Katherine Pigaga

I am a stock market playing millionaire. I have my own store, run an average of twelve auctions a week, and still find time to feed my pets. Neopets that is.

Neopets is a bizarre obsession I picked up the summer before sophomore year. I A plushie Kougra. don’t even remember how I found it, but when I entered the website, Neopets.com, I was sucked in. A new world was at my fingertips! Faeries, mythical animals, games and best of all, the driving force of the entire game, NeoPoints, all of these taunted me, making me want to find out more.

At first, I saw it as only a distraction for a day or two, but I kept coming back. The urge to find out what more I could do, how I could interact and play this new game, I was determined to master it. From that point on, I knew I was addicted. I took on my first pet, a kougra, one of the forty available creatures that bear striking resemblance to animals we know in this world outside of the monitor. Kougras are cat-like, but other animals include Lupes, the wolf/dog equivalent, and Pteris, pronounced pah-TEER-ees, who remind me of parakeets.

A plushie Scorchio. You can have up to four pets, feeding them, playing with them, buying endless amounts of toys, artifacts, and yes even armor and weapons. Neopets can fight against one another in a Battledome, gaining points for victories.

How can a game that sounds so childish continue to hold this senior’s attention for more than three years? Personally, I have no clue. My friends often mock me for spending the time I do, making sure my pets are fed and happy, and ensuring that I still collect the interest from my bank. Over the years, I’ve amassed a fortune of more then 2.5 million NeoPoints, the accepted currency on Neopets.com.

Someday, I might stop playing. I could put my pets in the NeoPound, give away all my NeoItems, and slowly donate all my NeoPoints to the poorer NeoCitizens. But until then, I think I’ll continue to hold myself as a successful Neopian, and spare losing my high-ranking, virtual position.