Nothing was the same, of course, but it still surprised me how easily I slipped back into the cosy routine of chatroom hopping. I desperately searched for the old diner I used to visit and typed swear words just to see “bobba” (the filter word that censored profanity) appear. While I couldn’t remember the login details to my original account, the process of creating a pixelated me (complete with blonde bunches) and wandering the soothingly square rooms chatting to strangers lulled me into a swimmy state of nostalgia. When I logged back in for the purposes of this article, I felt like I was travelling back in time. Other players left following a merge of all the different hotel servers into one, which messed up the Habbo economies (the ice cream machines’ values fell dramatically) and hurt certain communities.ĭespite everything, Habbo Hotel is still going and has outlived more modern social networking sites such as Vine and Google Plus. While live chat eventually returned, the damage was done – its user base had started abandoning Habbo.ĭespite everything, Habbo Hotel is still going and has outlived more modern social networking sites such as Vine and Google Plus. The following day, Sulake issued a site-wide mute on its chat function, which led to hundreds of users protesting within the hotel lobby, a popular gathering space for those just logging in. In 2012, a Channel 4 investigation found that pedophiles were regularly using Habbo to engage children in sexual conversations. I cried for a week, and so did my dad (all that furni had to be bought with real money).įor most Habbo fans, it was a site-wide mute (or “ The Great Mute” as it’s known within the fandom) that changed everything. The next time I logged into my account, my furni was gone and XxGoldilocksxX modelling agency had fallen into administration. My Habbo journey came to an abrupt end in 2006, when a male avatar with a buzzcut asked me what my pet’s name was. He occasionally gave me a palm tree or pastel pink dining chair.
It was a bit much, to be honest, but I didn’t ask any questions. I’d visit his overcrowded rooms to gawp at his golden statues, golden eggs and gold-rimmed jacuzzi. I was 13 and had a crush on my real life neighbour, who was the only other person I knew that played it.
I first played Habbo in 2004 and used the site to set up my own modelling agency, which other players would sign-up to. On its 20th anniversary, however, Habbo Hotel offers something very different to its dwindling user base – a relic of early internet culture that conjures up all the nostalgia of being online in the first flush of the 21st century.
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