Bin Weevils

Bin Weevils was a British MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) involving a virtual world containing a range of online games and activities.

Bin Weevils
Developer55 Pixels Ltd
Bin Weevils Limited
Prism Entertainment Ltd (formerly)
TypeMassive multiplayer online game
Launch date2004
2007
Discontinued16 January 2021
Platform(s)Windows, macOS, browsers
StatusDiscontinued (since 16 January 2021)
Websitewww.binweevils.com

The game was developed by 55 Pixels Limited (previously Bin Weevils Limited) and launched in January 2004 as a joint venture between Nickelodeon UK, Prism Entertainment Ltd and CEG (Creative Entertainment Group). [1] Brief animated clips based on characters from the game aired on TV in 2006.[2] In 2007, Bin Weevils was re-launched as an independent website with a redesign and new content, making way for books, magazines and products inspired by the game world.[3]

Bin Weevils was previously ranked as one of the most visited virtual world websites in the United Kingdom, reaching over 20 million users in 2013. Bin Weevils reached 1.2 million website visitors in September 2012.[4][5]

After years of a declining paying audience, several unsuccessful mobile-platform ventures, the resignation of the game's developers and Adobe's shelving of its Flash player,[6] 55 Pixels filed for liquidation in December 2020.[7] The website was quietly taken offline on January 16th 2021 with no advanced notice.

Gameplay

Bin Weevils was based on the theme of real creatures, weevils. Players could create, customize and control their own character in an online world. The game was set in a bin-like setting where many locations were specifically designed for this theme (e.g. Kip's Scrapyard, Peel's Park, Ink's Orange Peel) with items you would find usually in a bin, such as mould and orange peels. Players had their own "nest" in which they were able to adjust the colour and design the rooms with items. Players could choose to upgrade the nest to all 8 rooms using the Mulch currency via a membership and were also able to decorate their rooms by buying items from the "Shopping Mall" and placing the items in their rooms accordingly. The items could be sold at one of the locations in the game if the player didn't want the item anymore for Mulch currency. The nest consisted of a private cinema, a plaza (both required membership), a garden, nest generator and a Bin Bot portal. All players also had a "Bin Card" in their nest, which they stamped every day to collect rewards including hat coupons, item vouchers, plants, XP, Dosh, Mulch and much more. The main navigation of the game was the Map which players can use to travel to different areas of the game world. The game world consisted of 15 main areas for users to explore: Flum's Fountain, Lab's Lab, Dosh's Palace, Castle Gam, Rigg's Movie Multiplex, Sink's Sub, Rum's Airport, Tink's Tree, Gong's Pipenest, Club Fling, Dirt Valley, Figg's Cafe, Shopping Mall, Bin Pets Paradise, Flem Manor. Inside most of these main areas contained additional smaller areas, such as shops and areas containing games, missions, quests and activities. There were several shops where players could purchase items with any of Bin Weevils' 2 currencies; ("Mulch") and ("Dosh"). Mulch was earned by playing games, harvesting plants and other activities while Dosh remained a premium currency which was earned by becoming a Bin Tycoon, buying Dosh top-up bundles and watching advertisements. There were several multiplayer games which players had the choice to participate in to earn currency ("Mulch") and experience points ("XP"). There were also a number of educational games, such as the "Daily Brain Strain," which players could visit every day to test their knowledge through a series of math, geography and puzzle questions. Players who participated in the 60 seconds received Mulch and XP based on how well they have performed. Players could challenge themselves on leaderboards. Players could also enter codes to receive rewards.

All users had a garden outside of their nest, in which they could choose to buy plants from Tab's Garden Shop and plant and the harvest for in-game currency ("Mulch") and experience points ("XP"). The user could save the currency or buy more plants and the XP contributes to levelling up towards the next level. There were 80 levels in total but more were often added. In addition, paying players could choose to purchase a virtual pet called a "Bin Pet." The Bin Pet had its own profile and items. Players could choose to feed their Bin Pet and make the pet character perform tricks and play mini-games. Non-paying players could also choose also own a virtual pet for 24 hours. This feature was called "Pet-For-A-Day" and was first revealed in 2014.

