In the early days of life, before the hustle and bustle of homework and jobs, it was easy to let time pass by as you sat behind the screen of your family computer. Whether it was in your parents’ office or in the computer room, your eyes would be glued to the screen as you clicked around imaginary worlds such as “Toontown” or “Neopets.”

Eventually, there was a day where you logged out of the account to which you had dedicated so many hours to and never returned. Virtual pets were forgotten, and the woes of not having a membership when your other friends did became a thing of the past.

I returned to three of the most popular online worlds to see how well they aged, and gauge if they were able to suck me in to wasting hours of my time.

####”Poptropica”####

“Poptropica,” an online game that relies heavily on single-player gameplay, allows users to explore different islands, each with a set mission. Players search different sections of these islands for different parts of a puzzle that fit together to complete the mission. These parts include minigames, items that must be found and used and people that must be talked to. For example, on the “Time Tangled” island, players must return artifacts from several different time periods to their original home in order to fix the universe.

After creating a new account, I was immediately wrapped in the task of completing islands. I could remember the solutions to some of them from my previous days of playing, but one thing I noticed was how hard the tasks were, especially for the targeted age range. I often found myself sighing in frustration when I got stuck on a certain stage of an island, before turning to online walkthroughs.

Another thing that came to my attention that I was oblivious to at a younger age was the amount of in-game advertising there is. Not only are there ads on either side of the screen when playing, but in order to go to different sections of the island, players must pass through a “hallway” of sorts that always contain more advertising.

“Poptropica” has definitely not lost its appeal. It is one of the few online games that is not heavily influenced by whether or not a player has a paid membership or not, giving all users a wide array of content to enjoy for hours.

####”Webkinz”####

Stuffed animals have always been a staple when it comes to gifts for children. However, the simple toy gained a whole new aspect when “Webkinz” was launched. For the price of one plush toy, children were given a code that gave them access to an online world in which they could care for a virtual version of the stuffed animal. Users could mine for gems, meet up with friends online to play mini-games, or even take their pet to school or the doctor.

With a total of 45 animals redeemed on my account, “Webkinz” was without a doubt the website I spent the most time on as a kid. Logging back into my old account brought back memories of the hours I spent in my basement, trying to master the art of “Cash Cow.”

I was slightly disappointed after returning when I realized there wasn’t much to do without paid membership. Many of the games in the arcade now require a membership to play, and users are kept from taking part of many other activities without one. This does not mean that I didn’t spend an unhealthy amount of time playing “Smoothie Moves,” however.

####”Club Penguin”####

The whole world seemed to collapse when it was announced in early 2017 that “Club Penguin” was shutting down. Disney, the owner of the website, decided to end the website in order to make room for its new project, “Club Penguin Island,” whose end has, unfortunately, been recently announced. This online world allowed users to create a penguin that could explore the virtual land, playing games either by themselves or with friends. Players could also complete missions for a secret agency and play a card game version of karate.

“Club Penguin” was a very membership-driven online game, with non-paying members unable to purchase clothes, home upgrades, furniture, or more than one virtual pet. This, however, did not detract from the game itself, for users could interact with friends and strangers alike by playing games such as mancala, or chatting with each other.

“Club Penguin Rewritten,” a private server of the once-popular online world, provides web browsers all over the world to return to the world of “Club Penguin,” despite the original website being shut down.
Although the website gives all users access to a membership for free, it is surprisingly hard to earn coins to use for clothes, furniture, and puffles. I did still enjoy rushing to finish pizzas in “Pizzatron 3000,” despite only being rewarded only five coins for my efforts.

While the simpler days of life may be past us, there is nothing keeping former dedicated players of websites such as “Webkinz” from returning to the games that made their childhood. Despite the fact they may have changed in major ways, there is still plenty of components that will keep users entertained and basking in nostalgia.

_Edited by Siena DeBolt | sdebolt@themaneater.com_