The Most Cursed Section of GirlsGoGames

[@lispeaks]

A couple games were omitted from this retrospective; the ONRPG games (DOMO, Fly for Fun, Fairyland, Fiesta Online) were included in a version of the MMO tab that had a slightly different URL than the one I was pulling from, and so I didn’t realize they were there until it was too late. Stardoll isn’t in this video because 1. I intend to make a video about Stardoll eventually and 2. I have beef with Stardoll and would like to have to think about and look at it as little as possible. Finally, thank you all so much for 100k subscribers! This is a huge milestone for me and it means so much to me that, with your help, I was able to achieve this in just over a year of running this channel. Thank you all so much; I look forward to what the future has in store!

[@sapodetenis]

I'm soooooo curious about your opinions on Stardoll! I spend so much time on that site and I have mixed feelings about it.

[@Eepop_stuffs]

Li speaks vs Stardoll who would win in a fight

[@keepingupwithog]

Stardoll stans rise! I was ranting about stardoll to my coworker today literally 😭

[@Nebulousart]

your beef with stardoll is SOOO funny because i was obsessed with that game to the point that it was my favourite for so many months to the point that i would use all those “cheats” that allowed you to get items from other countries’ servers without premium in order to decorate my doll and room

[@angelle9814]

i would die for a stardoll video, i spent way too much time there as a kid. 💀

[@losia31-gjnightcore]

Li, as a full-on social mmo player since early 2000s (I was under ten then), I cannot emphase how important that last message was. Regardless of the game, regardless of the genre, as long as Internet and people with a goal to take advantage of someone exist, no one is safe. Back in 2005, I would play IMVU and drifted to OurWorld due to adults being incredibly inappropriate. I've had grown men (could of been anyone but I never encounter a woman doing such thing in my case) asking me my email to Skype with me. Now more than ever, we need to educate the newer (and older) generations the importance of not giving any information whatsoever. Even if they are elders, adults with bad intentions exists and will always.

[@ernie39]

^ so important!! I'm so sorry you were subjected to that.

[@APoliticalConfusionAndMess]

I actually got a lot of creepy people on OurWorld…

[@systematicirony666]

I honestly also think it's very important that kids know what information IS safe to share. First name or nickname, the country you live in, languages you speak, and things like interests and hobbies are perfectly ok. None of that information is something someone can use to take advantage of you. Telling kids just to not to talk to anyone online ever at all just plainly won't work. Didn't work on me. Or my husband. Or anyone I've ever met. Kids knowing what IS safe is just as important as knowing what isn't safe.

[@ernie39]

@@systematicirony666 omg yes!! excellent point!! I work with kids and one thing I've learned over and over is that knowing the "why" behind rules is so important for establishing healthy rules and ensuring that both kids AND adults understand the logic of those rules (and are led to make more informed decisions/think more deeply about their own motives and choices as a result). A rule without a "why" -- or even a more detailed description of what following that rule looks like -- does little. The phrase "don't talk to strangers" should be the shortened reminder we get after learning the more complex motivation and method for maintaining personal privacy and maximizing internet safety, because that phrase alone doesn't explain a whole lot and is really lacking in nuance.

[@ItsMuffinTimePls]

IMVU is still inundated with new accounts that get on just to do ERP with anyone they encounter- it's gotten to the point that many rooms/mods have rules against accounts under a certain number of days old entering their rooms 😅

[@gaphic]

the solution is comprehensive sex ed. teaching children about consent, and especially teaching them how to set boundaries, and how to recognize when they are uncomfortable and remove themselves from a situation. censorship causes more problems than it fixes and you cannot eliminate risk, but you CAN teach children how to navigate risk when they encounter it. i saw and experienced some pretty fucked up stuff on the internet as a kid, but, thankfully, i was never in any danger and i was never traumatized by it- entirely because my mom did such a good job instilling those lessons in me!

[@SpookyGhostpeppers]

This, and expand the knowledge on more common grooming tactics. Most predators will try to be overly friendly and supportive of their victims, because they recognize that kids who aren't receiving that kind of positive attention at school or home (especially with abusive or simply emotionally distant parents) will cling to that predator- even enough to ignore any pre-set boundaries, standards, or even common sense they may of had prior to their connection. If the predator sets themselves up to be the only 'trustworthy' adult in their life to turn to, it becomes way easier to get the victim to do whatever they please.

[@banditq8991]

kinda rough when you receive a comprehensive education and are STILL victimized by adults :')

[@icravedeath.1200]

I wish my parents did that, fucking idiots just let me on there and blamed me whenever I saw anything that concerned me, I was deeply traumatised by the things I saw on there and it damaged my ability to form healthy boundaries with people, now I'm scared that I've become a danger to other people.

[@kaemincha]

​@@banditq8991it's about minimizing more than eliminating it unfortunately. im sorry you went through that, i hope you are doing well these days.

[@mchjsosde]

​@@banditq8991being victimized is literally out of the victims control, it is not your fault and is not your responsibility. The OP is talking about coping mechanisms and defensive skills, not skills that prevent adult from hurting people. It's proven that proper care and support after a traumatic event can prevent the development of PTSD or greatly affect the severity of symptoms.

[@maximumbees]

i was constantly harassed as a kid on gaia. i remember a dude wanted to video chat and i said my webcam was broken and he sent a picture of himself pouting and hugging a pillow 💀

[@mus1c3gg]

🤢

[@kiyavi]

That is one of the most Gaia things I’ve heard - you just brought a flood of memories back to me from when I used to play as a teen daaang

[@misseselise3864]

secondhand embarrassment is a hell of a thing

[@canariawing]

this makes me feel sick what a loser omg 😭

[@chickofmusic001]

That’s so pathetic 💀😭 he’s lucky you didn’t share it to shame him, because that’s so creepy.

[@zuojoestar3225]

Funfact! Panfu was way more popular than Club Penguin in some countries that didn't have access to Club Penguin (because of the language barrier). In Poland memes with Panfu characters swearing that came out after people discovered that polish swear words are not filtered in new servers became a big part of polish meme culture! It was also the first online game where I was banned when I was 8 lmao

[@222o-u3t]

omg what do i search up to find these memes! am polish but i guess i was too young to have saw them back then.

[@missunderground9552]

Kurwa lol

[@lizziefg10]

I love the implication that you were banned from many more games as you got older

[@gyeonnai]

⁠@@222o-u3tthese memes are fairly new, they happened a few years back, not when the site was at its peak :) just search "panfu memy"

[@gyeonnai]

does anyone remember the panfu quests where you had to log in every day and solve mysteries... i miss those so bad especially the one with the dead lovers and a waterfall (?) and kamarias son

[@ashcashgamer5770]

GirlsGoGames was such a fun and charming flash game site...until 2014 when the Disney bootleg games took over. I actually miss browsing and playing games on there though.

[@masitas7762]

it was so heartbreaking to see that happening in front of you 🥲

[@Eepop_stuffs]

At least in those days, the actually good games were still present.... now they're all gone because they're flash based. I wish ggg would just fucking add ruffle compatability ffs😭😭😭

[@CharlieCat18]

Watching the death of the website was such a heartbreak for me, it felt like watching a relative die not only in the physical way, but the emotional death of any personality or indicators of the self. The Shopaholic “versions” of Gwen, Grace, and Gabriella, the uncanny valley thumbnails, and the frankly disgusting games that involve body horror, wildly inappropriate situations, and the usually rectangle mobile game window make me sick to my stomach. GGG was not without its faults (Flash hosted some inappropriate material back in the day too), but I remember the weird games being mostly ignored in favor of the fun, creative, and cathartic games that kept us all coming back to play them everyday

[@jocelynecupcake]

2014? No, it wasn't until 2021 when they dumped all their flash games. They still had the bootleg Disney games but at least they still had flash (I mostly did the dress up ones anyway)

[@Eepop_stuffs]

@@jocelynecupcake oml I see you everywhere lately

[@lampdevil]

The implication that there was much less 'e-dating' on the moon had me cracking up laughing, so there's that

[@EleiseaEisenwald]

The moon doesn't sound like a good place to get freaky 🤣

[@childeofepickness]

well, I mean, it makes sense

[@pinecone189]

Same with dive in, I used to play the Moon game and dive in so much all I remember is people just messing around being stupid

[@maririri6]

I feel like im the only one that didn't open the mmo tab because I was terrified that if i lied about my age online I'd be banned from the internet 😭 (In my child mind the internet knows everything at all times, including the user)

[@sicko033]

not quite but i did hold this deep guilt and fear about the fact i was lying about my age and it just haunted me all of the time . did not stop me but it almost did..

