Ah, to be a child again... Do you ever reminisce about your childhood and think, “if only I could go back and relive those days of true carefreeness”, when all that mattered was what snack to eat after school? If your answer is in the affirmative, then this article is the right one for you! In today's piece I invite all of you to take a trip down “nostalgia lane” to the wonderful world of websites that existed in my childhood. If you are anything like me, you spent much of your weekly computer allowance playing various games online. In this article, we will take a look at five different websites that I had the great fortune to be a part of while growing up. Unfortunately, none of these websites longer exist, since all of them have been closed down during the past decade. Maybe they all passed their inevitable date of expiry, or the owners simply did not think they were worth keeping up anymore. Nevertheless, these websites have surely brought a lot of joy to millions of kids around the world, who have been able to immerse themselves in the vast universe of fictional characters, gameplay and lore available online during their childhoods. Now, are you ready? Let's go!
If you were the lucky owner of a Tamagotchi (versions 3, 4 or 4.5), chances are you probably spent at least some time on the Tamagotchi Town website, more commonly known as Tama Town. Launched in 2006 by Japanese toy company Bandai, the site functioned as an extension of the Tamagotchi, which, for anyone who has been living under a rock the past 20 years, is a small handheld gadget featuring a digital pet that you are supposed to raise and care for by feeding it, playing games with it and so on. The website (for version 3), could be accessed even without owning a Tamagotchi, as you only needed to type in a five-letter username to log in. On the website, which characteristic soundtrack you can listen to here, you could visit a variety of locations, such as the mall, school, arcade and food court, as well as the post office, convenience store and gym (only for versions 4 and 4.5), which were all part of the town. Tama Town featured a number of different games, such as a floor mopping race and hamburger stacking with Mametchi, where you could earn so called gotchi points that could be transferred to your Tamagotchi and be used to buy different items. It was also possible to buy items on the website itself, as well as obtain exclusive items, both of which could also be transferred to your Tamagotchi by entering a 14-digit passcode before logging out. If you had managed to raise several generations of Tamagotchis, you could visit your parents and grandparents on the website, who would give you different kinds of rewards. Apart from the Tama Town website, there were also other websites, including the Tama & Earth EXPO (for version 5, Familitchi) and Music City (for version 6, Music Star). All these versions of Tama Town were shut down on 6th of February 2013, due to the Bandai no longer being able to make a profit of the sites.
With over 200 million registered users at its height, Club Penguin was undoubtedly one of the biggest online multiplayer games specifically catered to children during its 12-year lifespan. Launched in 2005 by Canadian graphic software company New Horizon Interactive and game developing company RocketSnail, it quickly became immensely popular, resulting in it being acquired by Disney two years later, for the modest sum of 350 million dollars. As the name suggests, the game revolved around avatars in the form of penguins, which could be customised in myriad ways through the purchase of clothing, accessories and other items in one of the several shops featured in the game. Each player owned an igloo, which could be decorated with various furniture items. Using the map over Club Penguin Island, you could visit lots of locations which each had a number of different buildings you could enter. The website featured numerous different games, including ice fishing, puffle rescue, card-jitsu and dance contest. A feature I was particularly fond of were the secret missions of the Penguin Secret Agency, where you got to be a secret agent who had to complete lots of different tasks, usually involving quite a bit of creative thinking, earning rewards along the way. Another aspect of the website consisted of the collection of colourful furballs, known as puffles, which were pets that you needed to take care of. Since the website focused on creating a safe space for children, the chat function could be limited so as only to include pre-determined phrases to choose from. One major downside of the game was the limits that existed for users playing for free. Many features, such as owning more than two puffles and buying most clothing items, were only accessible to paying members, thus shutting out those unable or unwilling to pay for the game. This business model garnered critique from a range of commentators, who argued that the game encouraged consumerism, as well as facilitated the development of a class system where those with ability to do so could pay their way to higher status. These criticisms notwithstanding, it is clear that the game was a huge success. This can be seen not least in the massive collective effort made by players to recreate the game on private servers after it shut down on 30th of March 2017.
