NeoPets is Surprisingly Cool…
Despite NeoPet’s poor privacy and spam policy for older children and adults, I must admit that I’m hooked! I can understand why children and adults of both sexes enjoy it — it’s got the fantasy aspect of faeries and mystic creatures, the feeding and taking care aspects similar to the long forgotten electronic gigapets, the vast challenges of online and solo gaming (puzzles, chance, and action games), hidden surprises, and the opportunity to knock the çráp out of someone else’s neopet in the Battledome!
With more than 68 million pets registered into the system, the online service requires probably more bandwidth than AltaVista, yet needs the security of My Yahoo mixed with the transactional data requirements of Amazon and online banking. We’re talking serious ecommerce — tailored for kids.
I find a lot of interesting parallels with adult life. You can adopt pets, interest is earned daily for neopoints deposited in the bank, treasured items are stored in safety deposit boxes, kids learn the inside and out of buying and selling through their own online stores, homes can be purchased and furnished, and there is an online auction of neo-items that mirrors much of the functionality of eBay! Pets go to training schools, and can donate goods to other needy neopets. The site is fun and they are accidentally learning some basic grownup concepts, which I doubt was due to any intent on the part of NeoPets.
Here’s a list of places in Netopia to visit every day:
And a list of places in Netopia to visit every couple of hours:
My current, ever-changing list of favorite games:
- Zurro Ball - play up to three times a day.
Scarab 21 - play as much as you want, limited to daily winnings of 5,000 neopoints. Each game nets from 100 to 200 neopoints.
Dubloon Disaster - play up to three times a day.
Spell-Or-Starve - play up to three times a day. (an average player can get about 2,500 neopoints per day playing Medium or Hard)
NeggSweeper - play as much as you want (you can easily get at least 150-250 points per Easy game, and 400 to 600 each Hard game), limited to daily winnings of 3,000 neopoints.
Cliffhanger - play as much as you want, limited to daily winnings of 1,500 neopoints which can be easily reached within ten tries of this Hangman game (when playing Hard).
Tyranu Evavu - play as much as you want, but the good winnings are few and far between; after a dozen or so fast games, I am typically ahead by only 100 to 200 neopoints.
Somehow I know that I’m going to end up eventually expanding this into one of my regularly updated content pages and pulling it out of the blog…
First, who said she doesn’t know that I am monitoring her emails? Access to email and the Internet are a privilege, not a right. Part of earning the privilege to use email and the Internet in the privacy of her own room on her own computer was an agreement that the communications will be monitored. She understands and accepts that. So, what’s the harm in following up with the agreement? Second, spam filters do NOT STOP spam; they only serve to help identify and trap some of the spam. And, once again, you make an errant assumption that I am not using spam filters? *sigh* - RDL
It’s truly amazing to me how nasty people are being about this! I signed up with Neopets about nine months ago, and I used an email address that isn’t used for anything else. I haven’t recieved any spam, but that’s not to say that your daughter doesn’t get those spam emails from Neopets. I don’t understand why people are taking this so personally. First and foremost everyone, you are NOT raising his daughter, so you are in no position to speak. I am a 23-year-old mother of a two-year-old son, and I can tell you that I would be disappointed as well if he received those emails. Of course kids will hear worse language at school. Of course kids will hear vulgar things elsewhere. But that doesn’t mean it has any place in an email box for those under the appropriate age to read it, especially from a site aimed at kids. She still underage to go to a rated “R” movie, let alone to be getting emails about Viagra. I cannot believe that most of you dare talk about how to raise another’s child. You can raise your own children if you are fortunate enough to have them, otherwise, shut up. Get a grip, people. Quit taking this so personally, and open your mind a fraction of an inch. It IS possible. “It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak up and remove all doubt.”
OH, MY GOD! SOMEONE WHO IS BOTHERING TO READ AND UNDERSTAND WHAT I AM SAYING! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! - RDL
I was reading the comments on the first statements then went here and someone brought up the spam/email thing again. I just would like to mention that if you do not want your email on the site you can go to the help button on the sidebar then click on user preferences on the next page and erase your email address and you will never get spam. I have been playing for 2 years on different accounts and I have received spam but once I erased my email I never did get anymore. I do think that you are being a bit overprotective of your daughter though. I mean I wouldn’t want my parents overlooking every detail of my life or prying into what I send and receive via email. I won’t be checking back to see if there are any replies to this but if you want to email me you can.