[@stickitydoodah]

Honestly I didn't know what MMO meant so I never even looked at it

[@mchjsosde]

I was in the exact same spot. That was why I never tried Wizard 101, knowing that my parents wouldn't like that it was about witchcraft

[@katherine_rosalita]

You weren't missing much, and if anything that probably saved you from some pretty awkward (or downright evil) encounters, so.. probably a good thing :p

[@johnalogue9832]

The worst part is that childhood feared level of omniscient surveillance is technically possible (and arguably exists) nowadays. Identifying and tracking a user across the internet is an entire industry-and-a-half.

[@deerprynce]

hi, 37:15 was extremely cathartic to hear. I was groomed on instagram via, and this is stupid to write out, warrior cats role play. it started normal, then I was invited to an extremely sexual “clan”. I didn’t know what was going on, I was 12. I engaged in it because the people around me engaged in it. my mom found out and screamed at me. I remembered feeling so embarrassed that I internalized that moment forever. I was sexually assaulted by my then girlfriend at the age of 14. I never told anyone because I feared I would get yelled at. I let it happen so many times because I thought it was my fault. I love my mom, but im so, so angry that I was never put into therapy or told that I was *a victim*. I only went to therapy for the first time a year ago, and im an adult now. it felt very cathartic finally hearing my thoughts said by someone else. thank you.

[@sophiaaretuza]

Warrior cats was my first fandom experience at like 11 or something. Thankfully I was more on the fanfiction side of things (not that there weren't some questionable ones) but the few times i tried roleplaying were enough to have some weird experiences.

[@whatthefridge1o1]

I qas also groomed via instagram (or atleast an attempted grooming as i went to the police as soon as i realized he was not backing down) By a LEGO stan account

[@frejamadsen7974]

The only "stupid" thing is the action of adults thinking it's okay to target kids like this. The shame and embarrassment is what they want to keep us from speaking up. Absolutely cathartic to hear people openly talking about this since so many of us have experience similar things.

[@Hydrang3aH4mm3rl0ck]

I know it’s been 7 months but I hope you’re still well and continuing to seek support. None of those things were your fault, and I’m sorry the people who were meant to protect you failed you in such an egregious way. Much love 🫶❤️

[@a-go-go19]

"you've exhausted everything, the coloring pages, the poker games, even *checkers*" *slowly closes my online checkers tab*

[@rosie8448]

the solitaire one was personal

[@alexspeakman761]

Was actively playing minesweeper as I watched this video.

[@PsychedelicCharm]

Who puts poker on a kid's gaming site?

[@piggletimpact]

@@PsychedelicCharmI used to play blackjack with teachers is elementary school with non cash bets 🤷‍♂️

[@callmeaprilroseorisha404]

i miss gambling with the teachers

[@therearenocowshere]

There's no WAY we were gifted a girlsgogames video today. I can't tell you how often "Girls go boys? Boys Bo Bames?" plays in my noggin.

[@monbub]

i love that quote sm boysbobames is so funny to me

[@spaceyberry]

​@@monbubfr😭

[@LONELYSTARURBEX]

LI: SPEAK 🗣️🤯📢 I: LISTEN👂🏼💯🙏🏻

[@MsDreamz4ever]

Preach 🙌

[@4pageletterr]

REAL

[@cadencewishes]

JSKDKS REAL

[@Random.Lobster]

what the hay is this-??

[@childeofepickness]

@@Random.LobsterLI: SPEAK 🗣️🤯📢 I: LISTEN 👂💯🙏

[@pkmntrainerlilly5]

I don't want to say that Neopets has never had an issue with adults trying to exploit children, but i am SO glad my main internet game as a child did not allow me to even talk about finding a friend I made there somewhere else on the internet. The restrictions on the message boards and even PMs felt so narrow at the time, but it was definitely the right way to handle a large userbase of children.

[@DrawciaGleam02]

I just thought about this myself recently. Neopets gets a lot of flack for its filters, but in hindsight it may have protected a lot of children.....

[@palyername]

I would disagree with that. I left the site completely to form an AIM group chat with my RP friends because we wanted to swear, and it was not even a little bit difficult. I was very lucky in that all but one of them were actually around my age (our range was like 12-14 and at the time we all identified as girls). The outlier was around 18 and I wasn't privy to the details, but she definitely had an inappropriate relationship with one of the other members of the group (who was 14 at the time if I remember right; she was not as lucky as I was). I ended up talking to all of them on the phone or on Skype at one point or another, added most of them on Facebook several years later once that went mainstream, and one of them ended up being my best friend and my roommate in college, so I'm confident that everyone was at least who they said they were; we all knew she was 18 but none of us really registered how weird that was.

[@222o-u3t]

kids just went elsewhere, or learned how to impersonate older teens/adults. i know bc i’m guilty of it 🤷‍♀️

[@zombehattack666]

The section at the end reminded me of the genuinely deep club culture that existed on Animal Jam back in the day, with all the "dance parties" that people would host in their dens. Sometimes it was actually simple, innocent stuff, other times people were really exploiting the in-game animations for.. less than appropriate activities. It's kind of interesting that basically every kids MMO has an equivalent to that kind of culture, but at the same time it's super tragic.

[@detectivewoosher]

Big agree, I think the only reason I didn't fall down that rabbit hole was the prevalence of e-dater trolling on KZbin at the time. Animal Jam having responsible adults as figureheads in the community with the whole jambassador junk was definitely a good move

[@jenp6109]

I thought it was a fever dream for the longest time

[@jstarstudios7110]

I think it's part of a child's nature to want to explore the taboo (this is why we have Gacha Life kids). This makes teaching them boundaries all the more important

[@bashfulwolfo6499]

There was similar stuff on Club Penguin too, and I even remember seeing people engage in “certain activities” on FeralHeart.

[@IExistAndMyNameIsKawaiiAngel]

​@@jstarstudios7110 a lot of inappropriate gacha content creators are trolls or teens with bad mental heath. Tik tok really made the situation worse in my opinion. Anyway, roblox is also pretty bad too. The moderators are really bad, and sometimes they dont ban predators or get rid of their star codes.

[@wetroomba6563]

the classism on ourworld was CRAZY, this one guy was making fun of me calling me a "noob" and being like 9 i didnt know what that meant but based on how mad he was when i said it back i thought it was a slur for YEARS. YEARS!! i thought i was going to get arrested!

[@wetroomba6563]

also, does any one remember cartoon doll emporium? i used to play that religiously and ive never met anyone else who played it

[@PsychedelicCharm]

Imagine Town, a 2011 MMO that I used to play, had a Diamond Membership where players who paid for it (with mommy's credit card, of course) had access to exclusive furniture and I think more gameplay elements than a free-to-play user. I don't remember if the website had any classism but if it did, I wasn't personally affected by it. The players I met were nice to me (except for one player who bullied me when I got elected for Jade Island Counselor).

