Watching Neopia Progress

by rachelled

Lately there have been a lot of articles about the conflict between rich and poor in Neopia. I would like to add my voice to this growing conflict. I am what many would consider rich. I have 350,000 NP in my bank account, a safety deposit box with over 100 items, and a size 60 store. My three pets are all above a level 20 and gain more experience daily. Did I win the lottery? Nope. Are prices in my store outrageous? Nope. Have I ever used any cheats to get to where I am? Nope. Then how, you might ask, did I get to where I am? Hard work is the plain and simple answer.

I began playing in May of 2000, when NeoPets was still new. I started like all players do, with a couple of pets and few Neopoints. At first, I was discouraged as I looked around. I saw how seldom the shops restocked (only 4 times an hour back then). I saw how high prices were for rare items and how hard to get those items were. I had pretty much resigned myself to the life of the poor. Then I decided the main point of the game was not how rich I became, but that I had fun and was honest. Becoming rich or powerful was not my goal. All I wanted was to take good care of my pets and have fun doing so. So I began small and simple.

To begin making NP, I played games. Back then, there were not the games there are today. I regularly played Hide N Seek with my pets, using the library until they got bored. I earned 500 NP a day with that. I looked into opening a store, but decided to wait until I could open one worth the money and time. I used the auctions regularly, both to earn money and to buy items at a decent price. As I earned money, I deposited it into savings. Along the way, I bought food, books, and toys for my pets, but nothing extravagant. Occasionally I received something through the random events, or found a good buy on something semi-rare. These I would put in my safety deposit box. Finally, I had enough to open my store.

Again, I started small. I started with a size 5 store that dealt mainly in food at a good price. I used the shop Wizard and kept my prices fair. I would sell out rather quickly and stock again. When I earned money, I deposited it and used money from games to buy new items. Over time, I built my store up and my amount of NP. Now I find myself where I am today- with a decent sized store with items at a good price, items in my deposit box for quick restocking, and plenty of NP should I fall on hard times. My pets have increased in ability through hard work – reading to them, quests, and the training school. I have invested plenty of time and money in them to get them where they are.

I plan to Neo-retire soon or at least stop working so hard on my store. I have the money to keep training my pets and to buy stuff to keep them happy. I have food in my deposit box to feed them. I have some rare items to keep on display in my store (because it took hard work to acquire them). I will kick back, keep my pets healthy and happy, and watch Neopia progress. As I said before, all it takes is a little hard work and honesty. I have never tried to cheat another or benefit from somebody’s misfortune. If we all try that, Neopia will be a better place to live and the gap between rich and poor will close.