In today's modern gaming landscape, arguably only a handful of people can look back on the days of browser-based video games.
While most players today are more worried about the latest and greatest video games on console and PC, there was once a simpler time where players didn't need an advanced device to play great video games.
Browser-based video games like Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall, Wizard101, Club Penguin and Toontown practically flooded the market in the early 2000s.
While I’ve only played a fraction of these video games, I definitely remember a time when you couldn’t watch TV for a second without seeing some type of ad for them.
Here are five browser-based video games I reminisce about playing and saw advertised a hell of a lot when I was growing up.
Club Penguin
Club Penguin was one video game that I actually had an account for and played for a bit.
I played off and on for a couple years before I eventually forgot my username and password.
Club Penguin is an Adobe Flash-based multiplayer online video game that was released in 2005, where players take control of a customizable penguin and interact with other players in an arctic city landscape, according to a Nov. 15, 2018 YouTube video by Billiam.
The world in this video game is known as the United States of Antarctica.
I vaguely remember becoming a member of Club Penguin, which required a monthly fee. In fact, I bought a subscription card and enjoyed interacting with other players at the touch of a button.
However, my experience with this video game was short lived.
Neopets
Neopets was another web-based flash video game that came out in 1999.
Instead of a massively multiplayer online game, Neopets would take on the form of a social network geared toward children, allowing them to care of up to four different animals, according to a Nov. 19, 2019 Vox article.
In a way, Neopets was the evolved successor of the popular virtual pet Tamagotchi.
Several Neopets are based on a variety of creatures that are both real and mythical, according to the same article.
The site also mixed a series of video games and even added online forums to the overall experience, according to the article.
While I never played Neopets online, I clearly recall seeing merchandise for it everywhere.
I acquired the trading cards at some point and saw several TV ads telling me to, “ask for parents permission before going online,” like any other ad for browser video games at the time.
Toontown
Toontown was another web-based multiplayer online video game created by Disney in an effort to bring a more family friendly atmosphere to massively multiplayer online games in 2003, according to a May 16, 2019 YouTube video by Billiam.
According to the video, Toontown is a video game where you create your own custom character and join the resistance of Toons against an evil group known as the Cogs.
Toontown is another video game I never played, but remember seeing a plethora of commercials on TV for.
In fact, Toontown is best known for its TV commercials, according to Billiam, as this is most of what anyone seems to remember about the video game.
One commercial showed a couple kids riding skateboards and throwing pies at Cogs.
In another commercial, a baseball pitcher is seen throwing a series of pies at a Cog member who is batting.
Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall
Even though I didn't play this one, Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall was conceptually the browser video game I was most interested in when it came out.
Being a Cartoon Network superfan, I always wanted to play the video game but never had the permission from my parents to actually go online.
Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall was another web-browser based massively multiplayer online game released in 2009, according to a Jan. 30, 2009 IGN article.
In the video game, the planet has been taken over by the Fuse, an alien monster in the Cartoon Network universe, according to MMORPG, a news site that specializes in massively multiplayer online games.
It’s the players’ responsibility to help save the planet, alongside several Cartoon Network characters, redesigned with new anime-like graphics, according to an Aug. 16, 2018 YouTube video by Billiam.
Back in 2009, I was watching Cartoon Network constantly and would see rapid fire commercials for this online video game.
The idea of a massively multiplayer online game featuring all of my favorite classic Cartoon Network characters seemed like a nice change of pace.
I’d much rather see them release a video game like this than continue watching the abomination of live-action programming that flooded the network at the time with CN Real.
Wizard101
Out of all the browser video games I remember seeing and playing, Wizard101 is the one that I not only played, but played the most.
Wizard101 was a free-to-play massively multiplayer online game where players take the role of a student wizard, perfecting different spells at a wizard school known as Ravenwood, according to an April 12, 2022 article by MMOByte.
The countless amounts of TV ads that aired for this video game had me hooked as a young teen.
While a portion of the video game is free-to-play, players are required to pay a fee for premium access to certain areas using premium currency.
Most of the time players would purchase prepaid cards to unlock these features.
Some cards would even give you a free pet that could travel with you in the video game, with more options to purchase other pets using premium currency while logged in.
I explicitly remember getting a free pet from one of these cards and buying another within the video game.
Wandering around Wizard City and challenging other people to battles with action packed turn-based combat was so fun.
Soon enough, I moved onto other things and lost track of my login information.
While these video games entertained players back in the day, a couple of them still exist and others lived a somewhat short life, shutting down before anyone really knew it.
However, many of these video games caused fans to take action with a few attempts at fan-made revivals, but many of these attempts were short-lived as well.
With revival efforts dwindling, many of these video games remain forever lost within our own memories of a simpler time.
