<s>
Eccky	B-Application
is	O
an	O
online	B-Application
game	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Until	O
2009	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
an	O
MSN-based	O
social	O
simulation	O
game	O
in	O
which	O
two	O
people	O
work	O
together	O
to	O
create	O
and	O
raise	O
a	O
virtual	B-Application
baby	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eccky	B-Application
won	O
the	O
2005	O
SpinAwards	O
for	O
Innovation	O
and	O
for	O
Best	O
Interactive	O
Concept	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2009	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
play	O
changed	O
to	O
a	O
real-time	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
on	O
Hyves	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eccky	B-Application
was	O
created	O
in	O
August	O
2005	O
by	O
Dutch	O
developer	O
Media	O
Republic	O
in	O
association	O
with	O
MSN	B-Protocol
in	O
the	O
Netherlands	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eccky	B-Application
has	O
characteristics	O
of	O
life	O
simulation	O
and	O
virtual	B-Application
pet	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gameplay	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
version	O
of	O
Eccky	B-Application
involved	O
a	O
virtual	B-Application
baby	O
,	O
or	O
Eccky	B-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
born	O
on	O
the	O
basis	O
of	O
information	O
derived	O
from	O
both	O
Eccky	B-Application
user	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eccky	B-Application
used	O
an	O
AIML	B-Application
chatbot	B-Protocol
and	O
MSN	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
for	O
chat	O
between	O
users	O
and	O
the	O
Eccky	B-Application
baby	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2006	O
,	O
Eccky	B-Application
became	O
an	O
independent	O
company	O
as	O
a	O
subsidiary	O
of	O
Media	O
Republic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
its	O
live	O
introduction	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
until	O
August	O
2006	O
,	O
Eccky	B-Application
required	O
an	O
initial	O
fee	O
which	O
could	O
be	O
paid	O
by	O
either	O
user	O
player	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
Eccky	B-Application
has	O
been	O
free	O
to	O
play	O
since	O
September	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
first	O
version	O
of	O
Eccky	B-Application
,	O
two	O
users	O
create	O
a	O
virtual	B-Application
baby	O
,	O
and	O
raise	O
him/her	O
with	O
the	O
goal	O
of	O
making	O
the	O
child	O
as	O
happy	O
and	O
satisfied	O
as	O
possible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
registration	O
and	O
the	O
"	O
DNA	O
"	O
test	O
have	O
been	O
completed	O
,	O
a	O
user	O
may	O
invite	O
another	O
person	O
to	O
make	O
an	O
Eccky	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
accepting	O
the	O
invitation	O
,	O
the	O
second	O
user	O
also	O
registers	O
on	O
the	O
Eccky	B-Application
website	O
,	O
and	O
completes	O
his/her	O
own	O
"	O
DNA	O
"	O
test	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
players	O
then	O
choose	O
both	O
a	O
masculine	O
and	O
feminine	O
name	O
for	O
their	O
future	O
Eccky	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thereafter	O
Eccky	B-Application
is	O
born	O
,	O
with	O
characteristics	O
determined	O
by	O
the	O
combination	O
of	O
both	O
users	O
 '	O
DNA	O
profiles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eccky	B-Application
's	O
sex	O
is	O
randomly	O
determined	O
,	O
as	O
is	O
Eccky	B-Application
's	O
name	O
(	O
which	O
is	O
chosen	O
randomly	O
between	O
the	O
four	O
possible	O
names	O
chosen	O
by	O
the	O
user	O
parents	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Over	O
a	O
six-day	O
period	O
from	O
Eccky	B-Application
's	O
birth	O
,	O
Eccky	B-Application
grows	O
and	O
ages	O
three	O
years	O
for	O
every	O
one	O
day	O
of	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thus	O
,	O
in	O
six	O
days	O
,	O
Eccky	B-Application
develops	O
from	O
a	O
cooing	O
baby	O
into	O
an	O
eighteen-year-old	O
young	O
adult	O
with	O
its	O
own	O
character	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Every	O
Eccky	B-Application
is	O
unique	O
at	O