[@tyreecorfe8052]

@@wetroomba6563 Loved cartoon Doll Emporium!! I literally would do the dress up games forever

[@elenamo_]

same but with habbo, never understood why I was a noob lol

[@kat-lu1bx]

babe wake up new li speaks video just dropped

[@hi-ryder]

youtube asked me to rate your comment, I just thought you would like to know that

[@HisamiYomotsu]

I am AWAKE

[@tivaspotato]

@@hi-ryder and how did you rate their comment

[@hi-ryder]

@@tivaspotato i said it showed appreciation to the content creator! :)

[@tivaspotato]

@@hi-ryder lovely !!

[@appleschloss]

I definitely was engaging in roleplay in a way I shouldn't as a 13 year old and when my parents found out they were rightfully upset. I wish they wouldve did better to explain why its dangerous instead of getting upset but honestly I bet they were just terrified to know their kid was potentially engaging with a grown ass man online. It BAFFLES me the sheer LACK of internet safety amongst younger people and how LITTLE parents are doing to protect their children. I'm coming up on an age where I'll probably adopt myself and I'm already thinking of all the ways I want to help educate them to be as safe as possible online. Its just... Man I'm so afraid for some of the current pre-teens and younger for the potential situations they might often be getting in. I didn't even think about how minecraft and roblox might be spaces for that since theyre so popular, I assumed moderation might be better but honestly it makes sense. Thank you for touching on the topic despite how rough it is, its important to continue to shed light on it if we ever hope to see change.

[@mchjsosde]

It is really worrisome. Internet literacy should be part of parenting classes but realistically most parenting practices are passed down by generations so it will be up to us and the kids alive today that will be able to talk about their negative experiences.

[@gubjorgm.2259]

I still think about how lucky I am in life because of how often I have been in situations where predators were common and what an easy target I was. But then I get sad thinking that this is lucky, not the norm. It should be the norm and it pains me it isn't. The fact that the worst thing I experienced is one d pic when I was 13, and then a guy asking me to sleep with him when I was 16 turning 17 and he was 23. WHY IS THIS LUCKY!?!? It should be nothing! This world is so cruel.

[@colinnnnnnn699]

Friend, your experience isn't exactly uh great either..

[@gubjorgm.2259]

@@colinnnnnnn699 I am aware this is also bad, but that's exactly the issue. The fact this is lucky is a problem. The fact I don't take them seriously is a problem. I know too many with far worse experiences. I was heart broken when I found out how common it was when I got older. I had hoped it was rare but it isn't. And my case is so mild when comparing to others. I wish my experience was unlucky, but it's lucky and that is so messed up. I am not saying my experience is any less valid if that's what you are worried about. I did once feel like it, but friends pointed out how messed up that thought process was.

[@colinnnnnnn699]

@@gubjorgm.2259 you're very right and I'm really glad to hear you have a good support system now

[@truefalse934]

Woah, I’ve played SOOO many virtual world games when I was young, but never had any interactions with predators (or at least I didn’t have any memorable ones 🤷🏿‍♀️)

[@pancakegamer335]

@@truefalse934me too

[@emlapin]

TW: Mention of grooming The last part of this video was wonderful. People don't usually spend much time talking about this aspect of these games intended for kids. Gaia Online was where I was groomed by a 30 year old when I was a teen. I'm 30 now and literally can't imagine doing what that person did. I want to encourage every kid: stop talking to that older, "cool" person you met online. They have literally no good reason to be forging a close friendship with a child!

[@hadrianhexe9603]

Part of me wants to argue against this because i've experienced both sides, i was groomed at 14 by a 21 year old and then after a while, i met a girl who was also 21 who became like a big sister to me. When she found out about what the dude did she made an account on the site and came for his neck and to this day, years later, she's still one of my closet friends and one of the only people i felt like accepted and protected me even when my parents didn't. So i'm stuck in this area of knowing full well the danger these perverted freaks can pose to kids, but i also know that there are ones who see these kids as little brothers and sisters who they genuinely want to protect from those aforementioned freaks out there.

[@Esmeyippie]

The closing message genuinely had my eyes watering,full stop. As an autistic queer kid growing up I had COMPLETELY unrestricted internet access and enjoyed things such as roleplaying(still do!) A lot. But it led to a severe reliance on technology for actual function as an individual, and being raised in a southern area, I felt that the internet was the only place I could be myself or speak my mind. And disgusting people took advantage of it,they would target the only safespaces kids raised like me had to such a point we had to stop playing the only places we really had to express ourselves when we were so restricted in our daily life. It's vile, and it's cruel,I don't even have the ability to communicate heavy emotions outside of written form anymore due to how severely the internet and spaces like these unfortunately traumatized me. It really resonated to hear you talk about how it will always happen and how trapping it is to try and make kid centric spaces that can't be exploited,I mean you can't ID children,so now what? Put in systems which we know have been proven to fail? Or just sacrifice sheltered kids from being able to have some sense of freedom? It's really disheartening to think about, but hearing you discuss it was something I needed to hear. Thank you,Li.

[@shortking-vp9vv]

Your upbringing sounds like mine. My entire life was online, roleplaying. It took a while to realize what it meant to engage with the real world. Like. I was an adult and on my own before I realized the long-lasting effects of it.

[@hilareous]

ngl seeing panfu here hit me like a truck i used to be completely obsessed with it back in the early 2010s

[@alicebthegachaweirdo8378]

Me too

[@Ninitendo]

Same!

[@pavladavlas]

Same! I’m not sure how, but I somehow got a free subscription there that lasted for years.

[@YearOnACloud]

I remember the tv ad for it in 2011. Ah I loved tht game

[@marir.s3620]

For real! Its such an underrated game!

[@befumms]

I have no idea what made me this way, if it was the undiagnosed autism or what, but I never trusted people online. I got very few warnings from my parents and older siblings about stranger danger online, but I just knew creepy people existed and realised anyone could lie. So whenever I was hit with the "How old are you?" question I'd make them answer first. If they said 13, then I'd say I was 30 and that it would be creepy for me to keep talking to them. If they said 30, I said the same as before but in reverse. I really wish every kid would have been as paranoid as me, because it would save so many kids. I wish other kids would have been as "lucky" as me to have realised there's no guarantee that people are telling you the truth. I think my mom just taught me to be extra cautious in general and that carried over into internet safety.

[@mchjsosde]

I was also very suspicious but I was also a victim of incest so 😅 it came out of experience of "nice" people having a secret bad side

[@lavose8709]

Me too! My mom always put that fear into me of people potentially being out to get me, and while this has caused a lot of problems today, it definitely did help me keep safe online

[@cryforhelp7270]

I was grateful for having a lax internet experience, because if I didn't I wouldn't have met friends that I remember fondly, and watched animes that I still love... At the same time, I was... It probably would've been best if I didn't have free reign. As a child, 8 and above, I was engaging in inappropriate conversations with adults. At 9 or 10 and above, I was roleplaying in a way that I shouldn't have with those much older than me. I formed unhealthy attachments. Dealt with having to comfort people that threatened to harm themselves late into the night. Got lied to. Was accused of lying... Not to mention the games I played themselves, and any weird anime I may have come across. I would say I turned out relatively fine for having such a strange experience, but I myself am not fine- and this didn't help.

[@cryforhelp7270]

One thing I will say though: Never gave them any info that could lead to them finding me! The one thing my mom warned me about. (At the same time, my dad gave me the OK to talk to a 21 year old. I asked for permission. Nothing bad happened with THAT one, but still.)

