Considering the fact that Dairy Queen has been around for over 60 years and is one of the largest fast food chains in the world, one wonders why it took them so long to jump on the virtual world bandwagon. But now they have jumped and are aiming at the tween market with Unite the Deeqs, an online gaming site.

"Everybody knows - especially in today's world - that if you're going to engage tweens online, you better have a gaming component to that online experience," said Michael Keller, chief brand officer for American Dairy Queen Corp., Minneapolis.

Unite the Deeqs features customizable anime-style characters who live in DQ-topia. Legend has it that the Deeqs are a species evolved from a batch of "too fun" and "too powerful" soft serve ice cream. They have escaped the freezer and must now unite to battle an "evil storm" that threatens their world. Along the way, they walk, jump and fly around collecting burgers and treats and racking up points.

Who comes up with this stuff? Creative marketing firm Space 150, that's who. And while the site is currently just a tad boring, it won't be that way for long. There are plans to incorporate a social networking component as well as the all-important accumulate-points-and-buy-stuff feature. I can hardly wait.