Monday, January 14, 2008

Fun Monday - What a Wonderful World Wide Website - Neopets!

Ann over at For the Long Run says: I want to hear about a web site and not just about any old web site. I want to hear about a web site that's changed your life. A web site that you can't live without. A web site whose inventor you'd like to see win a McArthur Genius Grant.

I LOVE Neopets! It's KIND of like those Webkinz things that kids go crazy over, but you DON'T have to buy the multitude of stuffed animals to mess up your kids rooms BEFORE you can play. This is great for young kids AND it doesn't cost a thing!**

Here's how it works: you use your name and email address to sign up, you have to create a user name and password. That's really it. The pets look like cats, pterodactyls, frogs, cows, etc. and you can name them whatever you want -- there are a lot of users so you may have to be creative to find one that hasn't been taken yet. You can create as many pets as you like, but remember you have to take care of each of them, feed them, and play with them.

Feeding and playing with your pet: You play games to earn points (neopoints) and with those points you feed your pet, buy books for them to read, toys, you can even buy clothes, etc. Sometimes you win food from games (Fruit Machine, Dice-A-Roo) or other items. Besides the main shops, you can own your own shop to sell items, there are also auctions, and a simple shop comparison wizard that allows you to find the cheapest price on the items you wish to purchase. You have a neopoints balance and also can open a bank account that draws interest -- but YOU have to login and collect the interest daily. Pets can battle each other and even get a job! You can send messages to your neopian friends as well through a simple intraprogram email system.

Vacation: THAT makes it easier than the little key chain thingys as well, because your pets will never die. Not that I advocate abandoning your pet (they have an adoption agency, if you MUST abandon them), but I have gotten busy and forgotten and like a month later, they were still going, just hungry! You do have the chance as I said to put the pets on vacation (like a hotel) and they are fed and looked after for however many days (up to a month) and then you get the email to let you know they are off of vacation and need to be looked after again.

Free Food: There are also ways to get free food or points such as the money tree if you have only certain number of points--good for when you first sign up, or if you explore Neopia (the world) you can go to the plateau of Tyrannia and see the giant egg that breaks open and spills omelet everywhere, you can get a free slice once a day, which has 3 bites to it, and will take your pet from hungry to full!

Games: The games are awesome and a lot are similar to games you already know, they are colorful and many are very very simple to play. There are sponsored games such as ones by cereals you are familiar with, and you can earn a lot of points through them, due to having to look a Toucan Sam or whatever. Games are as varied as word games, kids style poker, hide and seek, action and adventure, you name it, they've got it.

All in all, Neopets is an awesome website for kids of all ages, it teaches responsibility, game skills and in some small ways, balancing money.

**note: if you're so inclined, there are ways now to spend money doing this, but you don't EVER have to, you just have to not make your kids aware, OR, not allow them to do so! They have ways to spend 'neocash' now but you can 'buy' clothes for your neopet to wear, but they're perfectly happy naked, OR you can buy them clothes with neopoints, which you earn from games.

19 comments:

Sandy said...

Oh crap, that reminds me that I signed my grandson up for a neopet last year and then never went back...poor little bugger.

Thanks for a great post!

Tiggerlane said...

Oh no...I totally forgot that a few years ago my daughter and I were addicted to this site. I probably have rotten, smelly Neopets out there! Gasp!

Joy T. said...

I've never heard of this. Sounds fun!

Kim said...

My kids used to just love neopets. I don't know if they still have their little guys or not. Now I'll have to ask.

Michelle said...

Free things are great!! Especially things that kiddos like!! Thanks!

the planet of janet said...

neopets? oh you are sooo cute! i love that you do this.

ChrisB said...

I took a look at your links and it does sound like fun. However I do wonder how much time it would take away from blogging to care for one of these neopets!!

-Ann said...

Oh man, just what I don't need. :) My nephew has a Webkinz and he generously let me memorise his username and password so I can play games and earn Webkinz cash for him. I like to buy silly things and leave them in his virtual room to find. If Pink the Poodle is sporting a wicked hat, then Auntie Ann must have been at the webkinz again.

Beccy said...

Those neopets sound like great fun, I must show my children them.

Sauntering Soul said...

Oh this sounds like fun! I'll have to see if my niece knows about this site. She has a couple of Webkinz (which I also don't know anything about). I'll have to see if I can be the hip aunt that tells her about Neopets before someone else does.

Cynthia said...

We love online games. The kids daid Neopets is great fun. I'm afraid I am a Webkinz lover!

Faye said...

What a coincidence, just a few weeks ago my friend was telling me about her daughter's Neopets and all the lessons that can be learned in caring for your "family". Small world--actually that's a good byword for blogging!

Pamela said...

I would be perfectly happy naked, too. But no one else would like it.

This "would" be a good way to let kids know how much work a real pet would be before they committed to it.

Although, I think it's good for kids to learn responsibility. Maybe not so good for the pet, tho.

Unknown said...

My son Poot was looking over my shoulder as I read your blog entry - and of course, he wanted to stay up (past his school bedtime) and try it. I suggested tomorrow after school, dinner and homework. It sounds like a great method of responsibility, but it is hard enough to get him to bring dirty clothes, dishes, trash out of his room. Poor neopets.... NLM

Kerith Collins said...

i know my son would luv it...so i have never showed it to him...like we need another computer addict on our hand.
kerith
http://momdumchronicles.blogspot.com

my4kids said...

This sounds cute. Sounds like my girls would end up on the computer all the time though! We would be taking lots of vacations.

my4kids said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Aoj and The Lurchers said...

I am so not going there because it's going to be addictive isn't it!!?

No, not going......well, a peek wouldn't hurt would it? See, I can get Neopets on my mobile as well....Nooooooooooooo!!

Karina said...

OOH, I used to have a neopet ages ago...wonder whatever happened to it! BAD PET OWNER!!! ;-)