Created by Danish Gitte Odder Brændgaard and published by the company ConceptCards, Bella Sara was the website that accompanied the horse-themed trading cards with the same name that appeared on the market in 2006. The website, launched three years later, had two main features: The first was the stable, in which you could care for your horses by brushing, feeding and petting them. The wide range of horses could be obtained through purchasing the trading cards, which could then be added to the game by entering a code on the website. Apart from the stables, there was also a cottage with two rooms that could be decorated with different furniture items purchased on the site. The second main feature was the adventuring part of the game, in which you had an avatar who could move around in a fairytale-inspired world, collecting items and doing different tasks to progress in the storyline. The objective of the quests was to restore magic in the world known as North of North. With your avatar, you were able to walk around freely in the different town and countryside locations, exploring and talking to non-playable characters who needed your help. An important aspect of the game was the growing of fruits, vegetables and flowers, including raspberries, carrots and orchids, which was facilitated by tending to your garden. The website also featured a number of mini games, including marvelous magic match, trailblazer and magic bubble wand, that could be played to earn horseshoes, which functioned as currency. The website was closed down in April last year, being replaced by a new one where you can no longer play the game.
Launched in 2008, Moshi Monsters was created by British company Mind Candy, and featured a large monster-themed world, known as Monstro City, where you could choose your avatar from one of the six types of characters in the game: Poppet, Katsuma, Furi, Diavlo, Zommer and Luvli. Each player had their own house that could be decorated with items purchased in one of the many stores featured in the game. A main objective of the game was to level up by playing different puzzle games, such as tricky trivia, flag frenzy and monster maze. Each level awarded a different trophy, which could be displayed in your house for others to see. It was possible to visit other players' houses and give them a rating (1-5 stars), which would have bearing on the popularity ranking list (going from A-Z), which was also influenced by the number of visits and friends you had. The games also awarded so called rox, which were gemstones that functioned as currency. These could be used to buy food items (in the gross-ery store...) needed to take care of your avatar, as well as furniture and clothing. Another main feature of the game consisted in the collection of pets, known as moshlings, which could be obtained by planting different combinations of seeds in your garden. A central quirk of the game was the inclusion of different characters who were supposed to resemble real-life celebrities, albeit with an important twist: Their names were clearly monster-themed, so that Tyra Banks became Tyra Fangs, Simon Cowell became Simon Growl, and Dustbin Beaver was the trashy version of Justin Bieber. While most celebrities did not seem to mind their names and status being used in this way, Lady Gaga, who was named Lady GooGoo and portrayed as a singing baby popstar sensation, clearly was not fond of this, demanding the removal of this character from the game. Lady GooGoo ended up being renamed Baby Rox, and her hit song, Moshi Dance (which you can listen to here), had to be withdrawn. In spite of this monstrous (please excuse me...) controversy, the site enjoyed large success, boasting millions of users from all over the world. In addition, Moshi Monsters was not just a website, but rather a whole franchise that included everything from magazines and books to figurines and plush toys. The website closed down on 13th of December 2017.
An article like this would certainly not be complete without mentioning the reason why most of us are even here: I am of course talking about our beloved goSupermodel. Launched in 2006 by Danish company watAgame, goSupermodel was a forum website centred around dress-up. The site underwent several changes during its lifetime, for example regarding the names and designs of the clothing shops (Supernova, Vintage, Glitz; Luux, Funki, Zipper). While most of the clothing items were made by staff, there were also so called junior designers (JDs): users on the site with a talent for designing. The site featured four main games: wardrobe challenge, photo session, backstage rush and dance show, in which you could earn fame (to level up) and goMoney (to buy clothes). It also had a multiplayer drawing game called Sketzmo, similar to skribbl.io. While forums were a main part of the site, there were numerous other functions, including a design tool, a magazine maker, contests and chat rooms, known as décor. At its height, goSupermodel had a number of different servers, including one for each of the Scandinavian countries, Finland, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as cosmo, where English was the main language. Due to lack of profitability, the servers began to shut down one by one, leaving only a handful towards the end of the site's lifetime. Following a year of pay-to-play only, the website finally decided to shut down on 24th of May 2016. For me, it all started with goSupermodel in 2009: The name Bloom Cissi was born, and the rest, as they say, is history. I think I speak for most of us when I say that goSupermodel had a big impact on our lives, so much so that we have gone to great lengths to find suitable alternatives, ultimately ending up here.
Now that we have come to the end of this article, I hope you have enjoyed this little trip down memory lane with me. Did you play any of these games? Were you active on any other websites not mentioned here? Tell me in the comments!
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