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Powerpets is a virtual pet site launched in 2002 by Tony and Liz Routliffe (known on the site as 'TheMetal' and 'Sweetfire', respectively). The site attempts to entertain and challenge players while educating them about the care of real-life animals, the plight of endangered species, and the Routliffes' ongoing construction of a humane animal shelter in Ontario.
Plot
In the fictional history of Powerpets, animals were once strong, intelligent, talking creatures who derived their abilities from a naturally-occuring substance called vitara juice. Unscrupulous entrepreneur Padam Snide established an industrial chemical plant in the city of North New Barkston, poisoning the supply of vitara juice and turning it into radioactive slime, which retains only a fraction of the original juice's potency.
Players and their adopted virtual pets (and their pets' adopted virtual 'minis', smaller companions who can purify slime and increase the happiness of their pets) advance in the game by completing a series of scavenger hunt-like quests and other games. The rewards for successful completion of these games typically come either in the form of puzzle pieces (which assemble to form treasure maps), or one of five stones. A player with all five stones may gain access to the interior of the industrial plant. Powerpets has just Introduced the 5th and last stone; The Emerald stone.
World
Powerpets is located on a world which is geographically based on real-life Earth; however, the cities on this world are not based on actual cities. There are twenty cities on this world (as of May 31, 2006). Eleven cities form the Power Federation, where players reside and confer with other players. The other nine cities are occupied by non-player characters, and it is in these cities where the exploration and game play takes place.
Players' animals get hungry, tired, and sick during the course of exploring the cities, and so a significant portion of the players' time is spent collecting powerbucks to purchase food, medicine, toys and other items. Players with sick or neglected pets lose access to portions of the game until the pets are cared for, otherwise the pets themselves could die, with greater consequences for the player.
Community
As with many virtual communities, the site includes moderated forum style discussion boards for players to chat with other players. Players can also engage in activities relating to their virtual pet, or their status as a pet owner, such as setting up virtual shops to trade items with other players, or outfitting them for competition against the virtual pets of other players.
Note to Parents
PowerPets is a completely COPPA compliant site, meaning it is safe for children of all ages. The site requires any child under the age of 13 to obtain permission from parents before accessing any part of the site where they could possibly give out personally identifiable information.
In this site, name changes can be made. (eg. joshuat2010's name was changed to KingJoshua)
External links
"Powerpets"