Leaving/going on hiatus from Neopets (discussion)

[Zombie]

(I was going to put this under 'polls' but decided it's really more of a discussion topic. Mods, please move/edit as you feel is appropriate.)

I recently 'left' Neopets - probably just for a few months, maybe for good. I was getting too invested in the game, wasting too much time and energy. I realized this when I was scammed out of 100k or so nps last week and I caught myself feeling really seriously furious about it, totally out of proportion to the fact that it's all just pixels. That was my cue that I should step back and take a break.

Now, this is something of a pattern with my playing on Neopets. I've been playing off and on for six years, and I noticed that I always return to the game after a leave of absence cheerily and play the game at first casually, then find some goal and start earning np like mad, and eventually spend more and more time on it until it's just not fun anymore - that's when I burn out and leave, only to return to repeat the cycle again in months or years.

I'm like a smoker who can't quit! Well, I suppose there are worse addictions than Neopets.

But anyway, this got me to wondering:

-Who here is currently on hiatus/leave/self-imposed exile from Neopets?
-Why did you decide to leave?
-Are you going to come back (after all, if you're reading this you still have some interest in the game)?
-How often have you left Neopets and gone back?
-Do you plan to 'grow out of' Neopets?

And any other discussion about burn-out or getting overinvolved in the game is welcome too.

[Duke of Earl]

Haha.

I'm a college freshman (male).

I'm still doing stuff on neopets when no one's watching

I did quit for a while a couple years ago...

I also stopped playing nearly so much when they made that last major upheaval to world challenges in January.

I got frozen once. I didn't stop playing (it was the middle of a war, so I wanted those war points )

It really isn't a problem, in my opinion.

And I'm certainly not as active as I used to be (witness slow growing post count here)

[_ei]

Howdy!

I left about 2 years ago for about a year, the catalyst for this being my boyfriend getting upset at how much time I spent playing it and threatening to dump me.

He saw the light, and that light was Turmac Roll (and his new obsession of meepit juice break).

I regularly go away for a month or so at a time when my life gets busy but I tend to keep up with the news and any site events going on.

I don't think I have enough growing left to do to "grow out of" neo, although I can see myself being too busy to find the time to play.

[yvonne_l_d]

I went on a total hiatus for about 1 year once, then came back. I got totally into it over the summer, and to me that's fine. Now I'm scaling back a LOT because of college. Maybe next summer I'll get obsessed again.

[_ei]

You're the opposite of me! I always got into it so much more when I had coursework and exams - Neo's a brilliant distraction from deadlines!

Now I'm working I just get the chance to play in my lunchbreaks. I get home and the last thing I want to do is switch on my computer!

[mercurius]

I started playing during winter finals as a college freshman back in 2000. My roommate warned me of the site "stickiness" but I needed a release from exams.

After Christmas that year my interest tetered off. About 10 months later I found myself on the site again. I created a fresh account and have been hooked ever since.

Since I've been married though, I've only been doing my dailies and following along with the plot. Not nearly as much as I once did.

[mashette]

I first started playing neo while I was in my fist year at secondary school, and I quit for a while after a year, then I came back and started again, and have been almost addicted ever since!

I'm 18 now, at university and neo is a great distraction and time filler! Sometimes I'm on everyday for hours and other times I wont be on for weeks at a time... it just depends how my schedule is!

[Ange]

Okay, I'm a college senior. Eep! I started playing six years ago (pretty close to 7 now, I think). To answer your questions...

I'm not on hiatus from Neopets right now, but it has happened before.
My busy schedule was the bulk of my decision to go "on hold" there.
I've come back every time
I never plan to grow out of Neopets...everyone needs an outlet for stress, and this is just one of mine. Whack-a-Staffmember definitely helps in that area.

Like you, I go into phases where I will first play casually, then have a goal I'm going towards, but I've never become too invested. I would be angry if I was scammed out of 100,000np, not because it was gone, but for the fact that I was scammed.

[Moonlight Flower]

Hehehe, I've been a bit off-and-on for six years here myself... though I've really only 'left' once. The rest of the time I'd check in once a week or so to toss my pets in the lodge and such. ^^'

Right now I'm in my 'attempt to earn np' phase. XD;

[_ei]

Okay, I'm a college senior. Eep!

