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The Men of Pet Society

Published February 17, 2009 Pet Genders 29 Comments
Tags: Facebook, Men of Pet Society, Pet Society, Social games

Most of my friends, especially male friends, can’t understand why I’m so hooked on P.S. “Pet Society’s for girls,” my co-worker Craig said.

“Guys like it too,” I countered. Craig and another fellow at work, Alex, were standing in my office as I demonstrated the game. I showed them how my pet Sushi could drink a latte and buy heart-shaped sunglasses.

“Yeah, it’s for girls,” Alex said.

I re-arranged the furniture in my house. “Is this what you do all day long?” Craig asked.

“No, I’m just taking a break. Make sure my door is locked.” I then showed them the grueling competition of the hurdles races, but even that failed to interest my estrogen-challenged comrades.

Is Pet Society really just for girls? I’ve sent two messages to Playfish asking if anyone there had data on the gender breakdown of Pet Society’s players. As of Feb 16, I have yet to get a response. I posted a message in the P.S. forum asking for the real men of Pet Society to step forward. One of the first people to respond was Jonathan, a 19-year-old from Puerto Rico. Jonathan’s pet is named Dolce, which means “sweet” or “soft” in Italian. But he’s hardly a softie, as you can see from his bedroom:

Interview with Jonathan, Cucumber Boy:

Q: Why do you keep a cucumber and a bottle of oil next to the bed? Do you like to eat a lot of salad before you go to sleep?

A: LOL, that’s a funny story! One of my best friends sent the cucumber as a gift, telling me it was a little toy for Dolce. She almost died laughing when she entered the bedroom and saw it next to the oil.

Q: Does your boyfriend play PS?

A: Yes, every time I log in, I find a gift from him. I like logging in to read the notes that he and my other friends leave me. Even if it’s just an apple, it’s really sweet. The game is very entertaining, a way for friends to talk and share.

Q: That’s nice. Are most of your PS friends guys or girls?

A: Mostly girls.

Q: Do you ever buy coins with real money?

A: I don’t have a credit card. I earn all my coins visiting my friends and trading in the forum.

Q: What does your boyfriend’s pet look like?

A: It’s a panda with a lightening bolt on his forehead, called Dior.

Q: Dior? No offense, but that’s very gay. Good luck to you both. Happy belated Valentine’s Day.

I revise my question: IS PET SOCIETY JUST FOR GIRLS AND GAYS?

Lest anyone thinks all guys who play P.S. are sissies, let me introduce Jim from California. His profile on Facebook shows videos of himself on an ATV, ripping through a muddy trail. Another picture shows him on a boat, catching fish that look heavier than Jessica Simpson. He’s also very direct and doesn’t like to beat around the bush. I nicknamed him Media Man, because this is what I found at his pet Brownie’s house:

Interview with Jim, Media Man:

Q: Is your pet Brownie always naked or did I catch her on a bad day?

A: LOL, yes you did. Brownie was “born” when the ghost dress was in the shop. With only 5 friends it took a few days to earn the 750 coins to buy one. Other than a few times that is all she has worn.

Q: I noticed that your pet is a girl. Has she slept with any other pets, and if so, does she sleep with girl pets, boys or both?

A: One time when I was doing my daily visits, I had to go do something else. When I came back about 20 minutes later Brownie was spooning with my friend’s boy pet. I took a pic and posted it on my Facebook profile with the caption saying “If Brownie ends up pregnant I know who is paying child support.” Now I keep an eye on her!

Q: How many strangers have you added as friends for the purpose of playing Pet Society?

A: Before PS I had 20 or so friends, just before Christmas I had around 500, all added from the old forum, then I cut it down to 80 people that I talk to often. Now it is back up to 170 and change, almost time to cut back again.

Q: What’s up with your sign, “No, you can’t have my stuff”?

A: Beggars! I cannot stand them! I like to give gifts to people, I do it all the time. But people that say “Give me, give me, give me,” makes me want to find them in real life and smack them. But the sign is gone now and my house is back to the way it should be! Editor’s note: It’s true, Brownie’s house is warm and inviting and she looks quite happy. Maybe all she needed was a good spooning.

Q: If your pet were in a movie, which actor/actress would play Brownie?

A: Milla Jovovich, Because she kicks ass but is still hot.

Q: Some people say that PS is for girls. What’s your response to that?