Membership

Bin Tycoon was an enhancement on Bin Weevils. Many who subscribed to a premium membership received a monthly Dosh wage that gradually increased, depending on how many months a player had a premium membership. With this salary, the player could purchase hats for their character, items and clothing for their virtual pet, write magazines, access exclusive item bundles and much more to do.

The currency "Dosh" was introduced in 2012 and replaced high Mulch prices in many areas, although it requires real currency payment. However, from time to time, players could take part in challenges, watch advertisements, or enter codes to earn a currency. It was possible to become a paying member for 1 month with an SMS text in the early stages of the game, but was discontinued in 2013. Players were still eligible to buy Mulch from the subscription section before 2013, the highest amount being £14.99 for 75,000 Mulch.[8] Players could still acquire the currency in the game, although it was the main currency for a lot of activities. Players could choose to play multiplayer games to win currency or submit codes, etc. Dosh was the only currency to buy on the membership page. Bin Weevils revealed in 2015 that 90% of the content on the site was free to play and 90% of their audience was non-paying members.[9]

Safety and communication

Bin Weevils represented the kidSAFE seal on their website,[10] as well as this they claim that players chat and buddy messages were moderated 24/7 so that there was no exchange of personal information or inappropriate language. The moderation system was based on a ticket method, according to the Bin Weevils support page. When a player used an offensive term, live moderators were notified and a punishment was imposed on a player's account that ranged from one day to a permanent suspension.[11] As well as this, the game also had a reporting interface where players submitted reports on another player manually through the player's profile. The report functionality contained reasons that the player decided to report, or a field where the player chose to explain what the other player has done.

Other

Merchandise

Bin Weevils signed a licensing agreement to launch a game-based merchandise range with the toy manufacturer Character Options.[12] The merchandise consisted of a trading card game that was launched in 2012,[13] a clothing set, backpacks, figurines, books and toys which launched in October 2012 and books.[14][15][16] An titled "Bin Weevils" with Sony in December 2012.[17][18] A competition was held relating to the album which four children could be picked to write a song for the album.[19][20] The album was launched on 29 July 2013 with a tracklist of 12 children's songs. In November 2013, Bin Weevils partnered with WellChild to help raise money for sick children in the United Kingdom. Users could buy a Bin Weevils T-shirt and choose the design they wanted on their clothes, and 20 percent of every sale would go to WellChild.[21]

A Bin Weevils Magazine launched in January 2012 featuring characters, puzzles, guides, stories, comics and mysteries inspired by the online world.[22][23][24][25]

Weevil World

55 Pixels Ltd released a beta version of a new game called "Weevil World" in May 2017, which was only available for paying members at the time. The beta ended and the game was released to all players a month later.[26] The game was a multiplayer unity app for mobile devices and computers, allowing players to cross-play between Weevil World and Bin Weevils using the same account. After signing up, players could customise their weevil profile and navigate their character around the island. Players could purchase character clothing, gift items, level up, earn Gems and Dosh to buy home (nest) decorations in the game and can invite players to get a nest rating.[27] Weevil World, along with Bin Weevils, closed on 16th January, 2021.

Farm Craft

55 Pixels Ltd released ''Farm Craft'' in July 2016. The world allows players to farm exotic plants, collect helpers, craft items, decorate houses and trade. Many core elements of the app were inspired by Bin Weevils.[28]

Bin Weevils Connect

On August 23, 2016, a new app named "Bin Weevils Connect" was revealed. Bin Weevils connect was an app which complemented Bin Weevils many features such as the friend list, customising the created character, playing multiplayer games with friends at quick access, and sending friend messages. However after several app issues, inconsistency of the software and the app not meeting mobile users expectations, the app was shortly removed from the App Store and Google Play.

Reception

In 2015, both Bin Weevils and Moshi Monsters were requested by the Advertising Standard Authority (ASA) to change the wording of their in-app advertising, stating that players were under pressure to purchase items in the game.[29][30] 55 Pixels Ltd, the company which operates the game, said that "as soon as [we] were made aware of the complaint made to the Advertising Standards Authority about a potential breach, and once we had understood the area for concern, we changed all our membership pages to comply with their recommendations. [The ASA] subsequently upheld the complaint about the original wording but referenced that we now complied, in the text of the ruling." [31]

In September 2014, Bin Weevils suffered a data breach culminating in unauthorised access to some accounts.[32] Bin Weevils had been alerted of the vulnerability and had taken the website down for a week to carry out security maintenance. A captcha was added to the website during the breach, which users had to verify before they could proceed.

