The reincarnation of Club Penguin is among us, at least for now.
Club Penguin Rewritten (CPR) was created from the fleeting remains of the original Club Penguin and exists to preserve the game that so often graced our childhoods. I can remember many afternoons sitting by my desktop adventuring across the island with my friends and watching my siblings do the same.
Club Penguin sits on the same shelf as Poptropica and Webkinz, along with many other fond memories and early examples of online gaming. For kids today, the story isn’t the same. Through modern technology, even the most basic games now include amazing HD graphics, 3D gameplay, and many other elements that would have been considered premium and unimaginable not too long ago. Club Penguin is beautiful in its simplicity, and like Poptropica or Webkinz, it is not devoid of educational value.
Igloos are the same and everything! Courtesy of Club Penguin Rewritten
This was exactly the thought of Club Penguin Rewritten creators when they decided to rewrite the code of Club Penguin. They loved the basic concept and, unlike the head honchos at Disney, believed nothing needed to change. CPR is a preservation of Club Penguin. And the players walking around the island right now definitely agree. When I spoke with user “esaetkcoc,” he said he enjoys the “fun and safe environment for kids” and likes that CPR is very similar to the original Club Penguin.
Disney’s decision to shut down Club Penguin included replacing it with the fancy “Club Penguin Island”: a game very different from the original with its flashy graphics and different gameplay. Club Penguin Rewritten users can’t stand Island and play CPR to relive the nostalgic version they adore. Specifically, user “Lou Kemia” believes that “CPR is the original rendition of the game we know and love. Island is different gameplay and targeted towards a younger audience.” He does not agree with the way Disney changed Club Penguin, using CPR to go back to the game he grew up with.
The nostalgic loading screen. Courtesy of Club Penguin Rewritten
Many believe that Disney should not have changed the game. Disney, on the other hand, believes those players are in the wrong and are operating illegally. CPR claims educational instance for their Fair Use claim, stating that they are a non-profit platform and a valuable and fun way for kids to learn money management and online safety. “Mcdankboi550” commented that Club Penguin Rewritten also teaches kids social skills. These skills all can be used later in life, not to mention they usually are not taught traditionally in school.
After interviewing many penguins, I could tell there was a myriad of reasons for people to continue playing the game. Many included nostalgia and simply the fun qualities that everyone can relate to. Players were also frequently critical of Disney’s removal of the original Club Penguin. In CPR, there is no membership and coins come easily, but it lacks some of the official titles and positions you could have held in the original. Old accounts were originally restored but have since been stopped by Disney.
Start new with your own penguin and remember those childhood afternoons.
Cover Image Courtesy of Club Penguin Rewritten