[@RosieG9012]

I think the best solution to the problems you discussed here is for parents and educators to teach children what to look out for, and to foster an atmosphere of openness where kids feel safe telling trusted adults what’s going on in their lives. I think this type of education is especially needs to fall on schools, since like you mentioned not all parents are supportive and may do more harm than good monitoring their child’s internet use. I was slightly too old for a lot of these social sites as a kid, so instead I was taught about stranger danger and keeping myself safe irl. In particular, I learned a *lot* from classes led by my elementary school guidance counselor. You can’t fully protect children **CW** I was still abused by an older kid despite the good education I’d gotten, ** but I think that educational foundation did help me to stay safe overall

[@madeofmeats]

I think it is about time we kind of retire the old “don’t take candy from strangers in vans” stranger danger lessons and adopt a more modern take where we educate children and parents on the warning signs of potential online predators. It’s really disgusting that we as a society even need to worry about modernizing stranger danger courses, but unfortunately as technology advances and becomes more accessible, the more creative predators get :/

[@Nassifeh]

I think education is a good way to deal with, like, 15-16-year-olds online and how they interact with adults, but at 13 or 11 or 9? It's the predator's fault, but we can't keep acting like it's understandable but regrettable that 9-year-olds are allowed to have unsupervised contact with people their parents don't know. Traditional "stranger danger" assumed this brief edge case of someone pulling over by the side of the road near your house, not that you'd be sending your middle schooler off to wander unsupervised into random house parties on the other side of town. It's considered these days to be a bad idea to leave an 11-year-old home alone for more than brief periods without a babysitter, and that's at least something I can accept that very low-income households might have a hard time avoiding. No parent ever *needs* to leave their kids with unsecured devices at that age. I don't know why we're so shy about saying that no, seriously, parents who do this are neglectful at best and abusive at worst. You can't reduce the chances of your kids getting hurt to absolute zero, but giving them a whitelisted set of apps/sites without any social functionality (or with chat/messaging, limited to RL friends) should be the absolute baseline expectation until they're at least in high school. *Ideally* this would also involve kids having access to safe resources about queerness and gender at that age, but I'm a queer nb person and I don't think that maintaining that access is reason that an 11-year-old needs to have the whole internet without Mom/Dad/Grandma/etc looking over their shoulder. There's a huge, huge gap in maturity between this age group and high school. We let 15-year-olds drive cars, sure, but a parent who lets a 10-year-old do the same thing is being grossly irresponsible.

[@madeofmeats]

@@Nassifeh I think it’s less about saddling the potential victims with the responsibility of not getting targeted and moreso about how predators are really creative and will find ways to get what they want either way. We need to educate children on what to look for so they can help themselves as much as they can, because simply saying “gee it’s terrible that this happens” isn’t enough to stop it from happening, you know?

[@SpookyGhostpeppers]

All of this! When I was in elementary school in the early to mid 2000s, the best internet safety we got was "don't share your information because EVERY SINGLE PERSON ONLINE is a pedo", which most dismissed because obviously actual kids used the internet too. It also sucked when you were a very lonely kid- I was bullied a lot at school and I didn't live anywhere where other kids also lived, so the internet was my one and only outlet for connection- which is an issue in itself im surprised doesn't get addressed more often. CW: abuse mention When you paint a predator as exclusively a 40 year old male with a white van, you can easily be taken advantage of by a predator that doesn't tick all the boxes- because the younger looking teen/young adult surely wouldn't hurt you, right? A nice looking white woman who plays the ukulele is safe, right? I was hurt by someone who was barely a legal adult, both because I didn't expect it from someone like them (younger, I actually saw/heard what they looked like, they didn't tell me to strip instantly)- and also that many kids find themselves in the same position where they're lonely and cannot find anybody else. Although this is sorta a bandaid solution in itself, it would be nice if kids/teens had more spaces where they could just hang out- because I assure you that most of those kids are only on their screens because society has failed them to provide any alternatives- and reducing screen time can only help so much if you have nothing to replace it.

[@MaxineLunaZorua]

The jumpscare hearing Zwinky mentioned… took the wind right out me.

[@daffodille]

5:10-6:54 had me nodding my head and snapping my fingers in agreement. actual poetry. summarizes it all perfectly. time is so fleeting, and there will never be another period of history like this ever again, and there is nothing we can do to return to it the way it once was. i'm being so brave about it though

[@daffodille]

and then the music mixer had me shakin it in my office chair so it's all good

[@KitOConnell]

This section went so deep, for real

[@lawoftsunami]

I believe November Kelly (podcaster, Trashfuture/Kill James Bond/Well There's Your Problem/etc.) calls the feeling of seeing the abandoned mall shell of a time past, "hauntology" or "seeing a spooky ghost".

[@ellenbjors3289]

I played Panfu religiously. Club penguin wasn't translated to my native language yet, but Panfu was, so it was the obvious choice. I remember there being a surprising amount of lore and story for a children's game. I used to role play as a teacher in the underwater school.

[@azure-mist]

TW: child grooming and exploitation (in general terms) The last section of your video REALLY resonated with me. I’m a victim of grooming myself, and I’m often caught in the catch-22 of wanting measures to stop child predators to be put in place online, versus knowing that those same measures would likely negatively effect LGBT+ people, and LGBT+ children in particular, negatively. Especially since being LGBT+ is often viewed as inherently sexual. I desperately want to protect kids from what I went through, but it seems impossible. It seems the best we can do is protect the children within our reach, to the best of our ability. But it’s a relief to hear someone else voice the helplessness I feel - almost like a bit of that helplessness has been lifted.

[@misseselise3864]

this type of thing is exactly why abstinence only sex ed should be banned. we’ve all been kids so we know how curious they are. not teaching kids sex related stuff (like sexuality) opens them to having some nasty f*ck teaching them about sex to get off on it

[@sparks-heehoo]

Audition Online! I remember being a young kid and seeing my older cousins go absolutely HAM on their keyboards (hands literally flying everywhere as fast as humanly possible), never knew it was actually a MMO since I mostly saw the dance section.

[@noreen1500]

you can still play it as there private English servers that are available even after the official one shut down

[@pulchrare2]

The last part of this video hit home so hard. I was on gaiaonline when I was 12, I had a group of friends I trusted and roleplayed (not cybering, mostly werewolf nonsense) with, for the most part, other teenagers. I was misrepresenting my age at the time, but like I said, I trusted these people! And then a 19 year old "friend" added me on Skype. I remember sitting in a call with his other, older friends while they discussed explicit things and asked if I was a "masochist", and proceeded to explain what it meant. I did eventually get out of that situation when my stepsister found out and told our parents, but if she hadn't, I can't imagine what could have happened. I want my kids to be able to do these things, but I also absolutely will not be giving them unfiltered access to the internet until they're at least 14, and with VERY clear understanding of what is and is not okay for people to say or ask of you online as a child.

[@deadmeme9031]

Tw grooming and end of video topics I just watched the end of the video and I have to say; this was one of the only times I cried over a KZbin video deep dive because I completely understand this grief and helplessness over the problems with online safety. Yes it was a downer but it was 100% necessary. Every single person I know that is my age or older was groomed online. Kids deserve better.

[@kellowstone]

You're right. Any iteration of Panfu these days is just a private server ran by... some very passionate players pretending they own the IP. The truth is, Goodbeans (the company who owned Panfu) filed for bankrupcy at some point, so whoever is running around claiming they are the ''real'' Panfu team is confident they won't get sued. This game was the biggest online experience for me, far surpassing Club Penguin. It was *very* big in some countries, calling it "European Club Penguin" wouldn't be a big stretch. I'm not sure what freezing players in place for a minute was referencing, but Panfu had a variety of throwable abilities. Freezing players for a few seconds was a thing as well as covering them in slime, sending them hearts etc. It was a lovely, warm experience for me. Huge on role-play drama, that's for sure! The story felt really cool too, for the 9 year old me at least. I remember all the quest lines so vividly and how infuriating it was sometimes having to wait 3 days at a time to progress. Once I got a bit older and my English got better I also started religiously playing CP, but it didn't hit the same. Either way, love both of these games a lot. Childhood!

