Pepper-Head

Thanks @Tinkerbell and @Shex!! It can be pretty casual, no worries! All feedback would be good since it's experience from a different player! Are there any games that you'd be interested in trying out, or returning to?

I agree @kami! And really, a lot of petsites share the kind of collection and quest based style that Animal Crossing does with its item economy (though I've only played a little of pocket camp, and I know there's more to it!) But I think there's some success to learn from them - all or most items have a use, which makes them valuable. The way to collect them is fairly fun, though maybe too repetitive after a while. It would be really cool to see an AC inspired pet game!

Hey all, this is more of an interest check right now! I used to help run something similar on VPL and would love to kick it up again. The idea is similar to a book club. As a group, we vote on a game to play together for a month - share feedback, help each other out, etc. At the end of the month, we create a review on our experience. (And maybe you recconnect or find a good game to play!) I think this time, I'd like to include mobile pet games - maybe even visual novels or others if there's interest - I think there's a lot to learn from them that could benefit game owners here! If this sounds like something you'd like to do, please comment, casual players are welcome!

In the context of petsites - is it worth it to have dedicated pages/accounts for games? I usually see very little engagement or follows. For me as a player, it's most useful when a site is down and there is more info on social media on what happened / when it will return. Otherwise they seem to be just copying news instead of trying to advertise or highlight the community. An exception that I know of would be FlightRising - just going off their twitter! They share news, RT fanart, and community projects. Interaction on posts could be better, but its got more traction than I see from others. Its got about half the followers of Neopets (12k vs 20k) and about the same numbers of interactions on posts. Most other sites I looked up have 1k or fewer followers. So is it worth it to have social media accounts? How should they benefit petsites? Any success stories or tips? Do you follow any pet game social media accounts? If so, where and how do you engage with them?

@judda Oh, I could see that! Sort of like delivering info in a visual novel style? Could be more interactive for sure! I've been trying a few app games here and there, and I was addicted to Cat Game for a while. I loved how they approached collections and club interaction, making it easier to earn points in events to unlock more if you were in a club. I think emphasizing a community has always been a big pull and strength for petsites, but I usually see sites with very dated and limited groups, if any. So giving these some TLC could be beneficial!

@judda I couldn't agree more! I think it takes careful balance of introducing text and info to not overload players! And often there's too much info or dialog that isn't all needed. I'm guilty of quitting a game that looks interesting just because it's not very engaging and is too text heavy / hard to get invested so early That's where I think an introduction of features, lore, and etc in smaller chunks could help get and keep players hooked!

With Neopets being created over 20 years ago now, pet game popularity has fluctuated since then. Many games are still going strong, though it seems most games are doing better than Neo by creating fresh new content and twists to the original pet site concept to stay relevant. As creators and players, what sorts of things do you want to see from pet games in 2020 and onward? For me, I'd like to see more meaningful and fun features to fix traditional pet game problems like excessive item economies and repetitive fetch quests. (I remember Lioden having a great item economy as an example) And a much better and engaging way to start games as new players - we could learn a lot from popular mobile app games! This could include gradual unlocking of game content in a way that keeps the player hooked. Also, mobile compatibility is a must for today's games to be accessible!! And if I could wave a magic wand... I'd love to see more RPGs similar to Sylestia with solid writing and plots, and for games to be able to offer merch of their pets!

The governor of the state I live in (US) has been trying to cover up and delay actual numbers of those infected and on the watch list, but it's already spread across the state and reached my city. I'm young and healthy enough to get over it if I caught it, but I feel awful for people with weak immune systems and older people. Stores have been wild with people panic shopping and clearing out shelves, which now leaves those people who need health and cleaning supplies without any more. Retail stores will likely be late with restocking enough to meet the demands.

I can't recommend @Brit enough! She's the fastest background artist I know and is great with style matching!

I love this idea!

Oh yeah, haven't seen him around at all and I don't expect to. Wouldn't be surprised if he left the petsite niche altogether. I do hope he's in good health though.

@TheLittleMoose - love your art!! ? Best of luck going full time!

Your work is fantastic!!! ?

Oh man sorry to hear about that @Digital! I hope your recovery is going along better now and you're on your way to being free from the cast! Glad you are otherwise okay! I actually graduated Spring of last year! I have since kept myself busy with commissions and a promotion to management (retail). Hoping to slowly ease out of management and increase my income with art in the next year or so though, retail sure takes a lot out of me!

Hey, nice to see an update!! Hope you've been doing well @Digital :D