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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, August 11, 2003

Clickable critters

Advertiser Staff

Out of the mouths of youths ... comes an entire Neopet vocabulary.

Kaela Shiigi, 10, says Neopets.com not only offers great gaming, but teaches kids about math and spending wisely.

Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser

Neopets exist online as a virtual pastime, with unbearably cute virtual "pets" that kids can interact with at their computers. They have an avid following here, so we asked readers who frequent Neopet.com to share their stories.

In rolled e-mails from the mostly under-20 crowd, with one notable exception — a dad with a serious Neopet addiction.

But first to Kenneth Hu, 13, who clued us in on the craze; he calls the Neopet site a "very safe online community" where Net surfers raise their virtual pets and obtain Neopoints (currency earned by playing games on the site). These points are used to buy virtual food, furnishings and more.

Neopets eat, play with toys and do battle, Kenneth tells us.

"There are currently 45 different pets you can choose from," he wrote via e-mail. "Neopets were first made for teenagers, but then they decided to expand it and also let adults use it. Ages may range from people as young as 6 to as old as 30."

Kenneth described Neopia and its different worlds: Faerieland, Terror Mountain, Haunted Woods, Mystery Island, Krawk Island, Lost Desert, Tyrannia, Virtual Space Station, Meridell and Neopia Central.

"Each world has its own theme," he wrote. "Meridell represents the Middle Ages, a time of kings and knights with castles. Faerieland is a world located in the clouds, where faeries (yes, that's how you spell fairies in Neopets) live."

Kaela Shiigi, 10, was introduced to Neopets by a friend, and she's been playing ever since.

"My favorite thing to do is fight in the battledome with my friends," Shiigi said. "It's hard to understand Neopian time, because you can't just look at your watch and say it's time to battle so-and-so. That might just be the most interesting thing for me. But when wars start is the best part.

"The good thing is that you get to earn money, and it teaches you math and how to spend your money wisely," Shiigi said. "The good thing is that you can get money easily by just playing games a lot. It's fun, though, because you can buy cool stuff."

Neopets do have their drawbacks, one former game player warns. Honolulu's Brady Evans, another 13-year-old, kicked his Neopet habit after it started usurping all of his free time.

"I got more and more involved with this site," he wrote in an e-mail. "Every day I was checking the news and playing the daily games of chance, hoping I could get a rare item. Although I was considered a newbie, I quickly learned about the concepts of Neopoints and how to earn them."

Like all habits, ease gave way to complications. Brady went from training his Neopet to furnishing a Neohome and trading in a shop.

"It sometimes got a little overwhelming, but I enjoyed it," Brady wrote. "After a while I started referring other friends to join Neopets. I told them how much fun it was and how easy it was to get hooked."

He amassed a huge collection of items and Neopoints and started "a guild," or club.

"Soon after, I devoted all my time to it. Although my guild had only about 20 members, I provided my devoted members with special services and free books and plushies," he wrote. "I kept up my guild by making weekly news announcements and Web page updates."

Eventually, though, he realized he needed to do more with his time than spend hours in front of a computer monitor: "The guild took so much out of me that I decided to abandon it and stopped editing it. It is still there, dressed up in its old Christmas layout."

Brady says he has been "Neofree" for almost a year.

His mom, Debra, said Brady is reading a lot more, helping his grandparents paint their house and with yard work, and "getting out more," she reports.

Excerpts from letters from other devotees:

• "I am currently the proud owner of three healthy Neopets. I think that Neopets is an ideal Web site for children of all ages. It has taught me a lot about managing businesses and saving money.

"Not only is Neopets fun and interesting, but it provides a child with knowledge about our business world today.

"For example, one of the hardest games on the site, not to mention the most fun, is 'Plushie Tycoon.' This game allows the child to create a company that makes Neopet plushies (stuffed animals or toys). You have to be good at managing money and at paying attention, because if your warehouse, factory or store gets too full or you forget to pay rent for enlarging your factory, warehouse or store, you will lose the game."

— Jennifer Burns, 16

• "Neopets is a fun place to play in the Internet, because it's fun for all ages. Neopets is a site where you can go if you don't have any friends (to play with) or just want to have fun, like playing games or battling in the battledome."

— Justin Tabbay, 11

• "I have been going to Neopets.com for two years now. Right now, I am currently taking care of four Neopets. It's a lot of hard work because I have to feed them, and in order for me to buy them food I have to earn Neopoints. Having Neopets is really fun because I get to feed them and I've been treating them as my real pets. ... It's a lot of responsibilities, but I'm having fun and enjoying every moment of it. There's a lot to do at Neopets.com such as exploring different places, making your own home and buying furniture for your Neohome as well."

— Jasmine Kaneshiro, 11

• "I am a father of four children. My stepson first got me started on Neopets over two years ago, and I have been steadily playing on the site pretty much daily. Such things like feeding my pet (Sumiko), a peophin, collecting my interest from my bank account, and checking in with my friends all over the world who are members in our guild. ...

"The best and easiest way to collect Neopoints to build up my wealth. As of this date I am proud to say that I have accumulated well over 2 million Neopoints to join the ranks of our fellow Neopian millionaires. Yes, believe it or not, it is just like the real world, the one who has the money lives the good life. I am able to take Sumiko on vacations, and stay in the best hotels they have to offer, eat at the best restaurants, and I am able to give her all the amenities that she deserves.

"My wife thinks I'm crazy, but it just keeps me busy and up to par with what my children get into. ... To be honest with you, if it weren't for the Neopets site, I really wouldn't need this computer at all.

"Call me crazy, but it beats going out to the bars and spending money, when there's just so much money to be made, right here in own living room. Hahaha!"

— Wallace W. Kaniaupio, 36