Don't feel bad, I've already graduated My friends and colleagues find my obsession with a virtual pet site amusing and just a little freaky.

And on the earning NP phases thing: I plat the stock market so every now and then I make like 500K in a day and then nothing for a few months. When I get up to 2 million or so I splurge it all on pointless things I don't need or really want. I use NP to stop me spending real life money... It's a good deterrent tactic and is the reason I started playing "properly" in the first place.

[purplecatlover2003]

:O im old compared to all you who have replied so far hehe. i left uni, um 5/6 years ago ish.

i joined neo a couple years ago (2003?) didnt really get into it or understand it and promply forgot all about it for a year or two. came back just in time for the ldp and have really got the hang of it this time round.

i have weeks were i dont play much, and weeks were i am on the site all day everyday the minimum i try and do is play at least one of my fav games and collect bak interest daily. keeps me occupied and amused lol

[aarickman]

1. I'm not on leave either.

2. When I did go it was because I got bored with the lack of "major" updates to the site and the fact that the prices of thing's keep inflating so much just when you think you've saved up enough for your current goal, it ends up your not even close. Thing's like that irritate me, so I leave for a while come back and start a new goal or continue with my old one.

3. I always come back, it's addictive.

4. First for six month's and then again for four month's.

5.I'm twenty-seven now and haven't grown out of it yet, plus I have a brand new niece that someday I'll have to teach this wonderful addiction to.

Zombie wrote:
I realized this when I was scammed out of 100k or so nps last week and I caught myself feeling really seriously furious about it, totally out of proportion to the fact that it's all just pixels.

Alot of people say this "it's just pixels" but it's not just pixels it's the time and energy that one invest's into it (Neopets).
Some people, me included spend alot of hours perfecting certain aspects of the game, kad's, the Battledome, restocking, games... in the scheme of all thing's Neopets isn't important, but in real life we have enough problems and worries to make a person go seriously crazy that we need things like Neopets (pixels) to keep us sane.


_ei wrote:
When I get up to 2 million or so I splurge it all on pointless things I don't need or really want.

Yeah, I do that too.


_ei wrote:
I use NP to stop me spending real life money..

LOL, I wish I had more real life money to spend, that's one of the reason's I play Neopets, to make me feel less deprived of the thing's I really want. The only extra I have is the internet. Darn bills, I say we all stop paying our bills eventually "The Collectors" will have to give up.

[bluehypnosis]

I personally do not feel the need to grow out of Neopets - and it did occur to me that I would introduce Neopets to my future son/daughter (well, haven't even got married yet, hence 'future son/daughter'). I do feel annoyed by certain aspects of the game like hyper-inflation, etc. but the adverse feelings are not strong enough to keep me away.

To me, even though Neopets is 'just pixels', I DO get emotional when I lose some hard earned nps....

On some days, I would just do all the dailies and fill my daily stock purchase quota, on other days, I would spend many hours to earn nps and do some shopping (yeah, and I do try to loyally follow most of the plots). I really do not have fixed patterns, so to speak. But in the foreseeable future, it looks like the only thing that will keep me away from Neopets is if I'm too busy with real life obligations.

[Duke of Earl]

I'm still the only guy to post in this thread

[Pudding]

I'm a high school junior and I've been playing on and off (currently on) since December 1999. I doubt I'll grow out of it--every time I return there's something new to hold my interest.

I tend to wind up in cycles of leaving/returning, only mine are a bit longer than yours. Usually, I get fed up with some minor aspect of the game, realize I'm taking things way too seriously, leave for a few months, feel like playing a flash game I miss, and come back. I think I may actually be back for good this time--I'm having a lot more fun with the game than I have in ages. And man, this game is fun when you're not taking it too seriously.

Burnout is pretty common with Neopets. A lot of people seem almost afraid of taking a break because they're worried they'll fall behind or something. I think I actually get more done and have more fun doing it when I play for about an hour a day, compared to when I obsessively played all afternoon.