Webkinz

Although Webkinz is not popular anymore, I am writing this review in case someone comes across this and needs a relevant opinion on the game. I do not recommend reading many of the other reviews here because they are quite dated or inaccurate. Despite my personal love for the game, I intend to write this review honestly; evaluating both the good and bad. Here are some things you should know: 1. DO WEBKINZ DIE? Contrary to rumors, Webkinz DO NOT DIE. However, if you do not log into your account for an entire year they will delete it. 2. IS IT SAFE FOR KIDS? Yes, Webkinz is one of the safest online children's games out there. Parts of the game include interactions with other players, but it is heavily filtered and monitored, meaning all players have a limited vocabulary. If you do not want your child interacting with online players in this way, you can turn off that section of the game. With the multiplayer areas, your child will be limited to the sections where players can only use a small handful of prewritten messages such as "Hi!" or "Would you like to play checkers?" 3. HOW DOES MEMBERSHIP WORK? You have an option to choose a free pet when you begin, but to unlock a standard account you must purchase a pet. You can either purchase one in-game, on the online shop, or use the code that comes with one of the retired stuffed animals (you can get them on eBay). Most pets are very cheap. Typically, their prices are around $10 in estore points, and considering that this unlocks a standard account, it is the same as if you were to simply purchase the game. The downfall of this system is that in recent years, the marketers have decided that players must annually purchase a pet to renew their standard membership. There is a third-tier membership called Deluxe that unlocks a handful of fancy features and items in the game. This is an annual paid membership. The price of this tier is high, compared to the value of what the player unlocks. However, the membership price is 50% off on holiday sales, and at that price, I do believe it is worth the cost. With a Deluxe account, you no longer have to purchase a pet to renew your standard membership annually. 4. CONSUMERISM. Consumerism in the game is not nearly as bad as it was in the past. There are no third-party ads on the desktop app, contrary to what others might say. There are ads for deluxe membership, virtual pets, and plush, but that's all. The ads are not plastered all over the game. They usually only appear while on loading screens. 5. IS WEBKINZ A PAY-TO-WIN GAME? No, to enjoy the game in general, you do not need to pour money into it, besides purchasing a pet. There are options to purchase estore points to buy fancier items with pretty art. This is not necessary, however, and there are plenty of cute items and themes with a standard account. In conclusion, Webkinz is an enjoyable game for kids and adults who enjoy innocent games and virtual pets. The game promotes the importance of pet care, kindness, and creativity. I hope this helped.

The game has only bubble chat, as far as I’m aware. Unfortunately, I cannot get back into my favorite account. The game is focused too much on magic and such. The prices of items (and they are great items) using the in-game currency are way too high and the games are not high paying. There is nothing inappropriate, but the whole paid membership vs the free games may get to some kids. There isn’t really anything educational. The part I’m worried about is how the kid has to serve the animal onscreen, it’s not about the kid having fun like in Animal Jam. Here, if I don’t give the animal what they want, they say they must not be loved, which is straight out manipulative. The game definitely needs ways less focus upon these “wants” of the animals and focus more on making the kids happy. I would give this one a high safety rating, even though it was part of the massive hack, which was not their fault.