Adults vs. Children

[Bloom]

So, I was thinking. With the new features that TNT has created (NC Malls, Premiums, etc...) why can't they make a separate site for teenagers and adults? I know this is asked around a lot, but it's true. And it actually does bother me that they could make a separate beta game on a whole new domain (petpetpark.com) but they wouldn't do anything to split both adults and children from each other.

 

As most of you know, Neopets was known to be a college-restricted site. All members were in college and it was lenient. It was until a brand new owner had taken over and changed Neopets to be all ages. I love diversity, but I also love to be myself. I'm not saying that this new domain for adults would be inappropriate, but I'd like to say phrases that I couldn't say in Neopets. (Not derogatory, but just simple words that TNT blocks. IE: bad as, suck, boyfriend/girlfriend, religion, etc...) It's limited.

 

So really, I think that if they could make a kid-game on a whole different domain, then I think they could split Neopets into two. And in reality, they would get twice the money or at least the same amount. They will not lose money at all. Children will have their parents pay for NeoCash and adults would pay for premium because who would want to have all those ads? :P

 

What do you guys think about this idea? It's a very popular idea that did not come from me, but I decided to see what others say about it.

[Tyler.]

I would like to be on the same site as you all for a year, so I say no :P

but that's not the only reason, it would be too much trouble and it would be too different

[Quark]

I would love to have an adults only Neopets site. I started playing when I was...uhm...11? I think? Now I'm 20 (going on 21) and although I like having all ages around me, sometimes I wish I could just rant about adult-ish topics. We're adults and events are bound to happen in our lives that we don't wish to discuss with children.

However, I doubt that the split would happen and if it did I can see a lot of people being very upset about it. Plus, adult topics can always be discussed elsewhere than a gaming site.

(Question: Bloom, you mentioned seeing all those bothersome ads. Do you have ad block on your computer? It gets rid of them lickity split and is a lovely invention. :))

[Spritzie]

I joined 3 years after Neopets started, and even then, it was not college restricted. In fact, I've never heard such a thing. All I've read, is that it was created with college kids in mind, not only for college to play.

 

I don't see how this would benefit anyone. Kids, would obviously feel left out, and would join anyway. They couldn't restrict anything but by age. (If they required a college email, to make it "adults" people who didn't go to college, couldn't join. But if they did DOB... well, we see how effective it is now. Kids will make their age appropriate so they could join. Also, it could go in the reverse. Questionable adults, could lie and join the kid's site, and there would be no way to filter them.

 

But then you'd run into issues of kids on a site meant for teens/adults, where different terms and word usage was allowed, and most likely, parents would throw a fit, seeing what their kids are able to see.

 

And another big reason: imagine trying to take Neopets as it is now, and getting everyone's accounts to the respective site, and setting up new servers big enough to handle all the data that's on the current servers.

 

If they start the kid site new, leaving Neopets current, for the adults, how are they going to weed out the kids? Or what about the kids, who have long term accounts, and would lose it?

 

On a final note, has it been thought of, what would happen to the Neopian economy if the user base was split between two sites? It would most likely crash it.

[LadyAmethyst]

They'd have to drop the price of premium by quite a bit before I'd pay...the NC is all I'll shell out for at this point, and that's starting to get a LOT more selective. I don't chat at ALL on Neopets...you really can't say those words?? Wow... I mean, I get why, but still: wow...

[Bloom]

I understand what you are all saying for sure. I mean it wouldn't be fair for the children, but when signing up, you are automatically given "Terms and Regulations" that you must follow. It's a complete contract that you agree to. If parents are angry about it, they can't do anything about it because their child had agreed to that contract. So I mean that could definitely let loose easily.

 

Leaving children out would be a problem. I mean I'm not saying 18 is completely adults. I mean, we can always allow in 16 year olds and older. It's not like we would be talking about complete inappropriate topics that children will be like... what? It would be more mature in chatting.

