Why Do I Like Games?

Written by: Matt

I am about to make a bold and daring statement that many of you will probably not agree with. It's contraversial, it's out there, but it's what I believe.

Neopets Games are actually quite good.

I know that many of you may think that I have gone insane and is actually right now attempting to find an asylum, but I think that overall, Neopets games are some of the best on the internet. Miniclips is good, but most of its games are old rehashes with various different penguins in each one. Guimp is all right, but the games are a little small. Neopets is all round just a good environment for making a fool of your awful hand-eye co-ordination.

1. Neopets Games have excellent Graphics

Neopets employ a team of professional artists, and it shows. If not on the other sections of the sites, and in the pets as so many of you are saying, I think that it most definitely is visible on the games. Looking at some of the logos makes the games look entertaining and appealing. The characters and sprites contained within the game itself make you more engrossed in the game and make you feel more at home, whilst still running quickly and displaying all the information.

In my opinion, the best example of this particular point is the recent Caves and Corridors game and how its designed. The game has excellent graphics. It has a very mysterious and strange feeling about it. The graphics portray this slightly antique and rusty look, whilst still making one go further and providing excellent game play and fun things to do. In short, it has great graphics which don't detract from the quality of the game.

2. The Games are original

I have played PacMan. I have played YetiSports. I have played Bejewelled and BreakOut. When I go and play a game, I don't want to play these again and again. The biggest culprit here has to be word games. Too many word games are either the default 'Scrabble' genre in which one has to get rid of all your letters or the 'find a word amongst a massive rabble of letters', of which BookWorm was the most famous. Every single word game I play on other sites is just another copy of this. However, Neopets opens up doors to new games. I recently found Word Pyramid. Sure, I'm not very good at it and it takes a while to become anything close to an expert, but it's a good game. Partly because of the graphics and the general fantasy feel to the game, but also because it's something new which I haven't tried before.

3. They earn you Neopoints

This had to come eventually, right? You get rewarded for playing these games and I by this, I mean everyone. You are required no input, unlike 888-Poker or over-18's versions of under-18's games that are automatically different because of the prospect of a prize. I know this sounds selfish, but as long as the game offers rewards for playing and is actually fun, then I really don't see how it can be worse than something which offers no rewards in return.

For example, NeoQuest and the sequel have the ability to be really boring games. When Neopets lags and everything runs slowly, clicking one space and moving ever-so-slowly through 5 levels which take you 2 days to complete doesn't sound like the kind of thing that you'll want to be doing often. Of course, there are other factors which are included in how people enjoy a game, and this article is only an opinion. However, to me, it becomes a much more lucrative deal and much more enjoyable when you strive for prizes - a trophy and neopoints. If it weren't for that, I don't think I could bear with it for quite as long as I did otherwise.

4. They have Dynamic Scoreboards, and awards

This is just taken for granted now, but the fact that you can just play and then have yours cores automatically added to the ScoreBoard and you can then compare yourself. This is missing from a lot of the big sites, and is such a great asset to have. The trophies make an added bonus. As well as the bonuses you get from doing well and earning Neopoints, of course, you also get a trophy, and the satisfaction for doing well.

Another area of the site that should go in this section is the recent introduction of the World Challenges. A metaphorical gladiatorial arena of innate gaming ability. Neopets ulterior motives for Games on their site enable the addition of some really cool things to do with games. When I'm doing the World Challenge, I get excited when I'm playing the game, because I could win a great item. I get nervous when I've sent the score because I don't know whether I've won, and I'm excited, nervous, anxious and any other emotion you can care to name at the end. Call me sad if you want, but it does evoke emotion, and Neopets is the only site with a thing like it!

5. One can listen to good music whilst playing it!

Many of you take this for granted, but my poor computer without sound drivers means that it is impossible for me to listen to the music whilst playing the game; however, with the ability to download it which Neopets have kindly produced for us, I've managed to download it and listen to it elsewhere, and it's actually not that bad. I wouldn't want someone to catch me listening to it, because, although the definition of 'good music' highly varies, I believe most exclude the addition of music with Hasee's squeaking in the background. (Akon, of course, being the exception.)

Still, it's nice backing music for whatever you're doing, and, apparently, Meepit Juice Break is excellent for doing revision, by singing various scientific facts to it that you either couldn't learn, or couldn't be bothered to learn otherwise.

Many of you will disagree with me, I accept that. I'm used to being shunned; however, I suspect that many of you (even amongst those of you who are of sound mind) may hopefully agree with me. Neopets have been taking too much insulting from people who wander around PPT, and this my cry to you:

Not everything the Neopets Team do is bad.

Some of it is even likeable.