I remember the first time I saw this site. It was one of my first times with a computer, before I really knew much about the one I had at my own house. My friend introduced me to a website, named Whyville. I was in elementary school, I barely had any idea of what a website was.
I got to be whoever I wanted to be for the first time in my life. I had my own voice. I was learning on my own terms. I was meeting people from around the world. It was new, it was fun. I rebelled, broke the rules, had to start over with new accounts. Then I got ahold of the games. I learned about the value of face parts and long shirts, how to be savvy with the Trading Post. I learned how to save up your money, how big of a deal a car was, how complex it was building social relationships. I even tried to be (and unfortunately was) published. All before 10, I wanted all of this.
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