 

And if we can't have a separate account, then probably, we should just embed the adults site into Neopets. And if people are faking their age, then that's fine. Because if they are immature about things, then they can get reported by us for rude behavior. And if not, then they are mature. *shrugs* It's definitely a heavy topic to think about.

 

Quark - I am using FF on a MAC. I think it automatically is in the browser, but I do get occasional pop-ups from Neopets asking for a survey and the random adverts. But to be honest, I get used to it. xD And the more you see or click on them, the more Neopets gains money.

 

LadyAmethyst - Yeah. I can't ever compare something negatively because "bad as" can be derogatory. -.- It's annoying. xD I'm a Neopet guilder AND NeoBoard chatter, so I kind of know the whole lingo. xDD

[Spritzie]

My question is, why must Neopets, be the place to discuss adult topics? There's plenty of other places on the internet. Chat rooms, forums, email, etc. Why take a site that is based on all ages content and that is enjoyed by millions of users of ALL ages, worldwide and decide who is allowed to enjoy what... just because some members want to discuss adult topics?

 

Besides, Neopets is a place where most of us, if not all, go to escape real life worries, to enjoy being like a kid again.

 

(And on a side note, if a kid lies about age, inspite of the terms and conditions, there are certain cases when a company is held accountable regardless of the terms and conditions. And in some countries, held accountable regardless of legal matters when involving kids.)

[Princess_Megan]

I've been playing Neopets on and off since I was about 13 and I also have always heard that it was originally for adults, which is strange because I think of it as something more for kids but that's just me.

 

Anyway, I don't know how I would feel about the two different sites. Would the only difference be that on the adult site you would be able to talk about more adult topics? If that's the only thing that would probably be different I don't see it ever happening. And, like many other people have said there are other places that a person can talk about the things that are more adultish. However, my one complaint it that sometimes TNT is a bit ridiculous on the filter thing. Especially in guild chats (I'm in a fashion guild and it blocks fashion related things we talk about all the time, like; "romper", etc.)

 

As for the real money topic; I don't think I'll ever use my real money for an online game. I remember when it was only Neopoints and I kind of miss it. Now it's become this big thing were the "rich kids" can once again get recognition because they get the NC Mall items. Whatever.

[Bloom]

Well how I see this working is that the adult site would be more lenient. I mean I'd love to compare negatively here and there and I'd love to joke around with friends with innuendo's and whatnot just like any human being who has sarcastic/dry humor. Although I can't do that on Neopets. So just a separate site that is nearly the same, but with a small twist for adults.

 

It's hard to believe that Neopets was for adults, but that was what was hilarious about it. People 18 and older would have animals to take care of and linger around with their different features. And of course it strays away from the real world of college life and so forth. I mean I don't want just the adult site for adults to talk about their life, but just to be more lenient on the way we communicate as well as if there was anything that TNT wanted to test out on us before the children site than that would be okay. We could be the beta for them too. *shrugs* Just giving out ideas. But nonetheless, I do think it is a great idea to have.

 

And if not a separate site, what about our own version of petpetpark? I mean that site was created on a whim and it's the most childish thing ever. Granted, when I'm bored I'll play it since I like task-like games, but what if there was something a bit more adult-like? Like neopetpark for us. xDD

[briliegh]

I never saw the point in the petpet park having it's separate domain. I would much rather there be a separate site for younger and older players. Some of the word filters are sort of silly. I remember a few years back when I got a warning for saying 'suck'. I get that it would cost more money for them to separate the two age groups, and you never really know if the person who creates the account is the age they say they are... Ah. Hm.

I've never really gotten into petpet park. Just hasn't struck (stricken?) my fancy.

[Secre]

I'm pretty sure that any contract that someone under 18 signs isn't legally binding as they are not an adult (at least it's definitely that in the UK). So parents can do a fair amount, because neopets would be holding them to an illegal contract as they are not old enough to actually sign a contract.

 

I do agree that neopets needs to relax some rules but I see no point in separating the site into two.

