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People are coming up with all kinds of ways to entertain themselves right now—digital happy hours, Zoom raves, YouTube workouts—and as we search for new ways to feel connected without leaving our homes, I couldn’t help but remember the phase in my life when I naturally stayed inside, well, all the time: Y2K. Not because of the threat of the world’s collapse (as some worried), but because I was in middle school, my family had just bought a computer, and a whole new world opened up.
After joking with coworkers about the old video games they’ve suddenly started playing again—or the old games and toys they’ve found tucked in the back of their closets—I started thinking about my obsessions at the time. And it turns out three sites in particular still exist (or, in one case, were resurrected). Now, the only thing hanging between you and social-distancing-approved nostalgia: Do you remember your old login?
1. Neopets
Yes, the game where you care for mythical creatures and earn money to transform your own digital world still exists! And the website looks just as it did in, uh, 2001? It’s like The Sims meets Tamagochi, and it’s amazing how many hours you can lose while clicking around. You’ve been warned.
2. LiveJournal
The place where you originally overshared your feelings, mood and what was on the menu for dinner is still thriving. Why not fire it back up as you process (and chronicle) this wild time we’re living in? Decades from now, your family members will want to ask you all about it anyway. (And if sharing your life with total strangers isn’t your thing, you can always make your posts private.
3. AIM
AOL Instant Messenger may be retired, but 1997.chat aims to bring the experience back to you, with profiles, away messages and instant chats with your friends. Yes, you could use GChat, Facebook Messenger or even text to share this kind of info, but when you’re craving a throwback to simpler times, this service delivers.
Lead Photo by Daniel Korpai on Unsplash