On the spur of a moment, i wandered into a new media conference that was addressing youth culture and their relationship with technology as a result of growing up digital. My motivation in attending was primarily to hear John Seely Brown speak and i was quite glad that i did. He did a great job of taking his philosophy and making it real through stories and a fabulous presentation. Although the content was not necessarily that novel to me, i was easily reminded of why i love attending talks: they make me think and generate new ideas.
I very much enjoyed many of the talks. An ethnographer from Japan spoke about SMS culture in youth there while a professor discussed the racist and gender issues embedded in Diablo. Others talked about blogs, the value of music, the role of games, paper journalism directed at youth (it was run by the Journalism department).
Yet, the most problematic speech for me was the one by a woman who worked at NeoPets. While i had heard the name before, i knew nothing about the system. The images were so compelling and her speech pattern made it easy to fall in love with the game. The problematic component of her presentation was not actually during it, but the addictive habit that formed a few hours following the conference. Needless to say, i went home and created Zazuzen, my pet Nimmo and then proceeded to lose track of time such that at 5AM i was still playing multiplication games to earn more points so that Nimmo could get food and books about yoga and meditation. Frankly, it’s quite an adorable online site (although i was under the impression that there would be a lot less advertising than there was).
NEOPETS!? MORE LIKE NEONAZIS! DON’T GO THERE YOU WILL END UP WASTING YOUR LIFE GET CRAP MARKS AND DIE SAD OBESE AND ALONE…NOT TO MENTION UGLY. YES VERY UGLY. JUST SAY NO!!!
Neopets are so f**cking retarded
They are reject versions of pokeman
my sister plays it all the time
that just makes me hate it more
why do we even have a ps2 or x box if were gonna spend all our time on NEOPETS!!!!!!!
Neopets has nothing at all to do with obesity, stupidity, or bad grades. As usual people tend to blame whatever is at hand for their failure, the truth is that if you can’t do well with it you’ll never do well without it. My daughters are 99th percentile in their grades, trim healthy kids who love to mess around on the Neopets site.
They have learned more about market forces, and the supply demand cycle in 30 days of playing than they have in their entire time in public school, in fact so much so that they now buy and sell on E-Bay and are making more money than any of their peers make babysitting or mowing lawns. Although my eldest daughter does indeed babysit as well. Blame Judas Priest for kids killing themselves, blame The Matrix for kids offing their peers at school, blame NeoPets for your kids being fat and stupid. Blame yourself.
And while I am at it here’s a little reply to mystiques “9 reasons” post above.
1. They allow sponcers who employ child slave labor. Mars/M&M is one. (Do the reseach yourself if you doubt me. Try google.com)
I think you means SPONSORS, that aside, Africa’s cocoa market has little or nothing to do with anything as far as I can tell. People will work for whatever wage they will work for, they don’t have guns to their heads, and if they do, have a little talk with the Government of their particular area, not Mars, do we have kids working in the US with guns to their heads, no, guess why.
2. Pets promote jealousy and hate. They have violent tempertantrums and break items. This is not acceptable behavior for children to learn.
Kids shouldn’t throw tantrums and break things, if they do blame the moron parents that allow it.
Last I checked a Techo is not a CHILD. If your kids are taking their behavioral queues from NeoPets, you got bigger problems.
3. They promote an economically based caste system
(in other words, they promote the idea that you have to have the best of the best items- Gormet Food Club, Reader’s awards, Neohome Extentions).
No they promote the idea that if you WANT the best of something, you work for it, you play the games, you get the points you get what you want, eerily like real life, you want the best you go do the work and get it. Last I heard trading the best of your abilities to get what you want for your life is what living is about. Unless you are a socialist.
4. They no longer support java script or CSS in their shop pages.
I am finding it hard to see why I should care.
5. They do not offer support with questions.
Again, unless you are an idiot, why would you need it.
6. They promote the idea that cheating, and being “Better than You” is acceptable.
The idea that Cheating is acceptable? You can’t ‘cheat’ at NeoPets, you can break the rules and make a little more at the margins, if you are the type of individual that would do this on NeoPets, you’d do it in real life, again the problem is not theirs, it’s yours. I’ll take a breath and assume maybe you mean the GAME Cheat, oddly I’ve beaten the game more than once and have never actually had to cheat (as is defined in the rules of the game) to do it.
Being the best at what you wish to do is not only acceptable, it’s preferable, again unless you are a socialist, thenn you wish to suck the life from anyone who is better than you, face it you are a leech.
