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alifepets.info : A Guide to Artificial Life Games

This page applies to:

Virtual Animals

Home Page and Table of Contents - List of Web Games

Artificial Life Website Games

General Advice and Strategies
These tips can be applied to nearly every game. Avoid scams, find a picture for your pet, and get ahead of rest of the crowd who just joined!

Advice for New (and Old) Players
The "n00b" can be cured!

Which games are here? I hope to assemble a fairly complete list of browser-based artificial life games. For now, I have started to list my favorites. Games will only be listed if they use a server to run shows and breeding (games maintained by a single moderator or where players keep their own records do not work well on a large scale). Games assembled using a widely-available commercial script (for example, all of the games hosted on Operation Pet Game) will be dealt with as a group.

Difficulty Levels: I have given each game a difficulty level. This is just my opinion of each game; yours may differ --- but this will help you identify which games children will enjoy, and which games it is best to start with if you have never played artificial life games before. Remember that children under the age of 13 will need an adult's permission when signing up for a website.
Easy Easy games require little or no strategy, and young players will be able to master them easily (although older players may become bored). A child will enjoy playing these games.
Medium Medium games can be mastered with a little bit of strategy. Once they catch on, young players will still be able to succeed, and older players will enjoy the game too.
Hard These games require lots of strategy and will be hard for young players to learn but are very satisfying for the A-Life Games Master. Many players are college students or adults.
($) This indicates that a game is harder because players have expenses but are not given money automatically.
Money can be collected on a regular basis.
This icon means that you can get money by visiting a bank or completing a very simple task once every day or week, but it is not automatically deposited in your account and will not accumulate.
* A green star indicates that genetics are simulated very realistically, and you have to get purebreds by breeding instead of creating them in a store.
Animals can die.
The skull means that these virtual creatures can die if neglected (instead of retiring or being taken away by a Humane Society).
I love this game!
This icon means that the game is one of my favorites!

Disclaimer: All of the playing guides here are unofficial. They are my work, and I don't run any of these games! They are as accurate as I can make them, but not infallible. They will also be updated as often as possible, but be sure to check the news section of each site for new features that could change gameplay. I do not encourage scripts or hacking --- these guides are meant to help you get the most out of the game while playing it as it was designed to be played.

Games are grouped by animal simulated and by difficulty.

Horseland
Show and breed horses. One of the oldest and most popular artificial life browser games.

Review

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Animals simulated Horses
Lifespan 20 weeksAnimals can die.
Can you look around before signing up? Yes
Is a free account available? Yes
How many accounts can you have? 5 free
Difficulty Level: Easy Money can be collected on a regular basis.

 

Ludus Equinus
Show and breed horses. No crossbreeding.

Evaluation in progress...

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Animals simulated Horses
Lifespan 24 weeks
Can you look around before signing up? No
Is a free account available? Yes
How many accounts can you have?  
Difficulty Level:
Medium Money can be collected on a regular basis.

 

White Oak Stables

Evaluation in progress...

Knowledge of real riding skills is extremely useful.

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Animals simulated Horses
Lifespan 25 weeksAnimals can die.
Can you look around before signing up? Yes
Is a free account available? Yes
How many accounts can you have?  
Difficulty Level: Medium Money can be collected on a regular basis.

 

Virtual Horse Ranch I love this game!
Show and breed horses. This is a complex simulation. Crossbreeding will result in new breeds or hybrids.

Strategy Guide

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Animals simulated Horses*
Lifespan Player
controls days!
Can you look around before signing up? Yes
Is a free account available? Yes
How many accounts can you have?  
Difficulty Level:
($) for free accounts only
Hard ($)

 

Pure Felinity I love this game!

Evaluation in progress... the site is still new, and few purebreds are available.

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Animals simulated Cats*
Lifespan 90 days
Can you look around before signing up? No
Is a free account available? Yes
How many accounts can you have? 2
Difficulty Level:
*This game will become easier for new players in a few months, when purebred kittens can be bought from other players.
Hard*Money can be collected on a regular basis.

 

Furry-Paws.com I love this game!
Show and breed purebred dogs. "Beta version" is functional but still being developed.

Strategy Guide

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Animals simulated Dogs
Lifespan 100 days
Can you look around before signing up? No
Is a free account available? Yes
How many accounts can you have? 3 maximum
Difficulty Level: Medium Money can be collected on a regular basis.

 

Showdog.com I love this game!
Show and breed purebred dogs.

Review
Strategy Guide
What are these %s ?
Printable Dog % Worksheet

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Animals simulated Dogs
Lifespan 120 days
Can you look around before signing up? Yes
Is a free account available? Yes
How many accounts can you have? 1 free
Difficulty Level: Hard

 

Small Animals With Attitude I love this game!

Evaluation in progress...

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Animals simulated
Rats, Mice, Guinea Pigs, Hamsters
Rodents
Lifespan 90 days
Can you look around before signing up? No
Is a free account available? Yes
How many accounts can you have? 2
Difficulty Level: Easy Money can be collected on a regular basis.

 

Showcattle.com I love this game!
A website from the same developer as Showdog.com that simulates beef cattle ranching. Formerly SimSteer.com; launched April 2004

Review
Strategy Guide (incomplete)

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Animals simulated Cattle
Lifespan
Sending cattle to market and terminal shows is part of the game.
? Animals can die.*
Can you look around before signing up? Yes
Is a free account available? Yes
How many accounts can you have?  
Difficulty Level: Hard ($)

 

Neopets
One of the oldest and most popular artificial life browser games. No breeding; you can interact with your "neopet" but the games and interactive storylines are a larger draw to the site.

More coming soon...

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Animals simulated Neopets
Lifespan Infinite
Can you look around before signing up? Yes
Is a free account available? Yes
How many accounts can you have? 1
Difficulty Level: Easy Money can be collected on a regular basis.

 

 

Home Page and Table of Contents - List of Web Games

All content is © Catherine Covington 2004 except for where the rights of coauthors, website owners, or trademark owners supersedes. Content may be reproduced freely for personal or educational use but may not be redistributed in electronic format or for profit without permission.

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