What's your play personality?

Happy Wednesday!

🤸🏻‍♀️In this week's edition, we're going to cover:

• The Past: Nostalgia and virtual worlds

• Your Future: Different play personalities - which do you think you are?

• Currently: The Olympics, and other alternatives

Let's get to it!

I got into Neopets around 2002. Never mind my age back then but I got excited whenever I saw someone logging to the site in our university computer lab. I've gained a secret friend who was also into this "childish" activity.

I enjoyed the mini-games and collecting Neopoints to buy food for my Neopet. I only vaguely remember specifics though recalling my experience makes me look back at how simple games were before, back when I didn’t have to pay to avoid watching ads.

When Neopets announced their re-launch, I felt a mixture of excitement with a dash of horror:

Assuming you remember your login details, you can use your account again more than a decade hasn't come and gone (Neopia has its own calendar, as seen in their newsletter), except that your Neopets are starving.

There's a novella by Ted Chiang called The Lifecycle of Software Objects where a former zookeeper starts working for a company that created digital entities, much like Neopets, only AI-powered. These digital pets are aware of how they are being taken care of. If you don't visit them, they feel the passage of time and miss you.

I feel slightly guilty for forgetting about my Neopet and not being able to log in to my original account. I also haven't returned to my Animal Crossing island since my children told me it was full of cockroaches.

I'll just remember the golden days of my time with these virtual worlds and maybe create a new account if I jump back in.

The Collector enjoys gathering interesting objects and experiences. They chase the thrill of finding rare items or completing a travel bucket list. They find their collections priceless, whether it's a collection of shells from their beach trips or vintage NBA cards.

The Competitor finds winning games with a set of rules exciting. Common examples include athletes and gamers but it can also be people who enjoy being spectators. Winning against all odds is the main goal for Competitors.

The Creator likes to make or take apart things. They experiment with different mediums such as paint, clay, or even found objects. The Creator uses their imagination to transform an object or a place.

The Director seems like they're not playing but their imaginations run wild when they're planning or executing events and experiences. For them, the world is a stage and they enjoy making things happen.

The Explorer likes to discover and dabble. Whether a new place or a different sensation, they are driven by their curiosity. They are also found deepening their knowledge about topics they are interested in even if there's no direct motivation for them to do so.

The Joker is the poster child of playfulness. They are known to monkey around and engage in silly behavior. Being funny is not the goal of the Joker but it's finding the humor and lightening up the mood in situations.

The Kinesthete may look like The Competitor but they are more into movement and physical activities than to win. You might notice them as those who runs or engage in sports as an outlet.

The Storyteller likes to engage in stories - their own or someone else's. Their imagination is tickled by stories. They can even invoke playfulness while doing a normal activity by adding a plot line, like pretending to be a world-class chef while cooking in their home kitchen.

Having a hard time choosing which one you are? Maybe these questions can help you find the answer:

• What is fun for you?

• What are the things you would like to be doing more of?

• When scrolling on social media, what types of content make you stop and say, "I wish I could do that."?

This play database can also help you look for the types of play you like the most and match that to your play personality.