[@ErisIsAnAbomination]

Li, your message at the end means a HELL of a lot, coming from a survivor. I was groomed, exploited, and stalked on Amino for 2 and a half years when I was only 13; my abuser said he was 15 but was actually in his 30s. I knew what he was doing was wrong, but he actively stalked me across social media and would reappear every time on sock puppet accounts, pretending to be someone else and tricking me into cybering until I deleted every single one of my social media accounts that were under my old username. I learned last year that he was a serial offender and was actually jailed after one of his friends baited him into sending proof of what he did, but I know that most others in my place aren’t as lucky.

[@Meowteorite]

I've been looking for the game Maid Marian/Club Marian for a long while and just seeing it being discussed here was pretty shocking - thank you though. The only things I could remember about the game (which I played at around 8 years old and couldn't speak/read English yet) was, that you could have a car, you could chat with others and you could run around on some wooden bridges. So ... finding it just based on those things was pretty hard!

[@jkkimora6350]

i used to play maid marian soooo much when i was like 9 i relate sooo much. the people on there were so insane but it made me feel like a teenager so i loved it

[@pera.perrona4945]

Right!! I’ve been looking for this game for so many years so it was a shock to see it as the first mmo talked about in the video. I used to spend as much time on there as possible

[@Meowteorite]

@@jkkimora6350 I honestly didn't even properly play it back then nor did I talk to anybody. I just hopped into the car and drove into a lake from what I remember LOL

[@alolisa113]

omg same

[@AgeUgeMuumi]

Have to agree with you and others, I've been trying to find it for a long time as well and found nothing. I was even beggining to believe I saw it in a dream or just made it up lol. I also didnt speak any english, just enjoyed riding the car and picking my own looks.

[@Slime_Death]

I HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR ANYTHING ABOUT SWITCHIN MMO FOR YEARS NOW HOLY SHIT!!! I used to play it when I was 8-9 (i don’t remember) but I have that game to thank helping me get better at typing and reading! I’ve never seen or heard anyone talk about it and I’ve been trying to find anyone who even knew about it!! I didn’t remember the game name but I have vivid memories about playing it UGH! Thank you!! Holy shit Fun fact: there was this one map that took place in the sky on a floating platform and there was this one area in the top left corner where you could walk out a little ways and you’d be standing on nothing. Only one person was able to do it at a time and everyone else who’d try to do the same would fall down while someone else is on the invisible platform. It kind of blew my mind as a child.

[@twinflammable]

yes oh my god! i thought switchin was lost to my memory, im glad to be reminded of the name!!

[@claramrts]

I CAME HERE LOOKING FOR THIS COMMENT. THANK YOU FELLOW SWITCHIN CITIZEN

[@sonnezone]

I ALSO USED TO PLAY SWITCHIN AND I MISS IT SO MUCH! I WAS LIKE, 7 YEARS OLD (I'M BRAZILIAN AND DIDN'T KNOW ANY ENGLISH BACK THEN SO I WOULD PLAY ON THE BRAZIL AND PORTUGAL SERVER AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHY PORTUGAL.) I don't know if it was because Brazilians in general were more friendly or it was a different time back then but I never ever got any sexual conversations, at most there was the dating thing but I wasn't into it and when I think back, I could tell the other players were just as young as me, lol. Miss it dearly and I hope one day it returns or someone makes a rewritten project. Also, was it just a Brazil thing or whenever the Santa NPC appeared in a room (he would give random players 1 coin) everyone would start saying "OHHH SANTA I LOVE U PLZ GIVE ME COIN" and it was a bliss to find Santa in an empty room because you'd get all the coins for yourself. Such a simpler time...

[@Slime_Death]

@@sonnezone me too!! It feels like such a dream to look back on, like someone i must have made up as a kid. And Unfortunately, I dont remember there being any santa npc and Im american so maybe it would have a country specific thing but that does sound super cool! its awesome to hear about things that were in this very obscure and defunct game, thank you!!

[@raybotic]

that last section hit super close to home like damn you really put into words the horrific trauma i faced at the hands of an unfiltered internet access and i had never even played or heard of any of these games. i ended up making my first tumblr account when i was like 9 because i thought i was so cool and mature for knowing about all this stuff that was clearly meant for people older than me and even when my internet access was eventually filtered by my parents the damage had already been done (and would continue to be done)... man. it fills me with the same sense of hopelessness to see the same thing happening to kids over & over again online and i too wish there was some concrete way to do something about it without just eradicating every space specifically for children bc those are sorely needed too. anyway: amazing video, love your stuff, sorry for the super long comment lol

[@Nassifeh]

But *are* social internet sites for children really that needed? Like it's one thing to let your kid message other kids they know from school, but at no other point in history have we really thought it was particularly important for 9-year-olds to hang out with other 9-year-olds without their parents actually present and watching them. I think there's a point to needing spaces that are friendly for like _teens_, but I don't know... I don't actually think 9-year-olds belong on the internet in a way that anybody they don't know has any access to them. Kids' social needs don't seem like they're well met by faceless internet strangers, even under better circumstances.

[@viviennenorthwoods]

thank you so much for the end of this video. nostalgia is fun and all, but what’s more important is learning how the past failed us, and applying that to the present to end the cycles of trauma we’re all caught up in. 💖

[@ernie39]

agreed!!

[@AsukaSwagleySoryu]

(this is related to the end of the vid lol) that entire section reminded me of when I was talking to my fiance about how I used to play on barbiegirls and would cyber with ppl when I wasnt even 10 and they stated and me in silent shock and asked if I was okay lmfao a lot of the things I went through growing up stemmed from this kind of behavior on badly moderated kids' sites, and even now I still discover how much it influenced the harmful patterns id continue until it reached a boiling point. it really is a cesspool and it hasn't gotten better since 2006.

[@lionkatus4137]

Honestly I'm really glad my dad was a gamer because he ingrained so much internet safety from when I was little and made sure to sign off on any online social game I played / check the chat censorship level

[@Possumbreath]

I'm glad you didn't shy away from the 'downer' topic, honestly. My feelings on it are very similar to yours, in that it's a very complicated situation and a lot of the obvious fixes are likely to get misused or just cause other problems. As a content creator myself with a fanbase that skews young, I've tried to instill good internet safety where I can: don't trust someone you don't actually know (having them added on discord is not knowing them), don't give out highly personal details about yourself, heed warnings and leave any situation the second you feel like you shouldn't be there. But I also know because I was that kid once too that it's very easy to feel like you're 'mature' enough and 'careful' enough that it doesn't apply to you. It just sucks all around and just because we don't have a neat simple fix for it doesn't mean we shouldn't talk about it. Anyway I did play Dofus in high school and I found it so confusing that I never got out of the tutorial area.

[@MetalSlayer221]

I honestly think that the best system of chat is what Animal Jam (now Animal Jam Classic) used. Of course, that doesnt mean things didnt happen, but the chat didnt even let you say the word bed or numbers. I remember doing family roleplays and having to say "Go to bead kids" and "My character is for years old" to bypass the filter (albeit for innocent reasons).

[@hsojuu]

God, this tickled the deepest parts of my brain. I can still remember the eerie feeling Maid Mariam gave me as a kid. It felt forbidden to play, honestly. ALSO OMG PANFU, I remember how my older cousin had to make my other cousin and I accounts, cause we didn’t even know nor understand the context of emails. Such great times, man. And with Dofus come shows too, actually. One with the same name and then Wakfu, which is more known.

