As the world faces uncertain times, young adult Disney fans are finding comfort, friendship, and nostalgia online via Club Penguin-inspired gaming sites. Two private gaming servers have recently welcomed thousands of new users who are using the platforms as ways to interact amid social distancing.
Courtesy of Club Penguin Online Via The Hollywood Reporter
What’s happening:
- The Hollywood Reporter is writing that high school and college students around the world are connecting to private servers featuring content inspired by the former Disney game Club Penguin.
- According to THR, two gaming servers, Club Penguin: Rewritten and Club Penguin Online have recently had a surge of users visiting the sites to play, chat, and hangout while in self-quarantine.
- Club Penguin Online was welcoming about 6,000 to 8,000 new users every day as people began to start social distancing en masse.
- As for Club Penguin: Rewritten, the group saw a spike in numbers totaling 30,000 new players every day.
- While it might not be the real thing (the official Club Penguin shutdown in March of 2017), these servers are giving fans a chance to connect with others over something they love in the midst of global uncertainty.
Courtesy of Club Penguin: Rewritten Via The Hollywood Reporter
Living it up online:
- Each user is different and visits for a variety of reasons. For some, it’s a fun throwback to the games they played as kids. For others, it’s a place to gather with real life pals while they’re currently separated.
- Even in the virtual world, fans are quick to shout their support for political figures and their beloved schools and universities.
Courtesy of Club Penguin: Rewritten Via The Hollywood Reporter
- Users are creative and one group even hosted a therapy session where those who attended chatted on a variety of topics affecting them from breakups to bullying. To add to the atmosphere, avatars sat in a circle and with jazz music playing softly in the background.
- Also for the time being, some users are planning their own online proms, graduations, and even birthday parties.
What they’re saying:
- Lance Priebe, one of the co-founders of the original Club Penguin: “For most of the kids that are coming back, Club Penguin was where they found their friends. There’s a strong connection there, when you have your friendships, your community, your circle. It’s important to reconnect with it, especially with that change of life right now.”
- Adam R., a Club Penguin Online moderator: "People are looking for friendship and at least someone to talk to in these uncertain times of the outbreak.”
- Patricia Panganiban, a student at the University of Toronto: “[Club Penguin] is just something that reminded us of our past and a much more peaceful time, especially with everything going on. It’s one of the big reasons people are going online, just to have innocent, childish fun while so much chaotic stuff is happening.”
- Iris Merlet-Caron, a high school student in Quebec: "I hope to look at life from a different perspective. For example, you realize how much of your existence impacts others and how fragile we are."
- Lance Priebe: “It’s still their home. It’s still their tree fort and playground. It’s still their place. The penguins just all grew up.”
- Lance Priebe: “It was never a game. It was a world or community with games in it. A game gets finished. A community is something you get back to. All those memories are still attached to Club Penguin. It’s not going to go away, you’re just going to get older.”