Neopets
Neopets (formerly known as NeoPets) is a popular online virtual pet simulation game. The creators of the site are Adam Powell and Donna Williams, but the company was bought by Doug Dohring soon after being created. Neopets started out as a site for bored college students but quickly grew into a children's site, and is currently one of the most popular mainstream sites ever. Users ("Neopians") have to care for their Neopets by feeding and playing with them. Users can also play games to earn Neopoints, (NP), Neopian currency that can be used to purchase items that interact with their Neopets.
Although the company is based in the United States, its founders are British and the site retains British English spellings. In addition to English, as of August 2004 the site is available translated (with varying degrees of completeness) into nine other languages.
Account basics
After creating an account, Neopians can have up to 4 different pets per account. While multiple accounts are permitted, if a user is caught using more than one account to earn Neopoints, then their account will be frozen. There are 48 different Neopet species currently available, with most being fictionalized versions of real animals. For example, the Nimmo is a stylized frog, the Blumaroo is kangaroo-like, the Pteri is one of two bird-like species, the Lupe is wolf-like and the Gelert is dog-like. There are also Neopets versions of popular fantasy creatures, such as dragons (Draiks) and unicorns (Unis). Users can customize their pets by selecting gender, colour, (choice of red, blue, yellow, or green) and name (provided another user hasn't already chosen the name).
Neopets grow older, and must be fed and played with from day to day to stay happy. There are many stages of hunger, ranging from "bloated" to "dying" (although Neopets will never die, or starve to death). They can also read books and battle each other Pokémon-style. Neglecting your Neopet will result in their unhappiness, and they will be unwilling to follow commands. Neopians can give their pets a different colour past the basic choices, such as purple and grey, if they purchase a Paintbrush. Paintbrushes can also change pets into different styles such as Faerie, Pirate, Island, and Christmas.
Neopians gain the Neopoints to care for their pets and purchase items by playing games. Many of the games are interactive Flash or Shockwave games similar to older games -- "Meerca Chase" is very similar to Snake while "Korbat's Lab" is like Arkanoid (There's even a curious case of reproducing a version of the popular Namco puzzle game Mr. Driller). There are also numerous PHP games, such as "NeoQuest" and "Pyramids." Items are then purchased in either main shops, which are automatically restocked by the game, or in user-owned shops.
If a Neopian is caught breaking the rules as stated in the Neopets Terms and Conditions, their account will be frozen (or, in common Neopian slang, iced). If an account is frozen, it means that the account is not at all accessible by the user. They can not log in, play games, or access any of the features on Neopets. Upon attempting to log in, they receive a message saying that they are frozen. If wrongfully accused, there is a response form to contact Neopets. Unfortunately, the Neopets team does not always respond promptly, and may sometimes take months to respond.
Environment
The entire game takes place on (or in orbit around) the fictional planet of Neopia. The main world is Neopia Central, a city where the main stores are based. There are also different themed worlds: Tyrannia (prehistoric), Faerieland (faeries), Mystery Island (Polynesian), Haunted Forest (Halloween), Krawk Island (pirates), Lost Desert (Ancient Egyptian), Terror Mountain (winter/Christmas), mysterious Jelly World (jelly), Virtupets Space Station (UFO), Kreludor (moon), Meridell (medieval), and Brightvale (medieval with an emphasis on knowledge). There are also mini worlds and sub-worlds. Each of these worlds (which are, in reality, more like regions or settings) has unique shops, games, and activities pertaining to its theme.
These worlds are generally introduced through in-game plots. For example, a former world, Maraqua (underwater), was destroyed by the Krawk Island pirates, which led to the "discovery" of Krawk Island.
Interaction
Once Neopians become comfortable with the basics, they can begin spending their Neopoints on items beyond caring for their pets. Popular goals include Paintbrushes (which can change a pet into another colour, such as orange or brown, or even a completely different style, such as "pirate" or "faerie") and Petpets (pets for your pet, which don't do much but are generally quite cute). There are even Petpetpets, which seem to be the game equivalent of your pet's pet having fleas. Any of these goals can cost an enormous amount of Neopoints, and dedicated users will devote months to their acquisition.
Every Neopian can have a shop, Neodeck, and Neohome. Players can buy items from other players' shops or sell them in their own shop. Items to sell in stores can be bought from the official stores or from other players, "found" through random events, won in an auction, or traded for. Some experienced players make more Neopoints through their shops than by playing games. Prices rise and fall rapidly (sometimes within a single day) depending on the availability and desirability of items - for this reason, some teachers have reported using Neopets shops to teach about supply and demand.
Neodecks hold virtual trading cards (there are also virtual stamps and coins which can be "collected"). Neohomes can be bought for a certain number of Neopoints for each room. Furniture can be placed in the Neohomes, and extensions (lights, insurance, etc.) can be purchased.
Any Neopian can join or create a guild, essentially a club for users. These usually have a theme, such as the "Faerie Guild" or the "Nimmo Lovers Guild." There are message boards inside of the guilds, only accessible to members of that guild. There are also regular Neopets message boards, accessible to anyone, which are quite active.
Part of the reason why Neopets is so popular is that it is continually changing: new items, games, plots, etc. are introduced almost every day. The ability to amass large amounts of Neopoints and rare items is a challenge for competitive players, and someone who keeps up with the latest news has a greater chance of being the first one to obtain a rare item (and sell it before it drops in value) or to earn a top score in new game.
As of August 2004, Neopia is inhabited by over 81 million users, and over 118 million pets (note that one user can have multiple pets). Updated statistics may be found on the Neopets 'World' Page.
Neopets has branched out, and in addition to the website, it now also produces a range of merchandise, such as plushies, stickers and hand-held video games. In September 2003, Wizards of the Coast released the Neopets Trading Card Game - a collectible card game based on the online characters and setting.