[@Izzy-jj5ev]

im so glad you mentioned the stuff at the end, particularly the conundrum of kids not being able to tell their parents about something that happened online, because they knew they too would get told off for going on such games! MSP was a landmine for this sort of stuff, I remember a ''guy'' inviting me to his online room and I was told to do sitting emotes whilst he did a laid down emote (yuck!!!), which looking back obviously was something sexual! i must of been 7/8yrs old at the time and I thought it was a bit weird, and it led to me deleting that account. on one hand, ipad kids nowadays seem to be more tech savvy growing up than even gen z were, but there are so so so many more ways for today's kids to be preyed upon online. i don't really know what the solution is, my parents used to monitor my internet history but that made me feel like i lost alot of my privacy particularly when i became a teen. anyway, loved the vid

[@sonamy3]

related to the end part of the video i hope the people that were downplaying their experiences realize how bad the situation actually was so they can do some healing. i was kind of in the same boat for a while (although my experiences weren't from mmos) and when i finally realized how fucked up it was that those things happened to me, a series of realizations about who i am now as an adult hit me like a truck

[@demispectra9783]

YOUUU YOU ARE THE SOURCE THAT FINALLY TOLD ME WHAT THAT GAME WHERE YOU COULD GO IN CAR AND TO CLUBS WAS. I NEVER COULD FIND ANYTHING ABOUT IT BUT THE MOMENT I SAW THE CHARACTER FROM IT ON YOUR THUMBNAIL I KNEW. HOLY SHEESH. HOLY SHEEHS.

[@ryszardbies]

the national pride when a 2 second clip to represent the game has polish usernames present 💪

[@majonezowekrolestwo3654]

Polska gurom.

[@mosswhite5106]

Trigger warning My experience with mmos in the early 2000’s had me so desensitized to what was happening that I thought it was normal. I ended up leaning into what was highly inappropriate behavior because of a lack of awareness supervision and ultimately ended up getting groomed pretty bad. I had it all from our world to imvu the pipeline to kik and Skype predators were all over the place! I was groomed and taught awful things by these men then the shame of what happened and what my parents would do had me silent the whole time. This cycle continued from middle school to high school. The worst was when I had a friend that borrowed my phone to talk to her “19yo” bf at the time we were in middle school. He would then text and call me interested in a sexual conversations as well. It ended with the cops being called when they found out he was in his 20’s and receiving inappropriate calls and photos from her and myself. Yuck! The unfiltered access these predators had was absolutely criminal! I’m both glad and sad that these spaces don’t exist anymore. As always parents should be aware and support their children when in need!

[@cherrybombstudios1671]

There was a Swedish based MMO I played in my tweens to young teenage years that was actually pretty smart in its chat censorship . Numerals nor spelled out numbers were not allowed, as well as specific location names (i.e. California or Australia). And if you misspelled something, it would also be censored in case you were trying to sneak an inappropriate word around the mods. It sometimes made it hard to chat when you wanted to say words you didn’t quite know how to spell, but god damn, I do not recall EVER feeling unsafe in that game.

[@snowden6790]

tw; mentions of those darker things li talked about in the last seg --- thank you so much for pointing out the gr00ming part in the end. i had internet access way too young. pair that with an already abusive and neglectful parent, and i really dont think i stood a chance. i was groomed for years, because i craved the validation i didnt get from my parent. when youre young, vulnerable, and lonely, all you want is to be cared about. we dont care where that "care" comes from. these experiences definitely changed my life for the worse. i have an unhealthy view on relationships, cant recognize abusive behavior from other people, etc. it genuinely scares me how many kids are growing up online simply because its easier for parents to hand them an ipad then spare their time, even though being a parent is a full time commitment.

[@Lunar_Spell]

I was a very sheltered and vulnerable child, but I thankfully managed to escape the virtual world boom unscathed. It's kind of wild since I was playing Lord of the Rings Online as early as 11-13, and no one was ever anything but kind and helpful on that one. If only the real world had been as gentle.

[@nollmelyrics]

I remember SwithIn MMO having a subscription option that would give you plenty of exclusive hairstyles and clothes and make you 110% more popular than everyone else.

[@NiceTrySai]

FINALLY SOMEONE talks about Maid Marian! i personally have been researching this game! im so sure that The Moon Game and Marian Club was the most popular MMos back then, i remember making so many friends by playing that game! im glad someone finally brings it up again.

[@sydarchives]

TW- the last portion of this video was so hard to watch, but I’m glad I did. Thank you for speaking up about your personal experiences, because myself and so many other women grew up thinking that online interactions like that were something to shrug off. I have never seen it better articulated than how you laid it all out. Online grooming experiences should NEVER be deemed as “eh, whatever. It happens” especially by said victims. The normalization of predators on MMO worlds is insane and needs to be talked about more.

[@moonskd]

Oh Panfu, my good old friend. I'm so happy that you mentioned it! I used to beg (like many others) for the "Golden panda" member ship and my friend getting it, didn't help (lol). English not being my native language, and me being a super shy kid definitely saved me from stuff (and for that I'm SO thankful). I also remember another game, Oloko. That game didn't last for very long (to my knowledge) but it was like Panfu but with rabbits.

[@jaes8762]

me and my husband actually met on maplestory at 14/15. we're 30 and still together 💕

[@jaimzag]

(Cw relating to the last subject in the video) there's also the fact that kids witnessing all the cybering who don't fully understand the seriousness will spread it to other kids too - it was a good couple of decades ago now, but I'll always feel guilty about attempting some of the stuff I'd witnessed in less moderated chatrooms with a kid I'd made friends with on neopets :/ right after I sent the message, I got in trouble IRL for not doing homework and was banned off the PC for several weeks and by the time I got back he'd blocked me and I'd gotten a message from somebody else saying "hey this guy's been saying you sent him a gross message but nobody believes him, you're not like that :)" and even after that there was a good while where I thought I was... idk, cool? cause I knew stuff about this grown-up thing that not many other kids seemed to know much about, though I never pulled anything quite like that again. I do think it became something healthier after, not "cybering" but privately RPing as fictional characters with friends who were definitely my age, which I view more as... exploring sexuality in a safe space?

[@quarzita]

The last part made me remember so much stuff, its trye that back in the day kids and adults had less shared spaces online (right cause now days we all use instagram and tiktok and its weird) but if i could talk to my future self or my past parents i would tell them to comunicate better. I remember the pivoting point in which i told my mom i had an online friend (a girl of my age, we actually trade messages sometimes now days) and my mom was like "no no no no, online people are bad" and basically i graspped that every single person i befriended online was going to be rejected by her. That was such a harmful message cause even if i listened to her you cant avoid people online so i would have lived with constant paranoia. When shit happened i was too afraid to tell her, cause I shouldn't have online friends in the first place. I remember my classmates were very open with their parents about their online friends and I always wandered why I couldn't tell my mom what was going on without her picking on the little things...

[@astridmyst]

I've been on the internet a long time. I was way too young. It's so disturbing the stuff I had to deal with. Thank you for talking about it. I know many have mentioned it but I feel like it's a topic that needs constant reminders as the internet becomes increasingly more popular. No matter the site you're on there will always be creeps.

[@annalisei4924]

TW for online grooming!!! I remember when I was around 10 or 11, I joined a Minecraft server that had a creative mode lobby. The chat was full of requests for people to join their "smexy truth or dare" parties. Being a curious preteen, I participated in one. Participants were dared to act out having "smex" on beds with other players or "dance" around on a pole. It was vanilla Minecraft, so there was only so much you act out, but what really strikes me looking back was how openly it was all done. Theres no way the server was ran by people my age, they were most likely older teens or young adults. Me and other players were obviously young, regardless of how nold we claimed we were. Despite that, the moderators and admins let it all happen, even adding features that went along with the practice, like in-game dating and marriage. Theres no way they didn't know what was happening and who it was happening to. It just makes me sick to think about now.

