Gourmet Club vs. Book Award by velasco |  |
Which of NeoPets' newest contests, Gourmet Club or Book Award, is best? And
by "best" do I mean the most attainable, the most prestigious, or
the best in general? Well, here is my humble opinion…
Neither. They both emphasise the mistreatment of your pet.
Gourmet Club: Isn't it awfully funny how almost immediately after
this vile travesty was created, many contenders' pets had reached the 11-food
limit of acceptance? Unless I miss my guess, the top scorers were either really
rich, to be able to buy the food, or really lucky, and already had a lot of
the food. And more than likely, because their pet can't "die," the rich ones
neglected their pets to get richer. Then when the contest came out and there
was actually a point to feeding your pet, they went out, bought a lot of really
expensive stuff, like the Crystal foods, and stuffed their pet. Then they looked
for ways to make it hungry faster. All I can say is… that poor pet. As noted
by vlee11
in the last issue of The Neopian Times, your pet would have to be dying to be
able to achieve 11 foods in 3 days. This does NOT seem like good pet care to
me… what happens after the contest is over (unless… horrors… it goes on forever)?
The pets will be neglected again.
I am one of the lucky ones, I guess; I got the Taco Dog, Snowberries, Frogleg
Pizza and Bullseye Pizza for free, from the Space Map. I got the Asparagus Pie
from the Advent Calendar, and I have an extra Turkey Dinner from a Thanksgiving
mistake… only meant to buy two, but double-clicked. Well, it was only 300 NP
at the time. Now it's 500-600 NP… still fairly cheap, but twice as much as what
I paid for it. I got the Gargaraptor Arm in a lucky spin on the WoM.
I got a Puntec Fruit in a really lucky spin on the Fruit Machine. I collect
green things, so I have a few of the rare Mint Chocolates. I even have a Golden
Juppie, bought a long time ago for only 300 NP. Since I have lots of Gourmet
Foods, why don't I try for the award? Well, here's why: I believe in moderation
in all things.
I do not pamper my pets with expensive delicacies, but neither do I make them
eat omelettes every day. I play with them and care for their illnesses, but
I also train them and expect them to do some work to help out. I am not fanatically
obsessed with saving and making NP, but I do appreciate it when the NeoPets
Team makes a game that gives quick and easy rewards (like Kiko Match I, Faerie
Caves, Deckball and Hot Wheels). I used to spend about 8,000 NP a day on members
in my Guild, but that amount has fallen to about 5,000 NP because of recent
game reward cutbacks.
Essentially, I do not stuff my pets because it makes for fat, lazy slobs,
which is just as bad as emaciated, feeble pets… just take a look at Chuffer
Bob, or the Bruce and Blumaroo in this picture:
Disgusting!
Book Award: Just as bad as the Gourmet Club, disguised only by a thin
veneer of scholasticism. This contest raises your pet's intelligence, yay. Intelligence
is great. But to have 400 books shoved into your head in the span of a week?
If teachers assigned 400 books to be read by next week, there would be mass
rioting. (Especially when that list includes such dense material as Physics
and Time Travel). If bosses assigned 400 reports to be read and analysed in
such a short period of time, there would be mental breakdowns, walkouts, etc.
If Web page designers (*ahem*NeoPetsTeam*cough*) had to finish 400 Web pages
in 7 days… well, given vats of coffee and plenty of cattle prods for constant
alertness, I'm sure the NeoPets Team could accomplish that, but many would never
be the same again. And for us ordinary folk, the task would be, well, impossible.
So, why force your pet to go through the same ordeal?
It is reminiscent of the father who, having failed in Little League as a child,
now forces his own son to practice, play, practice, play, until all the fun
is driven from the game. He is living vicariously through his offspring, and
while the father may be ecstatic over a win, there is always room for the son
to improve, to be the star player the father never was. Ask yourself: Is
this really fun for my pet? Would I do this to, say, a sentient cat? Does my
pet enjoy having books rammed through its cerebral cortex and directly into
the centre of its brain? (If it does, it has a problem.)
So now you see why I am against both of these competitions - one makes you
mistreat your pet physically, the other rewards mental abuse. "NeoPets is about
the pets, not the items…" Or the trophies.
|
