I have written the following article, referring to this article. (I would recommend you read the link before you start the article.)
A bit of thought has gone into this one, I admit, and I will have to grudgingly admit that this isn’t the worst article I have ever read on the subject. However, it is still far too sensational, far too tabloid, far too EXCLUSIVE for my liking.
For a start, the whole premise of your argument is slightly odd. Telling us Neopia isn’t real is like telling us that rain really is wet, you know. Saying that ‘there is no spoon’ is odd at best, and, since I have a particular fondness of spoons, devastating at worst.
He then goes on to describe Neopets as similar to a prison. Well, if I ever commit a crime, I wouldn’t mind being stuck in a Neopian prison. Yes, it may be considered a waste of time, but that sentiment could be applied to anything – reading the news (it changes every day, as soon as you read it, it’s out of date), playing any type of game (cosmically, what difference does the game make?), earning money (what is a pound worth? You can’t do anything with money alone). If you’re going to take such a nihilistic approach to Neopets, you could argue the same for anything – including anti-Neopets articles.
I, for one, have never felt particularly stressed or concerned regarding Neopets, and I don’t regard it as a waste of my time – certainly not more than any of my other leisure activities. For that, ultimately, is what Neopets is. It is a leisure site, designed for people who want to have a different life, in a different world.
And, as for all the REAL things that the author so extravagantly lists; my friend, you are so very wrong. Again taking myself as an example, I have read the REAL news, had a REAL pet, and have REAL friends. It doesn’t stop me enjoying myself online with (for argument’s sake) FAKE news and FAKE pets (although the people you meet are still REAL). So what if I don’t know the real name of my good Neopian friends? Is it impossible to know and like people without knowing their real name?
Because that is the great thing about Neopets, and about all online chat websites. You can redefine yourself. You can be anybody you want to be, with nobody to judge you. If you don’t want to reveal your real name, does that make you any less of a person? But I digress.
Besides, for younger children, that statement is extremely wrong. When you’re eight, you can’t necessarily have all of the things listed. The real news may not interest you; the real stock market would, I’m sure, confuse an eight year old (it confuses me, and I’m more than eight); you may not have room for a real pet, or the time dedication required; you may not have an opportunity to have real money. Neopets gives you a chance to experience all of that, with no repercussions if you get things wrong. If you forget to feed your pet on Neopets, it just gets hungry. You can’t afford to do that in real life. If you lose all your money on Neopets, you can make it back by playing games. Unless you’re a games tester, you can’t do that in real life.
Neopets is a simplified version of the way the world works, and, as a result, it is a lot more entertaining than the real world.
So, personally, I would prefer to take the blue pill, safe in the knowledge that the red pill exists. I know what Neopets really is, and can enjoy it, because, ultimately, what I do on it is unimportant.
Yes, there are more constructive things I could be doing with my time. But would they be as fun?
Right, I’m off to go and invest in the REAL stock market. Neopets has been boring me too much.
(In case you were wondering, that’s sarcasm.) – spoonguardreturns