[@secrfidr]

The last bit...yeah. I've played some Sky: Children Of The Light recently, and even in that game - which doesn't let you message someone without being their friend first! - I've had multiple conversations where someone will bring up their age. Like, one specific time, this kid says "I'm 10, and people don't usually keep talking to me after I say that" and. I was shocked. Absolutely dumbfounded. I wanted to take them aside and explain how to be safe online, but. I was too stunned to be too serious, and just went "haha dw its okay but Don't Tell People Your Age." SCOTL is one of the friendliest communities I've seen, but. There's always gonna be creeps. It really worries me that kids are growing up thinking it's Totally Okay to just. Share your age and location like that.

[@plushdragonteddy]

YES true! i was on a discord server for a dress up app, and i should've assumed there would be kids on there but i just didn't think about it? and the moment the server opened up a channel for selfies, this little girl sent a picture of her and her brother, and a screenshot of her facebook page with her full name and TOWN !! one of the adults was like "hey maybe i'm just old and don't get it, but shouldn't you be keeping that info private?" and the kid said "no it's cool" and the adult was like "oh okay" AND NONE OF THE MODS SAID ANYTHING. in hindsight, i should've messaged the mods to see if they could delete that message or the channel as a whole, but i was just so dumbfounded by this response (or lack thereof) that i didn't even think they cared. it's horrifying how little internet safety training some kids get. i really, really hope no one in that server reached out to her after that.

[@iara0]

05:04 Trigger warning: Absolutely FIRE, deep, emotional, gut-punching speech.

[@Abby-un9rw]

Omg SwitchinMMO was my favorite mmo game when I was little, it being removed made me so sad 😭

[@machinegunlament]

Also your look is absolutely iconic here it reminds me of fashion doll customs for some reason

[@zellfaze]

Just wanted to add my thoughts to your conclusion as someone active in my own community and who works in technology. You hit the nail on the head. The solutions that we have to the predator problem also would hurt many marginalized communities, and often severely. Its a real issue because a lot of the times the reforms being suggested to save the children aren't even designed help kids, not really, instead just acting as a back door to spy on activists. Its a tough spot we are in, and you are right in that even people in the field don't have much more clarity than you do about how to resolve the problem.

[@booksandbrownies6775]

Thank you for talking about OurWorld! As someone who had an account and frequented every single virtual world that was popular from 2010 to 2014, OurWorld was definitely my favorite and no one ever speaks about it

[@gaiathemuse]

Li, I'm so sorry that's happened to you. I was lucky to have nothing like that happen to me but it fills me with rage that these children have truly no safe space to turn to. Parents who claim to care, only care about control of their child, that just does more harm than good.

[@anvypieender5804]

Li Speaks is my new safe KZbinr. Literally all of her videos are calming and engaging enough for me to watch so I can calm myself when I'm having an anxiety attack. SwitchIn MMO: Are you sure about that. If you get anxiety attacks and you need a little extra help, write a list of videos, comfort items and maybe some comfort foods people can get for you or just for you to remember when you're having trouble thinking.

[@stuffedninja1337]

It’s 12:30 am and I’m crying on your behalf. I just want to give you a hug. I’m so sorry you were one of the many targets during that time.

[@HanielCN]

oh my god I remember playing Switchin MMO as a kid and I always had to create a new account and struggled so hard to even grasp what was possible to do because I did not speak english, but I completely loved hopping on my shiny silver car and driving through the mountains and beaches, and then grabbing a horse on the ranch and clipping through the mountains to get to the highest point possible.

[@Carpecarp378]

As sad as it, watch out for mods too! As a tween I had someone quite a bit older than me expose me to a lot of shit I should not have seen because they wanted me to know "what to watch out for". Ironically to this day I have not came upon stuff as bad as what I was "warned of". Remember kids, a trusted adult should be comfortable saying what theyre doing around other adults. Great video as always Li!

[@SaintZaiya]

New Li Speaks upload got me standing up and shouting “YEAAH!!” at work. Excellent topic fam cant wait to watch lol.

[@redgravess]

The message at the end was really, really good. I think the only thing that you glossed over is how normalized predators were/still are in these games by the userbase. Not necessarily because they can't do anything about it, but more so a lot of people who were victimized on these MMOs as kids go on to just brush it off because "oh it happened to me it's totally normal lol", "it's online", etc… or worse - they do it themselves. I myself was surrounded with people who treated it as a normal thing, and it wasn't until a few years ago that I realized that what happened to me was a lot more harmful than I thought. It's a vicious cycle that we can only educate and re-educate on as time goes on to hopefully lessen the normalization of these things happening.

[@symwinter]

The art style of Woozworld kinda reminds me of the one used in Kim Kardashian: Hollywood and other mobile games of that type. Edit to add that while I didn’t play any of the games talked about in depth, I did briefly play IMVU with one of my friends at the time. Thankfully I was more interested in looking all the cute pastel goth fashion than talking to strangers online.

[@cass422]

obsessed with your eye makeup this video 💕 the end definitely hit hard and knowing it’s way more common than talked about is upsetting but strangely comforting knowing that we didn’t go through that awful experience alone

[@TheBiggestGame]

God, you're so right about the predators thing. I remember being approached by people who definitely wanted to flirt and cyber, and the only reason I avoided being victimized unlike many other unfortunate kids is because I was so romance/sex repulsed that I would back out of anything immediately if I got a hint of it and I ended up assuming that many random people who approached me for anything other than teaming up for games were up to no good. (It's lead me to almost always picking male avatars, even to this day, because in my Gaia days I always felt like I had more people trying to proposition me when I used a female avatar...) Which isn't fair, it shouldn't be on the children entirely to protect themselves from predators by having insight that many likely haven't developed yet, especially when many will do everything to appear trustworthy and friendly. I have no idea what kind of internet safety is being taught to kids these days but I came from the generation where the training was "everyone online is an evil predator who wants to get you so NEVER SHARE *ANY* INFORMATION!" so that might have had something to do with it, but I know many who disregarded that anyway. It's horrible you had to go through that kind of experience and I can only hope that you're healing from it.

[@chasenil1426]

I feel like even though a lot of. Weird. Things. Happened to me in kid's mmos, i dont regret the time i spent on it. The internet has grown increasingly hostile towards children, and as long as kids are growing up with access to the internet, they will want to interact with people. The internet has become an increasingly important part of our social circles, and what kept me coming back to mmos is to talk to my weird online mmo 'friends'. The lack of spaces online specifically for kids makes it all the more easier to be exploited since they're forced to interact in mostly adult spaces and websites. It wasn't perfect, but the moderation in kids mmos existed and largely fostered an environment for simple online interactions between kids. Even though roleplaying, cybering, and bullying are huge risks in kids mmos, it definitely beat the real ramifications of having your address, name, and personal information accessible and unmoderated on social media sites made for adults.

[@reaganwessel]

I was too scarred of the MMO tab to touch any of these lol. Granted, that was just much social anxiety as it was following the internet safety tips I had had drilled into my head, but either way it was probably for the best. Still really interesting to get a retroactive peek at what was behind the ~forbidden door~ from my childhood

[@JohnnyGrime5]

I can't believe I've been looking for Switching MMO for LIKE +8 YEARS with zero idea of the name but having this constant urge of finding about that one game I liked the most (somehow, I really liked the avatars designs and walking around lol). Now I know. Thanks for making this video and for including it!!!

[@stickitydoodah]

Luckily, as a child who was not allowed an email address until middle school and never cared about talking with other "kids" online in games, i managed to avoid talking with any creepy adults in MMO chats (elsewhere? Not so lucky. But whatever). I didnt learn until later what kinds of people would frequent those chatrooms and helplessness is about all you can feel when you think about it. There is not good way to prevent it from happening and thus it is probably good that those spaces arent as common.

