Neopets Nearly Killed Me!
By Chante’ Brenda
I stumbled upon your website when I was searching for information about the user, ad0, on Google. I truly cannot thank you enough! Your website saved my life! I was addicted to Neopets and it was killing me. Not killing as in I was actually dying, but killing as in my life was becoming a misery. Here’s my story.
I was a precocious little girl. I could crawl by the age of three-and-a-half months, I started talking by the seven months and I was able to walk by nine months. About two months after my first birthday, I was trying to learn how to write and read. At the age of two, I was talking as if I was five years old. I could write neatly and read simple words such as “play” and “pretty”. When I finally did turn five, I was reading at the level of a fifth-grader. I was a shy, quiet, curious yet stubborn and playful little girl. I had a passion for reading and I would do it so much that my mom would joke about my little “reading addiction”.
But that wasn’t an addiction. Neopets was my addiction.
I started playing Neopets when I was 6 years old, back in 2000 and stayed until my birthday of 2008. I saw my older cousin playing it and I wanted to try for myself. My cousin let me try one of the games (I can’t remember which one, if it’s even still there) and I loved it! I asked my mother if I could sign up and she said yes since I knew how to manipulate a computer. I was going to sign up with my age set as six, but I accidentally clicked the “13-17 years” button. I didn’t notice until two days after I signed up, but I kept the account. I just explored the site for a while and I found my way to the neoboards. They seemed harmless, so I read a few of the topics for a few minutes. I was having fun and I was happy. I made a topic and asked a little question. I got one answer, but it was the one I needed. I thanked the person and was on my way. I wasn’t addicted yet. From 2000 to 2004, Neopets was just a fun, fictional place where I went to release my stress and put everything behind me for a while. I had a uni, a shoyru, a kacheek and a quiggle. Sounds like Neopets is pretty innocent, right?
Then, in 2004 (10 years old), I realized I was spending a little too much time on Neopets. I still wasn’t addicted and it was easy for me to cut down on my time. Whenever I felt bored, I would find a picture to draw or maybe watch a TV show instead of just running to the computer. I was under control. I saved Neopets for when I had absolutely nothing else to do with my time. My mother wasn’t worried and she was pleased with me.
2005 is the year that everything went wrong. I became addicted. Not at the beginning of the year, but when Viacom had bought Neopets. I noticed an odd change in TNT’s treatment of their members. One of my neofriends, who was also a real-life friend, had her account frozen. She said it was for harassment of other users, but I knew this wasn’t true. Sure, she was a little cynical, but not a bully. She told me she got frozen after posting on a board that TNT shouldn’t have let Viacom buy their site and that they weren’t very smart for doing it. She was frozen, not for harassment, but for stating her opinion. It looks like TNT wasn’t a supporter of free speech. But I stayed.
I also noticed, as months passed, that it got harder to earn neopoints. I had all my pets painted, had both of the lab rays, the Faerie Queen Doll avatar and a lot more. I think you get the idea. Anyway, I just made neopoints for the fun of it; if you could even call it fun anymore. I was stressing out over my pets, making NP, looking like I was rich and wonderful. To make matters worse, the site also got stricter and I found it hard to follow all the rules. I’m surprised I have never gotten even a warning from TNT. I still stayed.
When I found out about Neopets Premium, I started thinking, “Why did TNT create this? Neopets is supposed to be completely free.” Then I learned about all the merchandise of Neopets. I found no harm in plushies, the item codes or trading cards. But then a video game? I had even heard that Neopets might become a television series. I had already seen the commercial and although I liked it, I thought Neopets was going too far. Then, in 2007, came the redraws, the introduction of the NC Mall and the site makeover. I was suffering and still I stayed.
I couldn’t control myself. I spent every single day on Neopets. I didn’t spent time with my cat, my friends (who I, fortunately, didn’t lose) and my family. I was obsessed with my making NP for no reason. My mom was worried, but I ignored her. I thought of my neopets as more than just pixels and I still do, but I am no longer obsessed with them.
During my addiction, my health suffered along with my social life. I got very little sleep, I starved myself and I slowly gained a lot of weight. My grades started slipping in school (I had always been a straight A+ student and nothing less before Neopets.). Even my self-esteem had dropped a tremendous amount and I was losing my personality (my stubbornness was my favorite trait.). I still couldn’t stop even though I wanted to. I was no longer the shy, sweet, quiet and curious child my mother had once been blessed with.
So I just kept playing and playing. In February 2008, I heard about the user, ad0, and I became interested in knowing about him. Luckily, I came across your site. I read a few of the articles and I soon realized my problem. Using your guide to quitting Neopets, I was able to quit the horrid site by my birthday. It was a great present. I still log in at times, but only to feed my pets and chat on the neoboards and nothing more. The chatting lasts for 20 minutes and then, I’m off. I don’t come back on and I don’t have the desire to. Even the cousin who got me interested had quitted.
I am now a beautiful, healthy and active 14-year-old girl. Best of all, I have my personality back. I have great friends and a wonderful boyfriend. He was once addicted to Neopets as well and your site helped him just as it helped me. I spend time with my family. Some days, I don’t even go on Neopets because I’m busy having fun with my life! I regret ever signing up for Neopets and I always wonder those seven years of my life would have been like if I hadn’t signed up. Sadly, I will never know.
But I do know this: Neopets is not the innocent site it once was or it now claims to be. It is an evil, misleading, selfish, inconsiderate website. I hope it will, someday, be taken off the internet. For all of you who have quit, you’ve made the right choice. For all of you who haven’t quit or are thinking of signing up, be careful. Neopets is a powerful site and it will take over your life if you are unaware.
I sincerely thank you again for your wondrous site. I hope that many other people who have been poisoned by Neopets will find your site and quit for good.
I have quit Neopets and my life is much happier. I am glad I did and have no regrets.
- Chante’ Brenda