What do you hope to see from pet games of the future?

[Pepper-Head]

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!

Edited March 9, 2020 by Pepper-Head

[judda]

I personally think nowadays anything with a world you are able to immerse yourself into will fly circles around anything else out there.  My problem is I struggle to read when I'm on the computer because I get so bored so quickly which totally sucks but yeah (hence I have my Kobo and paper books).

[Pepper-Head]

@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!

[judda]

You know what would be really cool? I think there was a site out there that planned it a while ago and it may be out of scope but games with voice acting through the stories (with them written out as well).  I know that helps me a /lot/ to get through some video games but yeah  Also an insane ask but it would totally make them stand out!

[Pepper-Head]

@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!

[st4nn1s]

games with mobile/tablet compatible layouts?

[el-Relente]

I'd like to see some pet games that reach outside of the traditional web browser.

Let's see something that has related lore / canon in other media, such as books, video games, youtube animated series etc, with content directly linked into the petsite itself.

[kami]

If these games want to be relevant, I think going mobile might be more of a necessity than it used to be, or at the very least, there will need to be some more drastic changes. The nostalgia factor can hold some people over who've played before, but if people want to reach out to younger audiences who are only used to tablets and phones, either being super mobile friendly or having an app would be a requirement.

Clearly slow moving games are successful, so the drag of pet sites versus more active games doesn't have to be a negative. Games like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley are extremely popular and financially viable. (That isn't to say your site has to be slow moving, just that they tend to be.)

But with ever increasing competition with so many new styles of games being created, I think pet sites have a lot to consider if they want to stay relevant and grow.

[Pepper-Head]

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!

[Martyn]

In my personal opinion I'd like a much more immersive and lore filled experience on Virtual Pet Sites of the future, the things I've found that causes me to lose interest in a game is usually the repetitive aspects to the game and the recycled event structures. I would love to see a game which utilizes new and innovative plot structures/tricks that might take inspiration from movies/tv shws/other games in order to give off a new vibe to the player.