A: LMAO! I would respond to that with, “Say that to my face!”

Finally, a story on the Men of Pet Society wouldn’t be complete without an interview with my ex-boyfriend Hank. Once upon a time, Hank’s pet Wasabi laid on top of Sushi and the world was perfect.

Interview with Hank, Lover Boy:

Q:. Some people say that PS is for girls. What’s your response to that?

A: Yes. Guys, PS is just a playground teeming with women who barge into your home unannounced, looking for a new buddy. Stay away.

Q: Why do you like to play Pet Society?

A: If I could show up at my friends’ houses at 4am, play with them (and get paid for it), then go shopping, I wouldn’t need PS.

Q: You’ve only got 8,000 paw points and your pet is always wearing the same thing, yet you have a jukebox that costs 20,000 coins. How did you manage that?

A: A female friend who would occasionally call me for no-strings sex once told me in bed, “If you ever need me to buy anything for your pet, just ask.” She has a lot of PS cash. So hey, I took her up on it! Several times.

Q: Do you ever buy coins with real money?

A: No. But if I ever did, I wouldn’t tell anybody.

Q: How many pets has Wasabi slept with? Does he sleep with girls, boys or both?

A: Too many to count. But girls only. Fortunately there are no hard liquor or drugs in PS to bring about sexuality issues.

Q: If your pet were in a movie, which actor would play him?

A: Brad Pitt, but with a bigger c*ck of course!

There you have it, folks. The Men of Pet Society, or I should say, the Four Men of Pet Society who’ve dared to show themselves. They’re loud, they’re proud, and they’ve got huge cucumbers.

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How I got hooked on Pet Society

Published November 13, 2008 Pet Genders 26 Comments
Tags: Facebook, Pet Society, Social games

An old friend of mine invited me to play Pet Society. I must have been really bored that day, so I clicked on the invite and gave it a try. Pet Society seemed harmless enough, with its simple, 2-D avatars in a game that didn’t appear to have much of a competitive urge. The environment was flat and uninteresting. Here’s a screenshot of my pet, “Sushi,” in his empty house:

Empty House in Pet Society

Yeah, I know, it didn’t really impress me either. Little did I know that Pet Society had the addictive properties of corn syrup or crack cocaine. Once I started visiting other people’s pets, I began to sense the game’s appeal. I saw that my friend, Holly*, who invited me to play, had a much nicer house and a closet full of cute clothes. I asked Holly how long she’d been playing the game. “Hmm. A month, maybe a month and a half. It’s good for OCD,” she replied.

My friend's better house in Pet Society.

My friend in Pet Society has a bigger house and cuter clothes.

I immediately went into downtown to shop for pet clothes. This, I realized was the hook. Like the Real Housewives of Atlanta, the lives of the pets in Pet Society revolve around shopping and looking good. I visited the stylist, and experimented with various hair styles and facial shapes for Sushi, but found to my dismay that I couldn’t afford most of the changes. Getting a heart-shaped mouth or a pair of furry, cat-like ears would cost hundreds of points. Changing the skintone was the cheapest at 50 points, but I decided to keep my pet coffee-colored. Obama had just been elected President after all. It was hip to be latte.

Most disappointing was that I couldn’t change my avatar from a boy to a girl without shelling out 250 points. I preferred to have a female pet, but I needed my points badly for new duds and furniture, not to mention food. The health indicator on my screen showed that my pet was hungry, so I had to drop by the grocery store before Sushi collapsed from hunger. Back at the clothing store, I settled for a striped shirt and a pair of simple black shoes.

Before and After the make-over

The next day, I got a note from Holly. “Sushi looks sooo adorable in his new shirt! But he’s a bit of a perv. My pet Genevieve went to visit him, and he answered the door with no pants on!”

“Just pretend the shirt is a dress,” I replied. I explained that I couldn’t afford a sex change and that I was just going to treat Sushi like a girl.

When Holly wrote back, she sent over a pair of virtual jeans. “These are for your boy-girl.”

It was a nice gesture, but I didn’t quite understand what the big deal was. It’s not like the pets have big boobs and genitalia anyway. Besides, having a trannie in the neighborhood would add to the diversity of Pet Society.

I didn’t tell Holly this, but I sold her jeans and went shopping again, this time buying an orange couch and a potted plant for the house. My pet was now ready to receive visitors in style.