Ever take a study break that lasted more than fifteen minutes? Ever
                   become way too involved in a website or video game? Ever want, own,
                   steal, or ‘borrow’ a Tamagotchi? If so, you’re a prime candidate for using
                   Neopets.com.

                   Launched in November, 1999, Neopets.com is the largest virtual pets site
                   on the internet. The now expanding site was conceptualized and created
                   by Adam Powell and started with Donna Williams, who helps manage the
                   site.

                   Several WMC students spend their spare time on this site. To these
                   students, Neopets is more than just another way college students
                   reconnect with their childhood- it’s a serious game. Neopets has its own
                   currency, or NeoPoints, with which users can buy virtual items for their
                   pets. This currency system has its own ‘Neodaq’ rating, and its own value
                   change.

                   To sustain a virtual pet, a user must invest in food and toys. These are
                   the pets’ basic needs. To gain points, a user can play any of the games
                   on site at any level.

                   Neopets are more convenient than other types of virtual pets. Unlike
                   Tamagotchis and other carry along pets, Neopets are free to own and
                   use. Users can choose from a variety of pets, some which resemble real
                   animals and some which are folkloric. A user must neglect a pet for weeks
                   before it dies of starvation, and pets can be put up at a virtual hotel
                   where they can be fed and groomed if the user goes on vacation or really
                   does have to study. While Neopets do require some amount of attention,
                   an experienced user can care for his or her pet’s basic needs in less than
                   five minutes per day. “We can escape the world of term papers and
                   studying for a while to feed our pets,” says Sophomore Kristen Geers.
                   “College students and older adults alike can retreat to Neopets when
                   everything else is stressful. Especially with everything that has been
                   going on in the world, I like knowing that there is another world on my
                   computer that I can go to and not worry about being bombed or getting
                   anthrax.”

                   Junior Joann McKinney also prefers Neopets over other virtual pets, while
                   explaining that there is a lot more to the site than the basic needs of a
                   pet: “There is so much more that you can do with it than feed it and
                   watch it poop. You can buy it a house, change its color, play computer
                   games to earn NeoPoints… invest, haggle, bargain, and trade. You can
                   also communicate with other players and go on treasure hunts called
                   quests.”

                   The complex nature of the Neopets world can be daunting at first.
                   Currently, Neopia has 8 different lands to explore. Each land contains its
                   own theme, games, types of foods, prizes, and ways to wager NeoPoints.
                   Sometimes, the difficult nature of the aforementioned Quests tempt users
                   to cheat.

                   Quests occur randomly on the site. Basically, a user is asked to recover
                   an item which he or she can turn in for an item of much greater value.
                   While on a Quest for an item, a Neopets user cannot access certain
                   databases which they can normally use to scour the site for an item they
                   need. Many users create another account on NeoPets to search for the
                   needed item, ask a friend for help, or permissibly access someone else’s
                   account. “When I get a Quest,” confesses Junior Jeanette Prante, “I use
                   my sister’s account to search the shops and then sign back onto my
                   own.” Some users, like Joann McKinney and Kristen Geers, use hint sites
                   such as pinkpoogletoy.com for Quest and game hints and tips.

                   With sheer mass and content, the site produces mass amount of revenue
                   marketing. If a user becomes attached to his or her pet, he or she can
                   buy a ‘plushie’ (stuffed animal) toy or a tee shirt of their pet over the
                   internet. Recently, Neopets has expanded their marketing so that the
                   public will be able to purchase Neopets in stores. (They are currently only
                   available at select stores in California). Business manager Dale Rosenkranz
                   also generates site revenue through advertising. Like most websites that
                   offer free services, Neopets will display an ad every so often. However,
                   the ads are subtle. Some sponsors, such as Sunny Delight, have their
                   products advertised as actual items. Other sponsors pay Neopets to put a
                   small banner on the navigational frame on the main site. There is always a
                   banner in place here that usually advertises on-site games, and it
                   sometimes advertises off-site sponsors. Unlike other sites, Neopets gives
                   its users a reason to visit their sponsors. If you click on an ad and surf a
                   sponsor’s website, you receive Neopoints in compensation.

                   Students can learn a great deal about marketing and responsibility from
                   Neopets. However, most students use the site as a means of
                   procrastination. Those interviewed spent 5-14 hours per week on the site.
                   When asked her favorite and least favorite features of the site,
                   Sophomore Lauri Gann said she both loved and hated that “It wastes my
                   time.” If you’re looking for a break from the books or an excuse to open
                   your web browser, mouse on over to Neopets.com.
 

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All writing is copyright its author, 2002.