Episode 17 – Neopets

Meaningful Play Podcast

https://ia601403.us.archive.org/17/items/episode-17-neopets/Episode%2017%20-%20Neopets.mp3

We’re back!

Neopets is a virtual pet website that launched in 1999 and surged popularity, but two decades later is under threat of becoming obsolete. Easing back into our podcast, we take a trip down memory lane and reflect on our experiences of Neopets as children. We reflect on what we enjoyed and why, the rise and fall of Neopets, and its possible resurgence.

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References:

Carpenter, N (2021, March 16). Inside the Neopets ‘black market’. Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/22334511/neopets-still-exists-black-market-cheating

Carpenter, N (2021, March 8). Neopets is reckoning with black market pet trading. Polygon. https://www.polygon.com/22319750/neopets-uc-pets-trading-black-market

Dumitrica, DD (2011). An exploration of cheating in a virtual gaming world. Journal of Gaming and Virtual Worlds. 3(1), 21-36.

Grimes, SG & Shade, LR (2005). Neopian economics of play: Children’s cyberpets and online communities as immersive advertising in NeoPets.com. International Journal of Media & Cultural Politics. 1(2) 191-198.

Reddit AMA with a founder of Neopets Powell, D (2014, May 25). I am Donna, one of the founders of Neopets, ask me anything… Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/neopets/comments/26fwhh/i_am_donna_one_of_the_founders_of_neopets_ask_me/

Teruelle, R (2011). Stealing the age of innocence: A critique of the commodification of children’s Culture Through an Analysis of Neopets. Teaching & Learning. 6(1) 53-61. https://journals.library.brocku.ca/teachingandlearning/index.php/home/article/view/377

Further Reading:

PAX (2020). GOOD NIGHT mr.coconut – The Rise and Fall of Neopets. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYPFI0NXHao

Kidwell, E (2018, August 15). How Neopets has influenced a generation of game developers. https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/324436/How_Neopets_has_influenced_a_generation_of_game_developers.php

Neopets (2020). What’s Happening to Neopets When Flash Ends? | Producer Chat. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoeOQZqd4Ns

Games:

Alphabear 2, Cyberpunk, Final Fantasy VII Remake, I Love Hue Too, KHUx, Neopets, Persona 4: Golden, Plants vs Zombies, Sea of Thieves, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons

Credits:
Music created with Per Nyblom’s Abundant Music.