sentences:  In 2009, the website had a registered base of more than 7 million users.Whyville was launched in 1999, by Numedeon Inc, which was founded by Dr. James M. Bower, his students and collaborators at the California Institute of Technology, who were interested in whether simulation-based serious gaming could change education, and Whyville's purpose remains primarily educational.Whyville was one of the first virtual worlds built around learning games.