BYTE MARKS
And now, a virtual-pet community
By Burt Lum
One of the benefits of the holiday season is family gatherings and learning what little nieces and nephews do in their spare time.
Their innocent view of the world is quite different from ours. So what sort of Internet sites draw their attention?
To my surprise I found my nieces enjoy a site called www.neopets.com. When I heard this, I had to check it out for myself.
The idea of a virtual pet isn't new. Back in the late '90s, the craze revolved around Bandai's virtual pet called "Tamagochi." There was a Game Boy version and a self-contained keychain version. I remember office workers playing with their Tamagochis, feeding and caring for them during the workday. It was quite the obsession.
I also remember writing about an online virtual fish called "Mopy" in November 2000. By the way, it's still around, at www.mopyfish.net.
The big difference between this generation of virtual pets and Neopets is community interaction.
On Neopets, you can still feed and nurture your cyber-pet, but in addition, you are able to interact with others and their pets (if you are older than 13). The Neopets site requires registration and is geared for the preteen ages. Even the smaller kids, 8 or younger, can play, with the assistance of their parents. Once you've registered, you can create your pet and give it a name. You even get a dedicated Web site for your pet to share with your friends.
The goal is to keep your pet happy and well fed. To this end, Neopets has created a whole economic ecosystem. Part of the goal is to get NPs (Neopet points), redeemable for food, gifts and an assortment of collectibles. One fun way to get points is to play the online games like Magax: Destroyer.
With an accumulated cache of points you can then go shopping at the various stores. You can start your own store to sell stuff, make NPs and create your own Neopet Empire.
Start 'em while they're young. ;-)
Burt Lum is one click away at www.brouhaha.net.