[Octopus]

I agree that neopets shouldn't separate the site, as one of the main reasons I like Neopets is because of the age diversity of its users. Plus, there are always ways to get around not being able to use certain words ;)

[Tyler.]

I say there are plenty of other sites where you can talk about mature topics, and neo is one where you don't worry about things like that, but if you really want it, there could be an adults only board, instead of 2 whole different sites

[Atta]

What about the Mature children on Neopets?

They'll be stuck with the choices of either Faking Their birthdate, and joining the 'Adult' site, Or of being stuck on a site that will be most likely filled with Immature 'n00bs.'

 

If they choose the first option, There is a chance they will end up getting their account frozen if TNT figure out they're younger than they said. But, If they decide to 'Rough it out' on the Childrens Version of Neopets... Well, I guess they'd feel a little left out? And, someone can only take so much before they break and end up quitting the site.

 

Either way, Neopets would end up losing it's Users, and losing Users means losing money...

[Bloom]

Yeah that's true. I mean they could end up losing their Users, but they will also gain Users too. *shrugs* There's always advantages to having a separate site User-wise... well for any site for that matter. I mean I can use the example for guilds:

 

You have two guilds with the same theme: Harry Potter. One is for all ages while the other is 18+. Granted, most would go to the all ages, BUT it just so happens that there are the same amount of people in the 18+ because there are many adults who want that atmosphere.

 

And something hit me... what if Neopets made another site but doesn't call it Neopets or anything. It's just a site by random that they made for the adults. I mean that they could do something completely different. Surely they have enough money for it. xDD

[Featheon]

No, I don't think that splitting Neopets is a good idea. What would all the effort be worth? An entire separate site just for greater freedom in chatting and behaving? Last time I checked there were other places to do that. Also I doubt Neopet's developers would be able to afford the cost of hosting two communities, your just doubling the cost without guaranteeing increased profit. Also lets remember that Neopets has got a reputation nowadays. Just a few days ago I was reading a computer magazine when I came across an article promoting Neopets for kids. What would people think if suddenly there was an "R18" version? It was once said that a house divided against itself cannot stand. Neopets doesn't need dividing as far as I'm concerned.

[:)Doc]

I dont think that should happen. If you are like me and have played since back around when Neopets was just getting started, yeah it was a site totally full of 'n00bs' so to speak. But now that IM 13 (going on 14) I dont really see any difference.

 

I agree with being able to say certain things, but only once you are confirmed after a certain age (14 and up for example), but splitting sites just so older players can talk amongst themselves? No. That's what those ADULT ONLY guilds are for.

[quit]

No, it's pointless really. You can't effectively break it into two sites, it's too easy to lie about your age. I did it for years before I hit 13 and was able to join sites without lying. And separating ages won't help the site become more mature. There are immature people of every age, who act worse than children.

 

As for the real money topic; I don't think I'll ever use my real money for an online game. I remember when it was only Neopoints and I kind of miss it. Now it's become this big thing were the "rich kids" can once again get recognition because they get the NC Mall items. Whatever.

 

I find this extremely insulting. It's not just "rich kids" who buy from the NC Mall. Lot's of different kinds of people do. I am in no way rich, but I still find money now and then to buy some stuff from the NC Mall because I enjoy it. Just because you choose not to spend money in an online game, doesn't mean the people who do are less than you "because they're all rich." You have no right to look down on people who get NC Mall items.

[Princess_Megan]

I find this extremely insulting. It's not just "rich kids" who buy from the NC Mall. Lot's of different kinds of people do. I am in no way rich, but I still find money now and then to buy some stuff from the NC Mall because I enjoy it. Just because you choose not to spend money in an online game, doesn't mean the people who do are less than you "because they're all rich." You have no right to look down on people who get NC Mall items.

