Neopets.com: A Website for the Whole Family

With all the Internet websites floating around these days, it is hard to tell which ones are suitable for children. We must worry about whether the site's content is "kid-friendly", and it would be nice if it held some educational value as well. Even more impressive would be a site which guardians can monitor their children and also have fun. Neopets.com is a rarity in this aspect, providing entertainment for people of all ages through virtual pet ownership.

History
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Neopets.com was created by British college students Adam Powell and Donna Williams back in 1997, and went live on November 15, 1999. Since then, the small project turned into a giant company which now houses many graphic artists, administrators, writers, programmers, sales associates, and many more professionals. With every day that passes by, Neopets.com grows into a fascinating tycoon of the times.

Registration
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A wonderful thing about Neopets.com is that the basic use of it is free. Anyone 8 years old or above can have an account, but those who are under the age of 13 must have parental consent. Upon registering for an account for the site, you are asked to submit a username and password. Then you reach the page where the fun begins. You are now ready to "Create a Pet". You choose from 43 "species" which are unique in their own ways. Many of them resemble actual animals, such as the Poogle and Gelert which look like dogs, Kougra that looks like a tiger, and the Kau which looks remarkably like ayou guessed it, a cow. They also come in four different colors when you create them; blue, yellow, red and green. Of course your pet wouldn't be complete without a name, now would it? After you have undergone this process, you are now ready to verify your account and play! The nice people from TNT (The Neopets Team) are even kind enough to give new users "Newbie Packs" which contains food, some "neopoints" (which is the neopets monetary unit), and other various items.