13]
Real-life collaborations
Throughout the game’s lifespan, Stardoll has collaborated with several fashion and beauty brands, translating real clothing, homewares and beauty into virtual items.
Some of the earlier collaborations included Donna Karan New York (DKNY) and Sephora, launched on the site in September 2007. Miksche cited a “craving for real brands on the site”, stating “we’ve been getting mail from our users from day one.”[14]
In September 2010, Stardoll and Random House Children’s Books launched Mortal Kiss, a paranormal mystery novel complimented by an interactive story on the website. It delivered new reading material daily, and users were able to access a map of Winter Hill, shop items from the story (including virtual clothing) from the Mortal Kiss store, and dress up characters.[15]
In November 2011, Stardoll teamed up with Mattel to release a Stardoll line of Barbie dolls. The “Stardoll by Barbie” collection featured eight fashion dolls, based on four of the most popular virtual Stardoll stores in Starplaza: “Fallen Angel”, “Bonjour Bizou”, and “Pretty ‘n Love”.[16] The fourth store, “Doll Space” was a brand-new store, launched specifically to compliment the “Stardoll by Barbie” line.[17] Inspired by Stardoll avatars, “Stardoll by Barbie” dolls came packaged mirroring the signature Stardoll poses, and contained a gift card for in-game membership and Stardollars.[18]
In October 2012, Stardoll launched a virtual Harrods store. The virtual store contained items from youth collections of brands including Chloe, John Galliano, and Sonia Rykiel. The collaboration was integrated with the Harrods website and brand, including mood books that linked to the external store’s site and social media touchpoints. The head of childrenswear at Harrods, Torly Grimshaw, was quoted saying “This is a wonderful opportunity to raise our profile in the virtual fashion world, at the same time as enabling our younger customers to interact with their favourite brands in a completely new way.”[19]
Later collaborations have included Mawi, a London-based luxury jewellery brand in April 2012[20].
Glorious Games
Glorious Games Group AB started in 2005; back when the company was known as “Stardoll AB” and focused on one single product: Stardoll.com.
Glorious Games is focused on creating games for young women, an audience usually overlooked by the gaming industry.
Led by CEO Thomas Lindgren, Glorious Games has expanded its offerings by creating two mobile apps: Stardoll Stylista and Clique, a social marketplace.[21]
Stardoll Stylista
Launched in 2016, Stardoll Stylista is a mobile app available for both iOS and Android. The game allows users to create and customize an avatar using beauty and fashion options. The avatar then follows a career track to become a world-famous stylist by styling friends’ and other players’ avatars for various social and career events. Users also vote on various beauty and fashion looks by submitting their avatar to a daily competition.
The game is free to play but offers in-app purchases.
Clique
Clique is an app and website offering social fashion resale released by Glorious Games.
Clique connects users with similar fashion interests and allows them to create cliques, member groups for buyers and sellers interested in similar styles or fashions. Users can create and lead a Clique group and receive a percentage of items sold within their group. The system is designed to offer sales incentives and the potential for micro business development to active users.[22]
