growing up as a socially inept child, the internet- and specifically online games, were one of the big ways i connected with the outside world. it was so fun getting to customize my own character, roaming around a digital space made for people my age, and playing minigames/doing tasks for rewards ! my favorite was definitely animal jam (though i did dabble in a bit of club penguin, and i think ourworld? my memories of that second one are fuzzy; i didnt go on it nearly as much as the other two..)
no matter how hard some people will try to push the idea, i really
dont think having a space specifically for kids attracts pedophiles more
then any other place that is kid-specific; this is my specific
experience and wont apply to everyone, but before i was around 12
any/all brushes i had with creepy adults were all irl, and any adults i
met in online spaces were very polite !! (thats very likely just me
getting lucky, though, esp since i had more bad experiences with online
weirdos in middle school )
now
that im an adult and have watched the once thriving browser game scene
die before my eyes, ive gotten really nostalgic for them, in recent
times.... but luckily, ive managed to find a small handful of browser
games that are functional and rather new ! at least 2 of them are still
actively worked on, and the last one has a bit of code rotting, but is still completely playable
join me as i infodump about each for fun in a little series, teehee