Go back
This game was always so fun but 99% of the time I would only play on spy island.
This is the source of misbehavior in schools because this game was so aggravating.
This entire website was never blocked so it was constantly being played on the computer.
Again, an entire gaming website that was never blocked and had what was honestly some really fun casual games.
.
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(Sounds a little creepy right?)
This was the original age of catfishing. The original age of social networking, competition, strange online relationships, and all other kinds of dynamics.
This was the age of begging your parents for a $50 membership to get all the fancy schmancy access to rare items for your look and your virtual house.
THIS was the emergence of avatar online games.
WEBKINZ
Nobody picked the frog. If you picked the frog you are an actual psycho.
Club Penguin
THREE WORDS:
TIP
THE
ICEBERG
Pull out your hard hats and start dancing
Build-A-Bear-Ville
I made my parents buy me a $45 stuff toy just to get the damn access code.
Gaia
Everybody who played this game now works or has worked at hot topic.
Maplestory
I know you watched those maplestory love story episodes and music videos. I know I did. And let me tell you, this was the original K-Drama.
IMVU
It was like Jersey Shore but online. A lot of weirdo predators. Online virtual game for adults. That seems a but oxymoronic.
NeoPets
*flashbacks of McDonalds Happy Meals hit*
Fantage
Honestly, their whole deal with having characters float on little hover machines instead of walk was such a good move to save time on coding.
Monster High
I hear they're doing pretty well for themselves!
Poptropica
Dizzywood
OK. Confession. This was MY FAVORITE GAME. I was like actually popular and well known in the community. In fact, I recognize all these four avatars pictured above. They were my friends LOL
WeeWorld
Wizard 101
The best 10 year challenge yet.
Moshi Monsters
People who chose the zombie were psychos
LPS Online
Funny story, I would get to Kohls and rip off the access codes off of "my little pet shop" toys to get access to the games.
Secret Builders
Essentially what became of DizzyWood after it was shut down due to too many virtual sexual interactions. YIKES
MovieStar Planet
Kim K game who?
Pixie Hollow
Honestly, I was living my dream. My fairy was cute AF.
You could get them shaped like a star, a dog, SpongeBob, or really just anything. Of course, you had to show your collection off. Kids would wear these things up to their elbows and act as if the colorful bands weren't cutting off their circulation.
Those little pencil toppers really served no purpose. Every time you had to erase something, you had to take them off. But hey, it was all for the aesthetic.
Today's kids will remember it as that building that Captain Marvel crashes into. To us, it was that place we had to go get our movies before Netflix existed. Does anyone else remember those ginormous popcorn buckets they'd sell?
I still have no clue how to make these.
The hype of getting one of these stuffed animals and being able to use the password on their tag to sign them in online. You could make them a house, take them to the doctors, and play games against other pet owners.
There was always that one kid in art class that would ask "could you get high off of these?"
Pulling one of these out in elementary school got you as much attention as pulling out a piece of gum in high school.
Bloxorz, Run, World's Hardest Game, and Meeblings.
Would anyone honestly go here and buy books? These fairs had the coolest school supplies. Remember those long rubber pencils that you couldn't even write with? But for some reason, you needed it.
Pro Tip: if you ever play this game again, have your head off the desk enough so that you can see people's shoes.
No comment.
That's so Suite Life of Hannah Montana.
This was like the Olympics combined with a game show. The hardest part of watching this: when two of your favorite Disney Channel stars were on different teams. Who were you supposed to root for?
We all wanted to win a new playground for our school.
Here, you were one of two kids; you actually went outside or you just watched Disney Channel.
Temple Run, Doodle Jump, Plants vs. Zombies, Pocket God, Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, Cut the Rope, and so many more.
The ultimate diss.
I'm sorry to anyone who got this tattooed onto their body because of this trend.
We actually thought this song was cool. No one questioned it.
Ok, I'll admit it. I had a red pair, but that was only because of Louis Tomlinson from One Direction. Sorry, not sorry.
It was "in" to have the company title printed in huge font on all articles of clothing.
Since I spent the majority of my hermit-like childhood online, I often revisit these online games to reminisce in old memories. So, here is a list of 18 of my favorite childhood computer games:
While Disney's Toontown Online no longer exists, it still lives on in my heart. It also was rebooted by some fans, and goes by the name 'Toontown Rewritten.' I can't say how I know- but the reboot version is quite fun as well.
Remember the days where you'd make a pool for your new Sim, only to remove the ladder so they couldn't get out (and would eventually die)? Or when your Sim would decide to cook a turkey dinner but would forget about it and then come back hours later to a fire, would they'd just proceed to scream and point at? If you played Sims, you remember.
WoW was one of the first "violent" games I played. I remember fourth-grade me downloading it with this mischievous grin across my face because it was rated T (Teen) for 'blood and core, crude humor, mild language, suggestive themes, and use of alcohol and violence.' I thought I was a complete rebel playing this as a 9-year-old. Prior to playing this game, I had just played games like Toontown, where the main 'weapon' were pies that you'd throw at your enemies.
