Neopets is one of the OG 2000s web games. The kids and teens who grew up on it are adults now, and their nostalgia for what this janky game represents can result in some intense situations.

When I learned that there was a Neopets black market, I immediately envisaged it as a true crime thriller in my head. The challenge with this video was communicating the stakes to the viewer. For the people who play this game, these jpgs of fictional animals are like gold. But also. They’re jpgs of fictional animals.

I had functionally no footage to work with. This video required a lot of time spent in After Effects, making custom motion graphics that were clear, but fit the early web look of Neopets.