Adults on Neopets

Adults on Neopets? Yes, indeed. And I'm one of them.

I doubt this essay will be long, but I feel it should be said. I'm tired of "Eww, Adults on Neopets" boards and other adult-bashing topics.

This isn't meant to be a kid-bashing essay, either. Kids have a right to play here. So do Adults. I know lots of kids who are intelligent and mature. This isn't for or about them.

Mostly, this is intended as a resource for Adults looking for the Neopets links and for somewhere to send the militant kiddies. And somewhere for me to let off some steam.

Also, beware the random capitalization.

In case you didn't know, every member of the The Neopets Team (TNT) is an adult. Shocking, I know. The world is not actually run by super-intelligent twelve year olds.

To work for Neopets, you must be at least 18 years old. Check out the Neopets Job Opportunities page. So when you contact a Staff Member, you're talking to an Adult.

The people who created the site are Adults. The people who run the site are Adults. How can you have a problem with Adults?

Alright, so maybe you don't have a problem with Adults creating the things you play with. But should they be allowed to play?

The subject of Adults on Neopets has come up frequently and has been addressed in the Neopian Times Editorial:

• If this is a little kid's site, then why did you add such a horrible thing to a neocard? (The new, not so nice neogreeting)
  Well actually Neopets isn't a kids site. When we originally thought of the idea we were aiming for 17-25 year olds. Just because a lot of younger people like to play as well, doesn't make it a kids site. Anyway if everything was fluffy and cute it just wouldn't be right, I mean could you imagine a Neopia with no Dr Sloth, no mutants and no Jhudora?!!?
  
  
• Hi TNT. My mum was saying to me today, "What are you going to do when you get too old for Neopets?" Crazy, I know, but she made me think -- what do we do with our accounts when we grow a bit too old for Neopets? Can we just finish them, or do they just go on and on for all of eternity? Thanks heaps!
  We hear the "too old" thing a lot. While some people may lose interest in Neopets, we don't think it's possible to "get too old" for it. People of all ages play Neopets! We know of four-year-olds that sit on laps and play, grandparents who enjoy passing the time here, and people of every age in between! You'd be surprised the number of adults that play. Just because you get older doesn't mean you can't have fun anymore! For a lot of people it's a great place to relax. We firmly believe Neopia has interesting activities for any age, so never let that deter you from coming here and having fun. ^_^
  
  
• I hear so many different stories as to why Neopets was created, and people use these to justify ageism - which is just wrong in my opinion. Some say it's made for college students only, some say for adults, some say for little children. My question is originally, WHY was Neopets created? (My own opinion is that Neopets is for all ages).
  Originally, the site was designed for bored college students. Obviously, however, the site has broadened quite a bit since then, and there are people of all ages who play Neopets. If you are a young player, don't be surprised to hear that many successful players are adults, parents, and even grandparents! There is such a wide variety of things to do, it's quite understandable that people of all ages find aspects of Neopets fun, relaxing, or just a great way to kill time while at home or the office! ;D
  
  
• I was wondering, I know neopets is a "kid's site" cos it's suitable for kids, but is it JUST for kids?
  It wasn't designed for particularly young people, there is no age limit and we have a large player base who are adults with real jobs and all those fun things like paying bills etc. So no, its not a "kids site" it just happens we have a lot of young players.
  
  
• What's so wrong about adults coming on Neopets? Please tell me! D:
  Absolutely nothing. Anyone who says otherwise is a big doodie head.
  
  

In other words, the Site is for us, too. We don't have to leave, so we're not going to.

Some kids try to argue that having Adults on the site is "creepy". Um... how? Neopets is a Game. The point is to take care of your pets, not to collect the most "Friends".

Neopets is not one of those social network sites where kids post inappropriate pictures of themselves. It's not a place for exchanging "real world" information.

So there's no chance for a "creep" factor. The Rules on Neopets and the nature of the Game see to that. You can report anything inappropriate. There are more safety features in Neopets than on most other similar sites.

I've heard all the excuses:

• The Adults take all the Neopoints.
• They won't let me join their Adult-only Guild. Waaa! I'm mature!
• The big meanie Adults keep telling me the Rules. They're mean!

Oh, I see the problem now. You need someone to blame. And Adults make a perfect scapegoat since you're pretty sure they won't retaliate.

Yep, that makes you real mature right there. Blame your problems on someone else. Uh-huh, because that really solves your problem, doesn't it?

A lot of kids must think so. They think Adults shouldn't play games or have fun. Or that Adults have a different idea of fun: doing taxes, cleaning the house, working 80 hours a week...

Most professional athletes are Adults. They get paid to play a game or do a sport. But they're Adults, so I guess they can't enjoy it...

Astronauts are Adults. But space must be boring, because Adults wouldn't go if it were actually kinda fun...

All those Adults playing golf every weekend? Vacationing in Cancun? Going to Vegas? Soooo boring. That's why we do it.

And those people at the sci-fi conventions? Definitely not having any fun. None. They're Adults. They don't have fun.

What are you thinking? Being an Adult doesn't automatically make someone boring. If they're a boring Adult, then they were probably a boring kid, too.

Most Adults find jobs or hobbies that they enjoy. We don't usually do something that we hate doing.

If you still think that Adults shouldn't be on Neopets, think about this: when you turn 18, are you suddenly going to stop being yourself?

Will you stop playing Games, watching TV, or hanging out with your friends? Will you buy a three-piece suit and read the stock report over morning coffee?

Adults are just older kids. Wait until you get there. You'll see.

I work with brilliant PhD-level scientists. Guess what they do for fun? Drive their remote-controlled cars through my office.

Yes, real Adults generally do have jobs and responsibilities. We do have to consider more than just what we want to do; we have to think about other people, too. We have to pay with our own money when we want something.

But Adults also need a chance to sit back and relax. Something to do that's not vital, something that won't cause the end of the world if we mess up. Games like Neopets fit that bill perfectly.

Being an Adult doesn't mean that you become a stuffy, uninteresting person. It does mean that you can't be as selfish and that you have to acknowledge the larger world.

What if Neopets was a kid-only site?

Cryon's page and many other helpful petpage guides wouldn't exist. Sure, some are written by kids, and I give a lot of credit to those kids who learn HTML/CSS and who write well. But still, the majority of large-scale, well-written, precise and helpful pages were written by Adults or older teenagers. How many kids take the time to create something that won't benefit them directly? Not many.

On the Boards, most kids seem quick to let the Rules slide. Rules only apply to other people. Most of the Adults on the site are quick to enlist the Rules. You think that's being "boring" again. We think it's helping TNT so that the rest of us can play the Game.

Who helps out most on the Boards? (Or, who helps with the better answers?) In my experience, mostly Adults. Also, most of the Adults also encourage correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation. wat if z boreds wer alwaz ridden lyk dis cud u eva get halp??/

More Adults on Neopets:

Here's an article that was published in the Neopian Times. It's written by an Adult on the joys and trials of being an Adult on a primarily kid-inhabited site.

If you're an Adult looking for a Guild, check out this list of Adult Guilds.

If you want to comment on this essay, you can neoMail me at Alatyr13. (Be sure to mention which page you're talking about. I have a lot.) Just keep a few things in mind: