Lil':
again, I think the issue is whether the site is addictive, subliminal, or coercive and the intentions of it’s founder. It’s addictiveness is testified by others on this site. My kids became addicted quickly enough. but there was somethng more, something my ex scientology friend picked up on immediatly. “it’s structured exactly like scientology” he said, "you invest more and more time, you are ‘rewarded’ with neopoints
What you are talking about here isn’t solely related to scientology. All online games are structured this way. There needs to be an element of reward for people to continue to play… who wants to play a game that no one wins or succeeds?
and then spend your points on neoproducts, you are ‘punished’ by not frequenting it regularly (neopets get sick if not fed regularly),
But the pet never EVER dies. You can play forever and never feed your pet. You do not need to log in every day or even every week or month to keep your pet alive.
you learn a language unique to neopia,
Well I’m familiar with cyber-speak… does that make me odd?
you develope a sense of insiders and outsiders, you develope a style of analysis measuring IQ, strength, etc relating to your pets 'profile"…
Again, there are many games you can play online that reflect this mentality, and they aren’t ALL run by scientologists! Ultima Online, Morrowind, the Sims etc. All have “communities” of individuals who like the games, who excell at them, and who establish all of these traits.
Does that make them bad people for developing friendships this way?
My point here is that if you are looking at these traits as something isolated to neopets, you are mistaken, and I am quite sure not all online gaming communities are involved in scientology.
Now, if you want to discuss the way that these games can addict a person, I could agree with that argument. For this reason alone, I watch how much time my child spends on the site. But I also limit how much TV she watches, and how much sugar she has. Anything in excess is not good for anyone. Teaching a child limitation is essential.
it isn’t the money, people. It’s the CONDITIONING. Addictive. Subliminal. Coercive. Again, i must question the motivation: concern for my children’s welfare? Or a way to further the cause of scientology? h-m-m.
Lil’
If it referenced scientology, I could completely agree with you. But the creators and people who work on neopets REMOVE ALL RELIGION from the site as noted above by several posters. But it doesn’t reference any religion what so ever.
Again, if you do not feel that neopets is a good fit in your home, I commend you on your astute descernment. Some children (and adults) are more prone to the addictive nature of games like this… (How many times have we caught ourselves playing solitaire on the computer for an hour or more!?) I also commend those parents who have opted to limiting the exposure their children have to these games.
I guess it’s a lot like the question of “when and how to teach your kids about alcohol.” Alcohol can be enjoyed in moderation, but an example needs to be set for them. Some parents opt to restrict any alcohol in the home… others enjoy a beverage every night. Even others allow children to partake on holidays and family get togethers. I don’t think any of these options are WRONG. They all have their limitations and benefits- and I support the parent’s decision either way.
If you find that the games are taking away from family time, or that your children are becoming to “into” the neopet world- by all means restrict or even eliminate their time at the site!