 

 

Woah, woah relax. I think you misunderstood/it didn't come out correctly the way I stated it. I don't look down on the people who use the NC Mall, I USE IT TOO OCCASIONALLY! (when there are free items and/or I'm given free NC) I Nor did I say that only "rich kids" use it or that anyone is less than me because they spend money on a virtual game, it's their choice and I really don‘t care. As for insults I find it rather rude that you would infer that I thought I was better than someone because they spend money on a virtual game but I really don’t want drama over something as petty as the NC Mall. I was only commenting on those who go out of their way to let people know that they can pay to buy everything in the NC Mall. A person's current financial status and how much they might want to use the Mall is none of my business, if that's what they want to do; more power to them - I was only commenting, I never meant to insult you or anyone else about this.

[Chic_Sammy]

I also agree that it would be pointless to have two separate sites. As an adult, and in my own opinion, the thought seems rather nice. How blissful! No ch@tsp3ak or other nonsense clogging up the boards, etc. Children are children though, and they will lie about their age if they want to. Separating the ages will be complete chaos, but hey, that's my own opinion.

[kathleen_a_b]

I don't think that sounds like a good idea. As stated before, there would be no way to make sure younger people don't lie about their age; it's the internet, and it happens all the time. I did that before I was 13, so I could go on the boards. Plus, I've never noticed the filters being overly restrictive, or at least they've never blocked me. They would probably lose the same amount of users as they would gain, and they would have to pay double for the other site. I do, however, agree that petpet park was kind of random and doesn't need to have a different domain.

[Guest Yoshinho]

I do not think it is a good idea to do that. It would cost more money and it would be more harder to manage.

[Vixensykerd]

Why do you seem to think its just children who chat speak and are the reason you can't talk about mature things? Just so you know, a lot of staffers here at TDN are under 18 (and I think some under 16) - don't you think it would be a little werid if some of the staffers here (and I'm sure at other places likes sunnyneo and jellyneo) could acess the same sites as us over 18 year olds? Also, I started playing when I was 17... what, would I have to wait a few months JUST chatting to younger people than me, even though I'm a lot older?

 

Also, as we've already seen here, the filters aren't just there to protect the kids - adults can take offense too and some people might be more bothered about pressing "report" than actually talking about it. Imagine you're on a board, and you use a double entant or innuendo, then a really really strongly relgious personal reads it whos twice your age? What if you start laughing about how your going to have a pork chop tonight and a Muslim sees it and takes massive offence and sues neopets? Neopets can't excaltly turn around and say "well, you shouldn't have read it". I find it really offensive if people swear, or use words like "spazz", and I really like the fact that on the boards people can't say these things. I just think the older you get the more chance you have to offend.

 

I guess I support the idea of a board of adults, or maybe a tiered neomailing system? Like, you can't neomail when your under 13, you can't talk about such and such when your under 16, and you can talk about almost anything when your 18 (and the personal your neomailing is). Then you've got less chance of offending people, as you already kinda know what offends them. By the way, another flaw is, what happens when your 17, and reach 18? Does everything change? What about all those friends you made on the other site/board? Do you never get to speak to them again?

[Bloom]

So I could be the one who becomes blunt and say that this discussion relates to only adult vs. children sites for Neopets. Association for money within Neopets doesn't follow. So if you guys have tension with that topic, please do take it elsewhere. (:

 

I guess you are all correct with the fact that creating another site would be pointless for Neopets to do. I just thought it would have been a great idea. I would want to experience the whole site being just for college students. Just to live the whole old Neopet dream and all. xD

[Lamppost]

I guess you are all correct with the fact that creating another site would be pointless for Neopets to do. I just thought it would have been a great idea. I would want to experience the whole site being just for college students. Just to live the whole old Neopet dream and all. xD

 

Agreed! I remember being surprised when I found out that Neopets's original target audience was college students, even though I've been playing for 8 years. Now that I've been a college student playing on a site geared toward children, I would love to see how it was when it was geared toward older people. That's why I would be in favor of a separate site (that and the ability to say things like "teddy" instead of being unduly censored), but I see why it won't happen.