[VIRAL FLASHBACK] What Makes 'Neopets' One of the Most Viral Games of All Time?

If you grew up in the early 2000s, perhaps you also grew up with Neopets. Who wouldn't have heard of Neopets? It's quite a popular game.

The magical world of Neopets is populated by pets, pirates, fairies and a magic money tree. It's actually a virtual pet website where you can own virtual pets or Neopets. You can also buy virtual items for your Neopets using Neopoints or Neocash.

You can earn Neopoints within the site while Neocash can be purchased with real-world money, or if you are lucky, you can win it by chance in-game.

The Whereabouts of 'Neopets'

In the late 1999, the Neopets website was launched by Adam Powell and Donna Williams. After two years, a consortium of investors led by Doug Dohring acquired a controlling interest in the company.

In June 2005, Viacom, who owns Nickelodeon, purchased Neopets for $160 million. Eventually, on March 2014, Viacom sold Neopets to Jumpstart Games.

Chinese company NetDragon eventually acquired JumpStart, of course, taking over Neopets in the process.

In September 2021, in collaboration with JumpStart, Cherrypicks, and Moonvault, the Neopets Metaverse Collection NFT was revealed.

In a report of The Verge in 2021, JumpStart said that it is fostering a partnership with blockchain firm Raydium. They are intending to produce 20,500 "equally unique, algorithmically generated lovable Neopets NFTs with variable backgrounds, assets, clothing, and personality - 7 varying trait categories."

The Neopets community reacted negatively to the news. In fact, Fansites like Jellyneo and Dress To Impress have expressed strong criticism on the move.

The fans thought it as "a cynical cash grab, an environmentally destructive decision, and a launch that adds nothing to the core functionality of the site," according to The Verge.

The move according to a tweet of the official Jellyneo account is "#AntiNeopet."

You can still play Neopets. Even though it's a old game already, it is still going strong up to this day. A mobile version of the game is even available, the Neopets: Altador Cup.

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The Gameplay of 'Neopets'

In the Neopets website, you will be allowed to create and care for digital pets. You can also explore the virtual world of Neopia.

It's like having a pet that you have feed when they grow hungry or have them cured they are ill. Except, of course, these are all virtual. Unlike real pets, your Neopets will not die when you neglect them. But their gameplay is limited by their health.

You can select from a variety of species. You can also create of adopt your own Neopets.

By exploring Neopia, you can obtain items to interact with your Neopets. Items include books to read to your Neopets or toys to play with them.

You can customized your Neopets with certain clothing items, paintbrushes, morphing potions, and accessories. What is more interesting is you can build a customizable Neohome for your Neopets.

Your Neopets can battle against other Neopets. It can also battle with a non-player characters in the Battledome.

You can earn Neopoints from playing games. There are varieties of games that you can play including action, puzzles, and luck & chance. There is maximum earnings of playtime for most games.

Aside from Neopoints, you can also earn trophies and other awards from playing the game. You may also be opted to participate in contests and spotlights, or perform a quest to retrieve items.

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