Neopets Comments - Adding Some Balance
Thank you to all those who have sent in opinions on the Neopets issue. Most comments have been in support of Neopets, and while I understand the points presented, my view that gambling games are not required for children.
In the interests of balance, I present some of the opinions received by gambling site, GamblingGates.Com which after publishing a story summarising the Neopets issue received more than 100 emails from users. While many opposed the gambling ban, like most of the comments I have received, some supported it.
For instance, Eileen H. Kramer from Columbus, Georgia wrote: “I read your story on the Neopets McDonalds promotion. The story contains some innacuracies picked up from the original, but the truth is worse in many ways than what the story describes.”
Eileen goes on to say that “Neopia not only offers gambling, it encourages it. There are two free games of chance to whet the newbie player's appetite for something for nothing. These are Tombola and the Fruit Machine. I play Tombola every day. It costs nothing and once in a while I get lucky”.
“The most attractive form of gambling in Neopia are the wheels. You pay anywhere from fifty to five hundred Neopints to play and then the wheel spins. If you are lucky you win more Neopoints or a prize. If you are not lucky, you lose Neopoints and if you are really unlucky your pets become ill and unhappy. Try imagining something like this in real life. The wheels teach that it is OK to risk the welfare of something you love for a chance at gaining riches”.
Also the following from Tania appeared in the GamblingGates forums:
I read your story on the Neopets McDonalds promotion. The story contains some inaccuracies picked up from the original, but the truth is worse in many ways than what the story describes.
I have been on Neopets since July of this year. Let me correct the misconceptions first. You do not need to gamble to make money on Neopets. Games of skill are much more reliable cash cows than games of chance. On Neopets as anywhere else, the house always wins. Also there is enough free and cheap food around that pets do not starve. If pets starve, they DO NOT go to the shelter. In fact it costs money to disown a pet, so it is more common to "let them rot" in Neoian parlance.
All that said, Neopia not only offers gambling, it encourages it. There are two free games of chance to whet the newbie player's appetite for something for nothing. These are Tombola and the Fruit Machine. I play Tombola every day. It costs nothing and once in a while I get lucky.
Then there are other games of chance: poker, blackjack, 21, poodle and turtle races. The problem with these though they are cheap to play is that you can easily chase your losses. I've done that a few times too many and I'm an adult.
The most attractive form of gambling in Neopia is the wheels. You pay anywhere from fifty to five hundred Neopoints to play and then the wheel spins. If you are lucky you win more Neopoints or a prize. If you are not lucky, you lose Neopoints and if you are really unlucky your pets become ill and unhappy. Try imagining something like this in real life. The wheels teach that it is OK to risk the welfare of something you love for a chance at gaining riches.
Of course hungry pets do not motivate most Neopians to gamble. Neopets is designed to make most of its residents feel poor.
Expensive items such as paintbrushes that change your pet to a non-standard color, pet pets (pets for your pet), and other goodies are in the site's headlines. Pets that win the spotlight prize have usually been painted. Given this pressure to obtain what is out of reach, many Neopians feel the temptation to gamble.
Finally, the wheel of excitement, one of several wheels features an avatar if you win 10,000NP on it. This small image that you can use on the chat boards identifies you as a winner and adverises the wheel as place with big easy winnings. What naive users forget is that Neopia is a big place and that for ever 10,000NP win there are thousands of losses and pets made ill.
I am glad that parents are speaking up about the gambling on Neopia, though the story would carry more weight if they cleared up the misconceptions and concentrated on what really goes on inside the walls.
Like Tania, it would have been better if the TodayTonight story got their facts right, but despite this the main premise of their story and the Herald-Sun article was true - Gambling is an issue in the way it is presented and is accessible to children in Neopets.
Thank you again for all your comments. I think my position is clear on this and unless it changes or their are any updates to this issue, I will be trying not to post as much on Neopets as there are many other issues that also need attention.
GG will keep trying to bring attention to gambling issues that can potentially cause harm to our community.
GG