I remember the excitement I'd be overcome with when I got a Webkinz for my birthday or Christmas. Not only did it mean that I would have a brand new cuddle buddy, but it also meant that I'd have my own digital pet to add to my collection of many other ones on Webkinz. A truly bold and creative marketing strategy, Webkinz.
Club Penguin- our favorite childhood game. There are so many memories from this game, but here are some of my favorites: spending hours trying to get into the packed Dance Club to meet the famous "DJ Cadence" and her purple puffle Lolz, getting banned when I was 7 for saying to my classmate (via Penguin): "Hey! It's Emma Reynolds from Oakwood School!", and accidentally killing all of my puffles after a lengthy vacation. While OG Club Penguin has fallen, fans have made reboot versions such as Club Penguin Rewritten and Club Penguin Online. I highly recommend them if you want to get back those fishing and pizza-making minigame skills.
I never got too into Dragon Fable, but I still appreciate it because it was one of the only MMOs that worked on Mac. So thank you, Dragon Fable.
I was never too much of a 'girly-girl' as a kid, but I have to admit that Barbie Girls Online was an absolute thrill. I had this edgy Barbie avatar that I still aspire to look like, and this penthouse apartment that I could only ever afford to one day live in. Dream big, Emma. Dream big.
My favorite memory from this game was traversing the open seas and bombarding unsuspecting enemy ships with my giant cannons. Even though the game got shut down, I somewhat am able to relive my old Pirate memories through playing Assassin Creed: Black Flag, which has an eerily similar sailing system. (I see you Ubisoft...)
This game always kind of creeped me out, cause the characters somewhat resembled bobbleheads. And bobbleheads are just down-right disturbing to look at. But it was still a fun, Mac-friendly and educational game!
Fantage was the game that I began making YouTube videos on. (I hope no one ever finds those.) I'd make video tutorials on how to get certain clothing items, or tricks on how to play a game, or just me blabbering on my character to strangers, flexing that "I'm filming a YouTube video right now!" The simpler times in life.
AdventureQuest Worlds was the upgraded, more successful relative of Dragon Fable, and also has a place in my heart because it, too, was able to run on a Mac.
Wizard 101 is one of my favorites. It was a game that I fell victim to via advertising (and was just the beginning to my marketing vulnerability.) Wizard 101 was the reason my parents eventually bought a "family" PC after I begged them for months. Notice the quotations.
I actually first played Wizard 101 in the beautiful city of Paris, where my parents made the mistake of renting an Air BnB that had a PC (for their guests to use to check email and Facebook.) But what did I do? I downloaded Wizard 101 the moment I laid my eyes on the beaut. My obsession only grew from there. As I was traversing the streets of Paris while eating a gourmet baguette, all I could think about was how I'd come home and be able to play on my Adept Pyromancer, Roslyn Rose. Wow.
I never got too into Pixie Hollow, but I just loved the fact I was able to make an in-game fairy. For those who don't know, I had a huge obsession with fairies as a kid, so much so that I wanted to be a fairy when I grew up. I'd have dreams (and still do) where I'd be able to flap my arms and just fly away into the sky.
Fusion Fall was, in my opinion, a very under-rated game. The leveling process was way too slow, but I loved how they integrated our favorite Cartoon Network characters into the game. I remember every time I fought a boss in the game (they were evil versions of the TV characters,) I'd get way too into it: my heart would race, hands would get clammy, and I'd throw a fit if I died in-game. It's fair to say that the game was a bit too captivating for 9-year-old me.
If you've heard of, or better yet played, this game, please be my best friend. This game was the first game I was cyberbullied on! Good times. No, but real talk, this game was the transition into my temporary "Otaku" stage of life, and I wouldn't be the woman I am today without it. The game was created by a Japanese company and had a very cartoonish/Anime look to it. After playing this game, for the next few years, I only sought out games with similar aesthetics.
This game was one of the redeeming ones I discovered from my search for a "good Anime MMORPG." (That was my top Google search from 2009-2014.) I actually formed some solid friends from this game (I promise they're not pedophiles mom!) and found a community on the game when I didn't feel like I exactly fit anywhere offline. I do realize how sad this sounds, but I'm grateful for this experience, for making these online friends gave me the confidence to break out of my social-anxiety and make some friends in the real world.
I didn't play RuneScape enough to properly say that I played it, however, I do believe it deserves an honorary mention, as it was a part of so many of my friends' childhoods (and still is for some as well.)
I didn't include MapleStory on the list because I didn't actually start playing the game until a few years ago. So, I can't say that it truly "impacted my childhood." While I didn't play MapleStory pre-Big Bang (AKA before it underwent a huge update), I know many people who did, and how many childhood memories were formed on there.
I congratulate you for making it to the end! Thanks for reliving my childhood with me~
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