Before there was virtual reality and Discord, there were online games.

Yes, there are still online games but the online games of the 2000s are unmatched. I grew up in the era of online games. My favorites were Webkinz and Club Penguin.

I remember every holiday I would ask for a Webkinz stuffed animal. I wanted to collect them and then with each new stuffed animal, I always got a new character for the online game because they came with a little code.

There were so many animals to collect. One Christmas my sister and I even accidentally got each other the same Webkinz.

In the online game there were a lot of things you could do. You had to take care of your animals from cooking to taking them to the clinic to playing games with all of them.

There was always an adventure to be had. They had their own mythical town with a newspaper and everything.

There were three main sections which were my room, arcade and the W-Shop which all had options underneath them.

My favorite part was probably the kitchen with Chef Gazpacho when you were making food because there was always some random recipe and a lot to discover.

You were also able to create a room for each animal and have a different personality for each room. My goal was to always build the biggest house I could and have all the different fun designs.

The funny thing is I still remember my login for the website. At this point in time, I’m sure they are all dead. Whoops.

Yes, there were other games like it such as Animal Jam and Moshi Monsters, but nothing had a hold on me like Webkinz.

Nowadays, Webkinz still exists with the classic version and a new version where the characters are more 3D. They even have it as an app for your phone.

Have I tried the new version? No. Do I think the old version will always be better? Yes. The nostalgia that comes with it is what makes that connection so strong.

Club Penguins also had everything. There were mini games, clothes, interactions and so much more.

There were a lot of places to go and there were multiple different games at each spot. I loved Club Penguin Ninjas also known as Card-Jitsu. It started with cards against each other and eventually evolved to being able to choose what element you wanted to be and master it.

You had your own igloo where you could expand and decorate as you so chose.

There were these little fluffy creatures called puffles. They came in a variety of colors and each color had a different personality.

Sometimes I wish puffles were real because I want one as a pet.

Both in Webkinz and Club Penguin you were able to be creative. There was something for everyone. There were upgrades that you could buy or else they were free.

Geske can be reached at [email protected].