7. The battle dome is just a bad idea all the way around. War is NOT a game. If you think it is, look at the bodies of the dead in Iraq. Or the families who lost innocent loved ones.
Equating the Battledome with the war in Iraq is so bizarre I can’t even imagine the mind that would try it. As far as dead bodies go, were you complaining about the dead bodies when it was Saddam gassing 100,000 of his own people, probably not, one wonders why.
8. They changed Bruce to a penguin… They change pets and items without asking people what they want.
OMG! The people who OWN it made a change, shocking. How about this create something, and quit your moaning. If the change was bad enough to cost them they wouldn’t do it, it’s THEIR property, whether they change it and make or lose based on that change it’s THEIR choice.
9. The books that used to sell for 5 points now sell for 20x that, and disappear.
Kind of like the real world, I bought an album in 1980 for 15 bucks, now it is worth 600 and you can’t find it anywhere, go figure.
Umm, I am 11 and I used to LOVE neopets… I was on hours every day makeing over a million neopoints. I used to be a strait A student and now I have Bs and a C. I think neopets is good for a few months. During that time it thought me a bunch of stuff. But now I have to quit because it is just stealing my live!!
i play the game,for fun and to get away.i think is cool and is a blast.but i have relized that this game is like a small world of what are world has tured out to be.i dont think neopets is to blame for all the low grades and kids miss be having,what about the media and tv and other kids and people??in this game people cheat other people,but they get in trouble for donig so, we cheat and we get in trouble,depending on how you are though….ex:like the goverment spending money on them selves.the game teaches and the kids learn,may it be good or bad neopets is not to blame,we as people are(human)we makes bad choses and we have created a weird world for the kids,with all the sex shows that are now on the fox net work and news programs that go all over the world about war,death,and poverty and every thing.we need some fun in are lifes and neopets is the world that we do not have and if you get pissed off at us get mad at the people who run this world!!!!it sher is f*@king screwd up place!!
i play the game,for fun and to get away.i think is cool and is a blast.but i have relized that this game is like a small world of what are world has tured out to be.i dont think neopets is to blame for all the low grades and kids miss be having,what about the media and tv and other kids and people??in this game people cheat other people,but they get in trouble for donig so, we cheat and we get in trouble,depending on how you are though….ex:like the goverment spending money on them selves.the game teaches and the kids learn,may it be good or bad neopets is not to blame,we as people are(human)we makes bad choses and we have created a weird world for the kids,with all the sex shows that are now on the fox net work and news programs that go all over the world about war,death,and poverty and every thing.we need some fun in are lifes and neopets is the world that we do not have and if you get pissed off at us get mad at the people who run this world!!!!it sher is f*@king screwd up place!!
i play the game,for fun and to get away.i think is cool and is a blast.but i have relized that this game is like a small world of what are world has tured out to be.i dont think neopets is to blame for all the low grades and kids miss be having,what about the media and tv and other kids and people??in this game people cheat other people,but they get in trouble for donig so, we cheat and we get in trouble,depending on how you are though….ex:like the goverment spending money on them selves.the game teaches and the kids learn,may it be good or bad neopets is not to blame,we as people are(human)we makes bad choses and we have created a weird world for the kids,with all the s*x shows that are now on the fox net work and news programs that go all over the world about war,death,and poverty and every thing.we need some fun in are lifes and neopets is the world that we do not have and if you get pissed off at us get mad at the people who run this world!!!!