birth	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
way	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
users	O
raise	O
their	O
Eccky	B-Application
further	O
individualizes	O
Eccky	B-Application
's	O
demeanor	O
and	O
characteristics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
sixth	O
day	O
,	O
or	O
upon	O
turning	O
18	O
,	O
Eccky	B-Application
leaves	O
the	O
house	O
to	O
venture	O
off	O
into	O
the	O
wide	O
world	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
game	O
ends	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eccky	B-Application
played	O
principally	O
via	O
the	O
Eccky	B-Application
website	O
and	O
MSN	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
,	O
though	O
also	O
via	O
mobile	O
phone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
Eccky	B-Application
's	O
birth	O
,	O
Eccky	B-Application
is	O
automatically	O
added	O
as	O
a	O
contact	O
to	O
the	O
MSN	B-Protocol
contact	O
lists	O
of	O
both	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
talk	O
to	O
their	O
virtual	B-Application
child	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Running	O
on	O
an	O
AIML	B-Application
chat	O
engine	O
,	O
Eccky	B-Application
is	O
able	O
to	O
speak	O
from	O
the	O
moment	O
following	O
birth	O
,	O
both	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
users	O
addressing	O
Eccky	B-Application
and	O
by	O
initiating	O
conversations	O
him/herself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eccky	B-Application
initiates	O
conversation	O
either	O
randomly	O
or	O
to	O
express	O
any	O
particularly	O
pressing	O
need	O
he/she	O
may	O
have	O
(	O
i.e.	O
</s>
<s>
Eccky	B-Application
's	O
vocabulary	O
is	O
initially	O
limited	O
to	O
newborn	O
babble	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Then	O
,	O
as	O
with	O
a	O
real	O
child	O
,	O
Eccky	B-Application
's	O
command	O
of	O
vocabulary	O
grows	O
with	O
each	O
day	O
of	O
gameplay	O
,	O
to	O
a	O
final	O
capability	O
of	O
being	O
able	O
to	O
respond	O
with	O
over	O
60,000	O
unique	O
answers	O
on	O
more	O
than	O
4,000	O
diverse	O
subjects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
June	O
2007	O
,	O
Eccky	B-Application
also	O
features	O
an	O
in-game	B-Application
chat	O
functionality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eccky	B-Application
and	O
users	O
can	O
also	O
exchange	O
text	O
messages	O
via	O
mobile	O
phone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Exchange	O
of	O
text	O
messages	O
requires	O
that	O
the	O
user	O
have	O
a	O
mobile	O
phone	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
user	O
purchase	O
a	O
mobile	O
phone	O
for	O
Eccky	B-Application
within	O
the	O
game	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
games	O
are	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
played	O
with	O
users	O
playing	O
against	O
their	O
Eccky	B-Application
and	O
vice	O
versa	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Others	O
are	O
played	O
in	O
cooperation	O
with	O
Eccky	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Of	O
note	O
are	O
the	O
racing	O
games	O
,	O
some	O
of	O
which	O
allow	O
users	O
to	O
create	O
their	O
own	O
tracks	O
and	O
race	O
on	O
them	O
with	O
Eccky	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eccky	B-Application
's	O
physical	O
and	O
emotional	O
states	O
are	O
subject	O
to	O
continual	O
change	O
,	O
determined	O
by	O
180	O
dynamic	O
variables	O
,	O
and	O
are	O
influenced	O
by	O
the	O
interaction	O
with	O
and	O
treatment	O
by	O
users	O
,	O
both	O
via	O
the	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
and	O
via	O
the	O
chat	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
levels	O
of	O
these	O
physical	O
and	O
emotional	O
states	O
are	O
continually	O
assessed	O
and	O
are	O
made	O
visible	O
to	O
users	O
via	O
meters	O
that	O
gauge	O
happiness	O
,	O
hunger	O
,	O
toilet	O
needs	O
,	O
popularity	O
,	O
who	O
Eccky	B-Application
's	O
favorite	O
parent	O
is	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
if	O
Eccky	B-Application
is	O
not	O
sufficiently	O
fed	O
,	O
users	O
will	O
see	O
this	O
in	O
Eccky	B-Application
's	O
hunger	O
meter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
worst-case	O
