We Need Neopets Again, Just Trust Me

It's the early 2000s. nd

You're sitting in your family's computer room, eyes glued to a huge bulky monitor that still somehow had a very small screen. You have 30 minutes before you have to go to bed, and that's just enough time to get in your daily round of gambling.

It's time to spin the fruit machine on Neopets.

You never win, but you get a new spin every day, and the rush is enough to keep you going. After you're done your spin, you make your way to the giant omellette to get a piece that you'll share among your pets later.

Life is simple and good. You feel content knowing that you can escape into the world of Neopets anytime that you want.

Then, we all grew up.

Maybe you're a millenial now, and you keep seeing TikTok videos and buzz about Neopets coming back. Maybe you searched for 'Neopets' on the App Store and were sorely disappointed to see that their website does NOT have an app yet. Regardless, if you feel like now is the time to get back into Neopets, you're absolutely right.

Nostalgia is a hot topic at the moment. A new group of buyers is taking over the market, and a resurgence of memories from the early-2000s is starting due to the fact that millenials are going into their 30s and have money to spend. (Well, in today's financial landscape, no one really has money to spend unless they're like a billionaire, but you get the idea). I guess you could also say that we have time to spend as well, as a lot of us are looking to get back into hobbies that we had when we were young.

I've heard a beautiful saying that talks about how growing up is just rediscovering everything that you loved as a child. And there's not a whole ton that I love more than nice and juicy memories, like the ones I have of being on Neopets.

I don't know why Neopets made me feel so safe. It could have been the website design, but it was most likely the welcoming and community-oriented vibe that I felt while I was in that realm.

Neopets taught us not only creativity, but patience and digital autonomy. There was no way I was missing my daily fruit machine spin, piece of omellette, and tombola roll every day; all while I saved up for the ultimate paintbrush. For me, it was the faerie brushes.

As an adult, it's comforting to wake up and do my routine of going through my Neopets Dailies, and then seeing if any neopoints are in my shop till. I'd rather do this than hop on Facebook, where the reality is that barely any of the posts on there are even grounded in reality anymore.

People in their 30s are seeking nostalgia that feels good and gentle. We want to play the games we played as a kid, when we were hunched in front of the screen and our mom was calling us downstairs for dinner.

Neopets taught us digital balance before we knew that we needed it. There was only so much you could do on Neopets in one day, and once you were done, that was pretty much it for the day. But it was okay because it was enough. Our threshold for entertainment was lower, because the stimulation we have now is geared towards immediate gratification, not putting in the time and energy to save up for something you really want... and then getting it!

For a lot of people my age, Neopets was one of the first introductions to the online world and anything like social media. Revisiting Neopets isn't regression, but a reclamation — as we look back on what made the internet feel fun and safe, unlike how it feels now.

Neopets isn't perfect. Some of the flash elements don't work anymore, as the team works on bringing the online world to the new generation. But I don't know, there's just something about logging in and feeding my pet, making sure they're not unhappy. It feels like the world just makes sense again.

Don't look back on the digital spaces that raised us with a sour taste in your mouth. Remember what they did for you back then, and maybe consider that you're not too old to sign up again and adopt a pet.

After all, there are always neopets looking for new owners at the pound..