I have a healthy interest for neopets. Its fun. I used to be a tiny bit obsessed when i was a preteen and first discovered the site a long time ago but then it just stopped. Go figure. And now i go on at least once a week. Its fun. The stuff about the grades isnt true. My grades havent dropped since Ive been playing. And its not like I’m an F student. I’m A, B’s and C’s for ALL my subjects. My grades have rised but that isnt because of neopets or because i cheat like some person commented about previous posters its because i put in the time to revise and do homework. The obese comment? I have never been obese. Infact I’m under the weight i should be for my age. Ever since i started playing games and such i started being better with money. I used to be useless at saving. I’d go spend stuff on junk food or magazines in one go. For quite a while now when i see something i want i will take time saving until i can afford it. My parents arent as wealthy as most of my friends. I hardly get any of my pocket money i save some money i get for food instead of getting tons of junk ill get a small healthy meal and sometimes instead of getting the bus I’ll walk to keep my fitness ok (I like 2 miles away from the school but i dont mind walking). My friend grace thinks im nuts but what she wants she gets, she skives, she sleeps around and what she wants her mum buys her. So at least I’ve been given discipline. Neopets can prepare you for the real world. It has educational games for young children (spelling games/maths games/logic games etc) and fun games too. The concept i like the most though is money. Saving NP is a little like saving money in the real world. Before all you people start making conclusions. No I’ve never been obese. No I’ve never cheated. No I’m not dumb. So can you please just be friendly to one another. Dont assume dumb people go on neopets one of my friends goes to private school and she and her friends enjoy neopets just as much as the next person. And for that person who said the neopets teams were a bunch of fat geeks well i pity you. Your one of those people who only see people from their appearance. Newsflash. Tons of people are overweight and a lot more so than the neopets team. And who are you to be calling them obese. The people hiding behind a computer screen calling people such names are usually the exact things they are saying about others. The main problem with the whole of you here is that you cant be nice to each other. Some of you are ok your just trying to sort people out from being so horrible but for goodness sake. The swearing and so on theres no need for that. Neopets is not losing your youth either. Its part of it. When its winter in england i have nothing to do really. In summer im hardly ever at the computer but rather than go outside and freeze my butt off i go on the net. Stop criticisin k? Well i got to go have some dinner try and keep your bad thoughts you yourself
I have a healthy interest for neopets. Its fun. I used to be a tiny bit obsessed when i was a preteen and first discovered the site a long time ago but then it just stopped. Go figure. And now i go on at least once a week. Its fun. The stuff about the grades isnt true. My grades havent dropped since Ive been playing. And its not like I’m an F student. I’m A, B’s and C’s for ALL my subjects. My grades have rised but that isnt because of neopets or because i cheat like some person commented about previous posters its because i put in the time to revise and do homework. The obese comment? I have never been obese. Infact I’m under the weight i should be for my age. Ever since i started playing games and such i started being better with money. I used to be useless at saving. I’d go spend stuff on junk food or magazines in one go. For quite a while now when i see something i want i will take time saving until i can afford it. My parents arent as wealthy as most of my friends. I hardly get any of my pocket money i save some money i get for food instead of getting tons of junk ill get a small healthy meal and sometimes instead of getting the bus I’ll walk to keep my fitness ok (I like 2 miles away from the school but i dont mind walking). My friend grace thinks im nuts but what she wants she gets, she skives, she sleeps around and what she wants her mum buys her. So at least I’ve been given discipline. Neopets can prepare you for the real world. It has educational games for young children (spelling games/maths games/logic games etc) and fun games too. The concept i like the most though is money. Saving NP is a little like saving money in the real world. Before all you people start making conclusions. No I’ve never been obese. No I’ve never cheated. No I’m not dumb. So can you please just be friendly to one another. Dont assume dumb people go on neopets one of my friends goes to private school and she and her friends enjoy neopets just as much as the next person. And for that person who said the neopets teams were a bunch of fat geeks well i pity you. Your one of those people who only see people from their appearance. Newsflash. Tons of people are overweight and a lot more so than the neopets team. And who are you to be calling them obese. The people hiding behind a computer screen calling people such names are usually the exact things they are saying about others. The main problem with the whole of you here is that you cant be nice to each other. Some of you are ok your just trying to sort people out from being so horrible but for goodness sake. The swearing and so on theres no need for that. Neopets is not losing your youth either. Its part of it. When its winter in england i have nothing to do really. In summer im hardly ever at the computer but rather than go outside and freeze my butt off i go on the net. Stop criticisin k? Well i got to go have some dinner try and keep your bad thoughts you yourself
i play you canot blame neopets fore you fallings it is yhor falt if you begin to drop grades in scool ore fell you are losing out at life.Perants u are responsibel fore yore chilldren its up to you to tech them how to live neopets is a game ,i love it it helps me unwided after a hard day.I no when to stop gust as eniy uther person sud no when to stop.It is a game be responsibel fore yore owen fallings and face the real werd.
before you pont it out mu bad speling and gramer are down to my dislexia no speding to much time on neopets
i play you canot blame neopets fore you fallings it is yhor falt if you begin to drop grades in scool ore fell you are losing out at life.Perants u are responsibel fore yore chilldren its up to you to tech them how to live neopets is a game ,i love it it helps me unwided after a hard day.I no when to stop gust as eniy uther person sud no when to stop.It is a game be responsibel fore yore owen fallings and face the real werd.
before you pont it out mu bad speling and gramer are down to my dislexia no speding to much time on neopets
Neopets is the gayest of the gay on a scale of 1 – 10(1 being the best 10 being the gayest of the gay) I rate it 10.