[@pyratehyena1312]

very important message there at the end. thanks for talking about it. and dear parents or parents to be, TALK TO AND INFORM YOUR KIDS. if they are not too young to be victimized, it is quite dangerous to assume they are too young to know about it.

[@Scarfysmom]

I was an obsessive OurWorld player! Was hoping for a little deeper dive on that one but I respect your stance on not reviewing games you didn't play. LOVE the earrings!!!

[@Musikenna]

Who needs creepypasta when you had girls go games

[@puddingskinmcgee7991]

Yes! I used to love the maid marian games, I have a lot of memories of failing to understand the basic gameplay of mid-evolution sherwood dungeon and asking random people if they wanted to game-marry me. And of course trying to jump to the earth in moonbase. It's always a delight to find someone else who knows of that site, it's like a secret between me and the other internet-scouring weirdos.

[@KewlKat626]

OurWorld mention!!!! OurWorld was my LIFE as a teen! I would log in everyday and honestly, if you didn't hang out in the 'popular' areas people were so cool. The only real problem was the constant whispers from people asking you for gifts. Most would be respectful when you said no but some would get so aggressive. Once had to kick a girl out of my own condo cause a friend of mine invited her in and she would not stop asking me for gifts and resorted to insulting and harassing me for saying no (not really sure why she thought that would work?). But I have more positive memories than negative! Like hanging out with my friends at the coffee shop, trying to sync our dance moves or throwing a shrinking potion at some guy that kept threatening to beat people up lol.

[@gabi8740]

Li, you just unearthed a deep memory in me with this video. I was literally obsessed with the MMO games on GGG and have been trying to find these for AGES

[@moonyistired]

when i was a young teen i finally got my first phone and my parents would of course put some money in it so i could call people. these "people" were mostly just my parents themselves whenever i needed something so most of the credits were unused and yet still piled on each month so the number would stay up. so anyways i discovered i could use all of this money i wasn't using that just sat on my phone to buy premium currency on our world and finally become the fashionable edgy black+white+purple icon i truly wished to be. still miss playing it sometimes. i was always a shy kid so i barely actually interacted with people. i just wanted to look cool and play minigames. i think our world was my very first introduction to bejeweled. also really liked the dancing/rhythm minigame though i'm pretty sure those models were not really made for this level of animation. there were also in-game npcs who were the designers of some of the clothes shop and i remember taking one of them (edwin, the designer of the more "gothic" boutique who also funnily enough was in love with colette, the pink haired designer of the hypercute boutique) and just- writing him into completely unrelated fanfic as the older brother of my main character.

[@aidentherealoneguy]

hearing you talk about the bad stuff that happens on these sites was really validating. if you were to do another segment, or even a whole video about it i'd love to see it. though if you didn't want to touch on that topic again, i completely understand.

[@cheeseball31]

as a teen who was a victim of elsagate and online predators, thank you for addressing these things at the end of the video

[@victorlolxd7347]

Elsagate?

[@cheeseball31]

@@victorlolxd7347 look it up

[@ReducedNaCl]

I played TONS of Audition. Started very shortly after it opened because I was able to use my actual first name, no letters numbers or weird spelling, for my character. Screen with 6 directions isnt really familiar to me, but the screen where you were just boppin around, you have to press space bar (I think) to "enter" the combination before the next "beat" of the song. That's represented by the bar with the pulsing blue/white. Eventually you're entering like 10-12 keys or something and trying to time the red dot with the white center. based on how accuately you timed it, you were given a rating of "okay, good, great, perfect" or something similar. Apologies if I sound womansplain-y, Audition is a core memory of mine and I'm excited my knowledge is relevant. A feature I remember strongly was being able to "date" another player. In order to do so, I believe you needed to be playing the 2v2v2 mode, and be 3 teams of 1 guy 1 girl (heteronormativity booo). If both of you completed the sequence of keys AND "entered" in sync with the beat, you'd earn a heart which I think was displayed next to the current level indicator above the arrows. You needed to earn at least 5 in a song to be given the option of requesting your partner to become your "boyfriend/girlfriend". I remember when I earned like 17 with some guy much higher level than me, was very disappointed we didn't official "date", I'd clearly proven myself capable. There's a sketch book of mine somewhere where I drew a sketch for a "button presser", a gizmo that would have physically pressed the keys for me, and had a sensor on the screen to detect which keys to press and the rhythm. Good times.

[@KatanaNovaCat]

Speaking of online games, does anyone remember iSketch? It was a Shockwave-based Pictionary-like game where players would take turns drawing random words while everyone else guessed the word. In addition to drawing and guessing words, players could chat with each other, either within game rooms or in chat-only rooms. Players could create and run custom rooms with custom rules/wordlists. Chat was unfiltered, reporting players rarely did anything because mods were rarely online, the only other options for dealing with problem players were kicking them out of your custom room and back into the lobby or adding their name to your block list (and names could be changed freely), and players could private message each other even while in different rooms or the lobby (which otherwise did not have messaging). There were creeps everywhere, to put it lightly.

[@BAKAROID]

I remember playing Dive In ! The Jeux2Filles version had somehow blocked the chat, so I would just swim around the map and send emojis to people sghdjfk. This being my only MMORPG experience was in part due to my mom forbidding me to play them after realising that there was adults on it.

[@camilagallardo4532]

Finally someone talks about Switching MMO! I lived there as a child. There's barely any info about it :( Loved the video btw! Very informative.

[@veryannoyedrn]

I genuinely got so happy to see this uploaded

[@miadaly7265]

the ending of this video is so important. I also struggle with wanting there to be places for children to converge and exist but the internet is just too hard to fully vet and protect them. I was also victimized by adults online starting at age 9 and it did effect me ! I think also people think since maybe these people didn’t actually touch you that it wasn’t as damaging but it really was. I want children to be safe !!

[@paisley2659]

Even though Pet Party was such a blip in my childhood, it still stands out to me. I remember one day I found out that if I turned off my computer and turned it back on, I could watch a bunch of those "once every so often" ads to get money. I'd do that over and over again so I could get some cash. But it's not like I actually did much with it though. I wish I could actually use my brain when Pet Party was around. I remember being really frustrated with the game because I wasn't really sure how to actually progress. Now that I'm older I want my redemption.

[@kowalski8825]

I thought Switchin MMO was a fever dream, I LOVED that game!!! Tysm for covering it

[@kayakat1869]

I played woozworld a lot as a kid, and it helped me realize I was bi, but I got groomed on there by a guy that was 26. I have a younger sister, and I make sure that my mom monitors her internet access and put child locks on her devices at least until shes 14-15.

[@quimser]

OH MY GOD IT'S PET PARTY. you helped me find that one game on that site that i've never been able to rediscover after years of it being a vague memory. i was this light blue dog(?) with white wing eyebrow-looking things and big gray anime eyes, and i got married to another player. we'd also write notes (think there was a whiteboard you could scribble on via mouse, and a more structured text-based messages) for the other to find when we logged in and visited our house - i remember that since my character was named skylar and i told my "wife" i was male, she got confused since she had an irl female friend named skylar. not sure why i remember that so well

[@trixi250]

omg i used to be a huge Pet Party lover too lmaooo funfact, PetParty is still up on Facebook games, now its name is PartyTown I think! I used to play it during quarantine, it's updated now and it's slightly different, but many original aspects remain!! and i think it's still continuously updated by the creators!

[@softgem2934]

been thinking about Switch In and Club Marian for weeks but couldn’t remember what either were called. thank you so much for covering these!!!

[@teddyburial]

thank you for the shout-out to the flashpoint archive!! i was just recently trying to figure out a way to play the games on maid marian and couldn't figure it out myself.

[@SpectralDreamer]

I straight-up thought Switchin MMO was a fever dream at this point!!! I was looking everywhere for it recently