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Article Title

Neopets

Authors

Tracy Adler

Keywords

Toddler, Preschool, Primary, Intermediate, Young Adult, Pets, Games, Mini-Games

Document Type

Book Review

Abstract

Upon visiting this website you are met with bright colors and virtual pets. At first glance this looks like just another site for kids to spend countless hours meandering through the online cartoon content. But what lies beneath is a community setting where kids and young adults can immerse themselves into a capitalist society. Neopets has been around since 1999 and has become a virtual lifestyle for kids and young adults all over the world. Children learn how to take care of their virtual pets and learn the responsibility of pet ownership. Due to the nature of the game children and young adults are encouraged to explore different lands and learn about different imaginary cultures, as well as learn about supply and demand and how to successfully run a storefront. There are games for all different skill levels too. With Neopets there is no fear of children accessing inappropriate content. This website is geared specifically towards children, and kids under 13 need to have a parental consent forms signed in order to create an account and edit certain parts of their account profile. Through exploring and immersing themselves in an imaginary world children can learn how to deal with real life situations such as inflation, gambling responsibly, social conduct, pet ownership, and much more. Through cartoon-like imagery and bright colors, children and young adults are drawn to this site from all over the world and find themselves returning daily for different events.

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