Frozen Neopians UNITE!
http://www.geocities.com/frozen_neopians/index.htm
make sure you go to the message boards
YOU’RE GRADES FAILING IS OF YOUR OWN DOING, IF YOU WANT THE GRADES BAD ENUFF YOU PUT IT AS YOUR FIRST PRIORITY TO GET THE GRADES YOU WANT, AND NOT BLAME IT ON A STUPID COMPUTER GAME!!
Im not against this or with this, butit sounds like you are all just trying to pass the blame and make excuses for your own failers. “Oh mum, dad i failed because of my acara” isn’t good enuff.AND AS FOR ALL YOU NEO HATERS…
STOP TRYING TO GROW UP before your time.. and enjoy what you have left of your childhood!!!
Fuck you, your the gay one. I think the you have to die today. The votes at my school, are to KILL your sayings.
Fuck you, your the gay one. I think the you have to die today. The votes at my school, are to KILL your sayings.
Fuck you, your the gay one. Anyway, my dad is a internet controler, as he can delete websites! I am telling him to delete your ite!
Fuck you, your the gay one. Anyway, my dad is a internet controler, as he can delete websites! I am telling him to delete your ite!
neopets IS as addicyive as hell but my grades never dropped. anyway i was too busy to stay up until 5AM playing it. i get straught As and play 3 instruments. i agree with ‘Somebody’s Dad’ about the stupid list of how neopets hasn’t improved. absolute bs.s
I love neopets my rule to myself i go on addictivly for 1 month then stay off for another it works like a charm this way I can have fun and be a kid while still leaving study time! I also go on less when I have BIG tests you guys are just fucked up if you think it’s a waste of time and you can’t keep your grades up you must just be stupid!
I dont like neopets.
their stuff costs to much…
they sold out..
they are always in maintence…every other day…
anyone who likes neopets can have their neopets but you are all just a silly stone in a puddle of piss!
neopet is kind of uncool because they dont ude violent things…on that airplane game they only
used a pop gun.i also think it is stupid but i when they sale stuff it is just a ripoff.well i will just go to my account and spend all of my neopoints.
I FUCKING HATE NEOPETS ITS FUCKING STRATE AS FUCK ITS A WAIST OF MY GOOD TYME!!!!! NE WAYZ ALL OF THE FUCKING RICH ~NEOPIANS~ ARE ALL SCAMMERS MOSTLY BC U KULDNT MAKE FUCKIN NPS 4RM JUST PLAYING THEY’RE GAY ASS GAMES!!!! I THINK IT SHOULD GET BANNED BC ALOT OF PEOPLE ARE FAILING BC OF IT!!!! IM 17 AND REALLY MAD BC I FUCKING DROPPED OUT TO PLAY IT BC I WAS FAILING SO MUCH!!!!!!!! IT MAKES YOU A FUCKING LAZY ASS BUM WHO IS GONNA GET FAT AND LAZY!!!!! WELL U NOE WHAT HUNN THERES MORE TO LIFE THEN FUCKING NEOPETS SO GET OFF YOUR LAZY ASS YOU STUPID PEPOLE AND GET A JOB INSTEAD OF SITTING YOUR ASS INFRONT OF THE COMPUTER SCREEN FILLING YOUR MINDS WITH ALL OF THESE BULLSHIT MAKE BELIEVE ANIMALS CALLED NEOPETS!!!!!THERES MORE TO LIFE YA NOE WELL FUCK YOU AND EMAIL ME IF YOU GOT A PROBLEM AIGHT
SO SCREW YOU YOU FUCKING SHIT FACE COCK MASTER!!!!!ha
I used to be addicted to Neopets. I don’t think it should be banned. I’m an honour student and I was when I was on Neopets. For me, it was something I did instead of watching TV, not instead of doing homework. It’s not Neopets that’s causing obesity and stuff, that’s just plain stupid.
Oh yeah, FUCK YOU, I have to agree with you on that.
I agree with everyone who hates neopets but I also dissagree with them. I am 12 and was addicted to neopets untill my family blocked it. I relise now how stupid it was and what a waste of time it was. I don’t agree COMPLETLY with neopet haters as it is a fun game with your own pets with personalitys and feelings, but, still they arn’t real.
