Does Neopets Attract A Certain Type Of Player?

Inspired by the idea that Neopets tends to attract people with specific qualities, I thought I'd list those qualities in this article!

So here are the remarkable, spectacular and extraordinary qualities of the average Neopets player! I hope you enjoy reading them!

1. They're Hoarders

On any other game site, you control a single character, or a small posse of characters that make up your hero's crew. These characters must have specific qualities, like spell casting, thievery, brawn, etc. On Neopets, you can have a maximum of 21 pets! And those pets don't have to serve any other purpose than to look awesome. My theory is that Neopets players like to collect pets just to collect pets, and I think that's rather charming!

2. They Love Animals

There are a lot of real life pet lovers on this site. I've met people with unusual pets like frogs, lobsters, squirrels, and snakes. There are also those people who love animals, but don't own any for financial reasons. I've noticed that the players on this site all share a loving, caretaker mentality, and it always makes me smile! The Neopets website attracts all sorts of people, I'm sure, but I've noticed that those people who love animals in real life are also the ones who stick around and become veteran players.

3. They're Young At Heart

I've seen grandmothers and dads on this site who initially joined Neopets just to help out children, but stayed long after the children quit the site. I'm always fascinated by the older population on Neopets, and I'm always curious to see what kinds of pets they own. I don't normally check out peoples' user lookups, but I make an exception for elderly players! They're so young at heart that when I'm chatting with them on the Neoboards, I mistakenly assume that they're young adults like me. It's always amusing to discover that they're 60+ years old!

4. They're Project Oriented

It's impossible to NOT have a hobby on Neopets, whether it's accruing trophies, collecting avatars, or dressing up our pets. My own hobbies are training my battle pet and giving away zapped pets. I've yet to see the player who's been playing for 5 years, yet has basic-colored pets and no customizations to speak of. Neopets players are very project oriented, and I think that's why they're drawn to the creative contests and hobbies on this site!

5. They're Intensely Visual

Let's face it, we're all visually dazzled by the site! Whether it's the artwork for gorgeous pets, images of brand new items, or plots that involve awesome comic strips, we're all intensely visual and we adore the playful and colorful aspects of the site. I have to admit, I adore TNT's radiant take on dark themes, and although I prefer brightly colored pets myself, I'm always charmed by the Stealthy and Darigan pets. I also love the "dark" items available at the NC Mall, such as the Dashing Gothic Jacket and the Darkest Faerie Dress. I'll never buy them, since they don't jive with my pets' colors, but I still think they're awesome and I'm glad they exist!

6. They Try New Things

I always smile when someone nervously posts that they'll enter their pet into the Beauty Contest for the first time. I love it when people do things out of their comfort zone, and though BC newbies might not have artistic talent, it's always so exciting and cool when they take the plunge! I myself entered a Koi into the BC myself a few months back, and it was the first picture I'd ever drawn since the 9th grade. I was so surprised to receive gold in species!

7. They're Secretly Social

It's always amusing when someone admits that they're antisocial in real life, but they have 50 Neofriends on the site. I have a particular Neofriend who has difficulty speaking to people face-to-face, but she's absolutely garrulous on Neopets. We've gotten into such lengthy discussions that I'd delay dinner for an hour, just because I loved to talk to her. I think it's lovely that people who think they're antisocial end up blossoming on the Neopets site, and become social butterflies.

8. They're Proactive

Let's face it, one of the lures of this website is that our accounts are free! With other game sites, you have a free trial period of several weeks before you plunk down your credit card and buy a year's worth of membership. With Neopets, we have the option of buying Premium, but it's not a requirement! There are plenty of 10-year veterans who have never had Premium. That said, I'm always inspired by people who say they bought Premium not because they need it, but because they just want to support the site. I'm similar -- I buy a Neocash card once a year not because I need it, but just because it's fun to contribute to this wonderful site.

9. They're Silly

The true leaders of the Neoboards are always the ones who make people laugh! No matter which Neoboard they're posting on, they are the true stars of Neopets society. I think Neopets attracts the type of people who are amusing, clever and unique, and not people who are bitter, mean or sarcastic. I've noticed that people who are cruel and heartless end up taking long hiatuses from the site, while kind and generous people log in every day and make their fellow players LOL like maniacs!

10. They're Ever Hopeful

There are people who log in on Neopets' holidays just to see what the newest pets look like! I myself am waiting for a Cherry or Banana Chia to be created someday. My Neofriends are dying for the latest 8-Bits and Elderlies. I think Neopets attracts the type of player who enjoys having something new to read every evening, namely the New Features page. With other game sites, you get an update maybe once a month, usually about some minor glitch that is now corrected. With Neopets, you have a dazzling, magical New Features page that is updated every day! I think it takes a hopeful kind of player to keep logging in every evening just to read the news, one who is passionate, devoted and motivated!

Conclusion:

So these were the totally awesome and spectacular qualities that my fellow players always seem to have! I love that they're universal to everyone on the site. Chatting on the Neoboards is one of my favorite pastimes, and it's always delightful to come across players that are positive, creative and enthused. They make my own Neopets experience so much more joyful, and I'm grateful to be surrounded by friendly, like-minded people all the time!

Thanks for reading this effusive list! Stay tuned for more articles from yours truly, and have an amazing week!