Awards

Bin Weevils was nominated for the BAFTA Awards in 2009. Bin Weevils received the "Best Website" BAFTA Award in 2011.[33] To celebrate, new nest items were launched in-game. Bin Weevils won the BAFTA Awards again towards the end of 2012.[34] Bin Weevils won the "Best Website" for the third time in late 2013,[35] and again in 2014.[36]

References
  1. "Bin Weevils - Information". 11 September 2008. Archived from the original on 11 September 2008. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  2. "Bin Weevils TV Mini Series (2006-2007)". IMDb ratings and reviews.
  3. Bin Weevils: A look at the Bin in 2007, retrieved 26 August 2019
  4. "Binweevils.com breaks 1.2million users | Toy World Magazine". toyworldmag.co.uk. Archived from the original on 21 August 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  5. https://toyworldmag.co.uk/binweevils-com-hits-20-million-uk-registered-users/
  6. "Adobe Flash Player End of Life". Adobe. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  7. "55 PIXELS LIMITED - Filing history (free information from Companies House)". Companies House. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  8. "Bin Weevils". 12 February 2012. Archived from the original on 12 February 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  9. Practice, Advertising Standards Authority | Committee of Advertising. "55 Pixels Ltd". asa.org.uk. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  10. "Binweevils.com is certified by the kidSAFE Seal Program". kidsafeseal.com. Archived from the original on 17 August 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  11. "Bin Weevils: Safety Concerns". 55 Pixels Support. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  12. "Character Group wins Bin Weevils master toy licence". Proactiveinvestors UK. 6 February 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  13. "Bin Weevils Products Released in U.K." License Global. 3 November 2011. Archived from the original on 21 October 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  14. "BinWeevils eyes further growth after toy success". Licensing.biz. Archived from the original on 26 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  15. "Panini introduces Augmented Reality into latest Bin Weevils TCG line". ToyNews. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  16. "Bin Weevils Products Released in U.K." licenseglobal.com. 3 November 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  17. "BinWeevils gets musical with first album release". Archived from the original on 26 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  18. "CD: Bin Weevils - Bin Tunes | The Arts Desk". theartsdesk.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  19. "Bin Weevils launches Bin Tunes competition". Rainbow Toy Awards - The Awards for the UK Toy Industry. 21 May 2013. Archived from the original on 24 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  20. "Behind the Scenes with our Bin Weevils Prize Winners! | Animate it". Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  21. "Popular children's characters join with charities for T-Shirt Booth app". Licensing.biz. Archived from the original on 14 October 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  22. Joseph, Seb (14 February 2012). "Bin Weevils takes characters into print". Marketing Week. Archived from the original on 26 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  23. "Egmont's new 'Bin Weevils' gets massive promotion". downthetubes.net. 24 February 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  24. "Monthly magazine based on virtual game Bin Weevils released". The Drum. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  25. "Bin Weevils - Data - ABC | Audit Bureau of Circulations". www.abc.org.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  26. "Bin Weevils Blog - The Weevil World Early Access Beta is out now!". Weevil News. Archived from the original on 25 August 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  27. "Weevil World: What is Weevil World?". 55 Pixels Support. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  28. http://www.55pixels.com/games/crater-craft/
  29. Rawlinson, Kevin (26 August 2015). "Ad watchdog rebukes Moshi Monsters". Archived from the original on 6 July 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  30. Dredge, Stuart (26 August 2015). "Moshi Monsters and Bin Weevils rapped for promoting subscriptions to children". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 14 October 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  31. "Moshi Monsters and Bin Weevils fall foul of new IAP regulations". MCV/DEVELOP. 26 August 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  32. "Have I Been Pwned: Pwned websites". haveibeenpwned.com. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  33. "2011 Children's BAFTA Kids Vote Powered By Yahoo! - Website | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Archived from the original on 17 March 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  34. "Bin Weevils wins BAFTA Kids Vote | Toy World Magazine". toyworldmag.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  35. "BAFTA Kids' Vote Winners in 2013". www.bafta.org. 25 November 2013. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  36. "2014 Children's BAFTA Kids' Vote - Website | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  1. Official Bin Weevils Website

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