scenarios	O
,	O
an	O
Eccky	B-Application
can	O
be	O
neglected	O
,	O
physical	O
and	O
emotionally	O
,	O
to	O
the	O
point	O
of	O
needing	O
to	O
be	O
sent	O
to	O
the	O
hospital	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
this	O
time	O
,	O
gameplay	O
continues	O
and	O
users	O
may	O
chat	O
with	O
Eccky	B-Application
,	O
but	O
may	O
not	O
interact	O
with	O
Eccky	B-Application
in	O
the	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Further	O
,	O
Eccky	B-Application
's	O
physical	O
and	O
emotional	O
states	O
are	O
reflected	O
in	O
the	O
chat	O
element	O
,	O
as	O
Eccky	B-Application
will	O
either	O
comment	O
,	O
unsolicited	O
,	O
on	O
how	O
he/she	O
is	O
doing	O
physically	O
and	O
emotionally	O
,	O
or	O
respond	O
to	O
a	O
user	O
in	O
such	O
a	O
way	O
as	O
to	O
make	O
his/her	O
physical	O
and	O
emotional	O
state	O
known	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
also	O
possible	O
to	O
send	O
Eccky	B-Application
away	O
for	O
a	O
period	O
,	O
either	O
to	O
live	O
in	O
other	O
accommodations	O
such	O
as	O
in	O
a	O
hotel	O
,	O
on	O
vacation	O
,	O
or	O
to	O
stay	O
with	O
a	O
babysitter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
babysitter	O
may	O
be	O
anyone	O
with	O
an	O
MSN	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
account	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sending	O
Eccky	B-Application
to	O
a	O
hotel	O
or	O
on	O
vacation	O
does	O
involve	O
additional	O
costs	O
(	O
sending	O
Eccky	B-Application
to	O
a	O
babysitter	O
does	O
not	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
with	O
Eccky	B-Application
staying	O
in	O
the	O
hospital	O
,	O
users	O
may	O
continue	O
to	O
speak	O
with	O
Eccky	B-Application
via	O
chat	O
but	O
cannot	O
interact	O
with	O
Eccky	B-Application
in	O
the	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
setting	O
during	O
this	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
user	O
can	O
retrieve	O
their	O
Eccky	B-Application
at	O
any	O
time	O
during	O
a	O
stay	O
away	O
from	O
home	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eccky	B-Application
was	O
closed	O
down	O
in	O
2007	O
and	O
until	O
it	O
was	O
launched	O
in	O
a	O
new	O
format	O
in	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2009	O
,	O
Dutch/Chinese	O
developer	O
TribePlay	O
created	O
a	O
new	O
version	O
of	O
Eccky	B-Application
and	O
launched	O
it	O
in	O
Hyves	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
social	O
networking	O
virtual	B-Application
worlds	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Eccky	B-Application
,	O
players	O
can	O
make	O
a	O
character	O
(	O
an	O
Eccky	B-Application
)	O
with	O
their	O
social	O
network	O
profile	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
that	O
,	O
they	O
enter	O
the	O
Eccky	B-Application
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
any	O
of	O
these	O
virtual	B-Application
locations	O
players	O
can	O
chat	O
,	O
play	O
mini	O
games	O
and	O
do	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
other	O
things	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eccky	B-Application
is	O
integrated	O
into	O
Hyves	O
and	O
Facebook	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Together	O
with	O
their	O
Hyves	O
or	O
Facebook	O
friends	O
,	O
players	O
can	O
chat	O
,	O
play	O
mini	O
games	O
and	O
post	O
their	O
Eccky	B-Application
's	O
activities	O
on	O
their	O
social	O
networking	O
profile	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eccky	B-Application
has	O
many	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ecckies	B-Application
can	O
also	O
play	O
with	O
their	O
Wobble	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Wobble	O
is	O
Eccky	B-Application
's	O
own	O
pet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wobbles	O
were	O
the	O
first	O
inhabitants	O
of	O
the	O
Eccky	B-Application
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wobbles	O
live	O
together	O
with	O
Ecckies	B-Application
and	O
need	O
to	O
be	O
taken	O
care	O
of	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
Ecckies	B-Application
advance	O
in	O
levels	O
,	O
they	O
receive	O
superpowers	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
