Play Ekoloko

About Ekoloko

A row of Ekoloko player characters in colourful outfits in the jungle

Ekoloko (in Hebrew: אקולוקו) is a Hebrew-language virtual world for children. Every player creates a character, goes on quests, plays with friends and learns to take care of the environment. Its slogan was “Making a better world”. This page tells where Ekoloko came from, what was in it, and who is bringing it back today.

The original game, 2008–2017

Ekoloko was developed by Virtual Tweens Ltd., founded in February 2008 by Gal Darom and Guy Spira. During development the game was called “Stardust”. It went live in October 2008, was built in Flash and was played directly in the browser. It was aimed at ages 7–14 and is considered the first Israeli virtual world for children and teens.

  1. February 2008 Virtual Tweens Ltd. is founded.
  2. October 2008 The site goes live.
  3. 2009 About one million dollars raised from the Gemini fund, and about 350,000 registered users.
  4. 2010 Versions launched in France, the United States and the United Kingdom.
  5. 21 September 2010 Private moons are added: every player gets a home to design and a farm to grow.
  6. April 2011 About 1.1 million registered users, about 150,000 of them active.
  7. February 2013 About 3 million registered users and 20 employees.
  8. December 2013 “Eko-Up”, an app for iPhone and iPad, is released.
  9. 15 January 2017 The game closes.

Figures and dates are given as published at the time and as summarised in the Hebrew Wikipedia article “Ekoloko”. Sources are listed at the end of this page.

The story

The planet Hetra was polluted by the Smog family. Its residents built a spaceship called “Ararat” and set out to find a planet where they could start again. Babylon Smog sent his son Goliath and his gang after them. The spaceship landed on a clean planet called Ekoloko, where the residents begin rebuilding their community.

The players, called “Ekos”, help the permanent residents develop the planet and deal with the tricks of Smog and his gang: collecting recycling, finding items, carrying messages between residents and winning games. Along the way players can raise pets, tend a farm, trade items, join community events, brew potions and collect cards.

Areas and characters

Ekoloko has three main areas: the Jungle, the Eko-Eko Desert and Ekoluna, the space station. Around them are smaller areas such as Lokosaurus Valley, Ekolopolis, Greentelligence and the Misty Peaks. Each screen has permanent residents with their own story and character, and they give players their quests. In the Jungle, for example, you meet Heathcliff Greenleaf, the guide for new players, and Bongo Sunshine, the village drummer.

The in-game currency is kokos, earned in quests and games. Experienced players could join the Rangers, players who help newcomers and keep the atmosphere friendly.

Ekoloko today

Today's Ekoloko is an independent, private, non-commercial restoration project run by David Shitrit. The goal is simple: bring back the world we grew up in, with the original rooms, characters and quests, so that children, and players who have grown up since, can play it again.

  • The servers were rebuilt. The game runs on a new database, so everyone creates a new account.
  • Play in the browser, or in the desktop app for Windows or Mac.
  • The game is free, with no advertising and no real-money purchases.
  • The community meets on the Ekoloko Discord server (ages 13 and up). Official updates are posted there and on this site.

Please note: the project is not operated by, on behalf of, or affiliated with Virtual Tweens Ltd. or the rights holders of the original game. The original names, characters and art belong to their owners. Rights holders who wish to reach us are welcome to do so through the contact page.

Start playing Ekoloko · Guide for parents (Hebrew)

Sources