Oh my gosh, I used to love neopets and sometimes i would wake up at midnight just to get more neopoints to buy a christmas paint brush! Then my anti virus thing wouldn’t let me play neopets and so now i don’t play it but all those days i spent playing that neopets game, I wish that i’d study more or go do something outside, rather then sitting on my butt and just playing neopets all day long. One time i couldn’t go on the internet for 3 days and it was “killing” me I was bored all day…if ur a kid/teen and wondering about neopets, DO NOT PLAY NEOPETS! U’ll never get off ur butt and it’s really addicting
neopets???!!! ya thats weak!
go to habbohotel.com
thats waaay better than neopets! its a virtual hotel! make ur own habbo(person) 😀
I was once a neopets addict but I was hacked and they wouldn’t do anything about it.
Neopets sucks
NEOPETS ROCKS! I dont care if im addicted to it! NEOPETS ROCKS!
Neopets is very Childish. But its quite fun in a strange sort of way. I think that there’s some people that take itt o far, being on it all day, but i sometimes have nothing to do in the evenings so i check my stocks, make a coupla thousand then turn it off.
If kids weren’t on Neopets they’d just be on the PS2 Or X-Box or Gamecube so i fail to see the problem!
Neopets is very Childish. But its quite fun in a strange sort of way. I think that there’s some people that take itt o far, being on it all day, but i sometimes have nothing to do in the evenings so i check my stocks, make a coupla thousand then turn it off.
If kids weren’t on Neopets they’d just be on the PS2 Or X-Box or Gamecube so i fail to see the problem!
I’d just like to say, Somebodys Dad, i respect you man. you made a lot of sense!
Thank you, I appreciate it.
i like neopets alot and i have never hacked into sumones account and i have ALOT of neopoints. so ur retards if u dont like it. oh waaaaaaa o have fs cuz of it. its ur fault if u stay up till 5am on it! GET SUM SELF CONTROL YA FREAKS
and if u have a problem with me, email me u freak!
i like neopets alot and i have never hacked into sumones account and i have ALOT of neopoints. so ur retards if u dont like it. oh waaaaaaa o have fs cuz of it. its ur fault if u stay up till 5am on it! GET SUM SELF CONTROL YA FREAKS
and if u have a problem with me, email me u freak! and im not fat or ugly. u r
I am addicted to neopets!!!
I am addicted to neopets!!!
I am addicted to neopets!!!
neopets is somewhat dumb but all my friends dont have email addresses so thats the only place where we are aloud to chat!!!yes i was addicted untill i found a better site but anyway back to neopets, it also screwed up my computer!!!!!!! GRR!!so i dont really play any more but just to send neomail to my friends 🙂
neopets is somewhat dumb but all my friends dont have email addresses so thats the only place where we are aloud to chat!!!yes i was addicted untill i found a better site but anyway back to neopets, it also screwed up my computer!!!!!!! GRR!!so i dont really play any more but just to send neomail to my friends 🙂
neopets is somewhat dumb but all my friends dont have email addresses so thats the only place where we are aloud to chat!!!yes i was addicted untill i found a better site but anyway back to neopets, it also screwed up my computer!!!!!!! GRR!!so i dont really play any more but just to send neomail to my friends 🙂
neopets is somewhat dumb but all my friends dont have email addresses so thats the only place where we are aloud to chat!!!yes i was addicted untill i found a better site but anyway back to neopets, it also screwed up my computer!!!!!!! GRR!!so i dont really play any more but just to send neomail to my friends 🙂
neopets is somewhat dumb but all my friends dont have email addresses so thats the only place where we are aloud to chat!!!yes i was addicted untill i found a better site but anyway back to neopets, it also screwed up my computer!!!!!!! GRR!!so i dont really play any more but just to send neomail to my friends 🙂
neopets is somewhat dumb but all my friends dont have email addresses so thats the only place where we are aloud to chat!!!yes i was addicted untill i found a better site but anyway back to neopets, it also screwed up my computer!!!!!!! GRR!!so i dont really play any more but just to send neomail to my friends 🙂
Neopets has NOTHING, I repeat, NOTHING, to do with grades. Obesity is caused by computers in general, not by any one site. Neopets is a GAME. Mildly mindless entertainment. You have a choice whether to go on it or not, and so does everyone else. I think you should all shut up and find something better to do with your time than harass harmless websites.
Oh, and “Sombody’s Dad,” you rock.