Just like the next Gen Zer in computer class, I’ve spent countless hours in the blackhole known as virtual worlds and makeover flash games. Taking you back to the times when your dial-up can’t keep up with the MBs while Yahoo! Messenger runs on the background, early ’00s online games are a cultural reset. And here’s the upside: They don’t have to stay as relics of the past. Here are a couple of these games that are still up and running.
New Club Penguin
In case you live inside an actual igloo, Club Penguin’s back and hopefully, it’s here to stay. Just like pirate Rockhopper, Club Penguin Island makes its return with the non-Disney recreation New Club Penguin. These remade versions popped up after the original site shut down in March 2017. Penguins were sad, puffles were abandoned, but all is well now as we can have parties at the Pizza Parlor again.
Habbo Hotel
Warning: Visiting the Habbo Hotel homepage may cause a major case of déjà vu, because it looks exactly the same as it did way back when you first logged in. While grown-ups had chatrooms, preteens had Habbo Hotel to lean on. They fulfilled their Zack and Cody fantasies by designing hotel rooms, having G-rated parties and making friends with kids from halfway across the globe. And while we aren’t hotel tycoons just yet, Habbo Hotel is still open for business.
Neopets
Yes, it’s still up. No, I don’t know what happened to your pets after 10 years of neglect. We may or may not remember our usernames and passwords anymore, but rest assured, Neopia will still welcome you with open arms. Just take care of your pets this time around, okay?
Poptropica
They have big heads, beady eyes and toothy grins that can creep you out, but hey, we love them anyway. The brainchild of “Diary of A Wimpy Kid” writer Jeff Kinney, Poptropica has islands, obstacles and multiplayer games like a light, kid-friendly version of “Survivor.” TIME Magazine once listed it as one of the “50 Websites that Make the Web Great,” so this one’s a must-visit again.
Disney Flash Games
Flash games are bite-sized fun, but once you play one, you’ll be playing about 10 or 20, tops. Disney-themed games are a whole other genre, because where else can you assist a naked mole-rat in serving nachos? With Flash Player officially saying its goodbyes, projects have taken it upon themselves to preserve this part of internet history. There are over 36,000 games saved, so really, your idle hours are solved.
Photo from Habbo’s Instagram