Millions of teenagers across America will have their hearts shattered as they have to say goodbye to their favorite childhood game on Mar. 29. As if 2017 hasn’t been bad enough, Club Penguin is over. This virtual online world has been providing fun games and parties for the children of America since October 2005, but an announcement on the Club Penguin website revealed that they will “discontinue the current Club Penguin game on all desktop and mobile devices” with the launch of a new program, Club Penguin Island.
Club Penguin is a virtual world that allows users to create an account and socialize with other users. It features fun activities for users to enjoy including nearly 40 hangouts and chat rooms. Reminiscing on those childhood hangouts, “Night Club was a go-to for all of my friends; that was so lit,” sophomore Kayla Hill said.
The online program also had games for all users to participate in, located in different places throughout the game. Users could compete with each other to try to get the highest score. “I remember playing the pizza game with my friends. That was definitely my favorite part of the game,” sophomore Britney Wang said.
The game was extremely popular among students and was a favorite after school activity. Countless afternoons were spent on Club Penguin in households all over America as children made and challenged new friends on the always busy site. The absence of this game will cause grief for any user who played. “I will definitely miss it; it was a big part of my childhood,” Wang said.
Upset gamers are taking to Twitter to express their devastation. With the topic trending last week, avid players were willing to make sacrifices upon hearing the news. “Club penguin doesn’t deserve to die, it should’ve been me,” Twitter user @Brendanb4523 said.
Although the discontinuation will invoke a great sense of loss, a new launch is set to replace the classic game. Club Penguin Island is expected to be “not that different from the original game, otherwise people wouldn’t play it,” Hill said.
Details about the new program are vague, but Club Penguin Island promises a “uniquely penguin experience, with new features and gameplay, making it more fun than ever,” according to the website.
Entertainment wasn’t the only positive thing that Club Penguin gave this world. Over its 11 and a half year life, the company has raised more than $12 million. Donations have collectively helped over one million people in need in more than 40 countries. Money goes toward building safe places for children, providing medical help, and protecting the world. More information can be found on the Club Penguin website for anyone who is looking to donate.
To celebrate the launch of the new program, Club Penguin hosted a final goodbye party on Feb. 1. It included special activities in the Plaza and some users started a protest against the shutdown of the game.

Danielle Dupree

Staff Writer