Herinteractive | Teen Ink

Herinteractive

August 14, 2008
By VandaNoon PLATINUM, West Pittston, Pennsylvania
VandaNoon PLATINUM, West Pittston, Pennsylvania
42 articles 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
what i can remember
is a lot like water
trickling down a page
of the most beautiful colors
-Marie Digby 'Unfold'


Herinteractive.com is the website for the Herinteractive computer game company. They sell the interactive Nancy Drew sleuthing games. Nancy, a friend of many book readers, comes to life, solving crimes ranging from homicide to thievery to kidnapping. All of the games are excellent, and the company’s website only illustrates the high standard which they have set for themselves. Each of their nineteen computer games has an individual page. This page provides information such as the price, a summary of the game, pictures, and more. Sometimes, fun mini games are also available.

For those who become fans of the games, herinteractive.com should not be forgotten. Herinteractive has a forum community set up. On this forum you can ask for help with almost any game from the over 8000 active members. Help is often received within minutes, making your gaming experience all the more enjoyable. (No longer will you quit playing a game from frustration.) There is also the option to share your opinion on any of their many games.

For those who share an interest in the classic Nancy, you can start book clubs and write reviews for any of the many Nancy Drew books. Movies are also discussed. Technical support can be received as well. Nancy Drew oriented stories can be written and shared with all. Themed signatures, avatars, and more make this have a typical forum charm with a Nancy twist.

Parents may wonder what type of mother I have, considering she allowed me to post on a forum with little supervision from herself. The reasoning behind her actions is nowhere near negligence. Herinteractive is perhaps the safest website I have ever seen. There are a dozen or so moderators and administrators who traipse through the hundreds of posts to check for anything inappropriate. Members are also allowed to report concerning posts. Before accessing the forums you are required to read the rules and state that you agree with them. These rules range from a G-rating rule, to no personal information, to no posting outside links or email addresses. You aren’t allowed to chat about unrelated topics.

Over the time I was a frequent member on these boards, I saw many members come and go. Some would complain about the rules. Why can’t we chat? Why can’t we have private messaging? Some would complain about the moderators, resorting to vulgarity and personal insults. Within less than an hour, these members would be responded to rationally by the moderators and banned if any inappropriateness took place. What struck me the most, was not the quick response to questions or rudeness, it was the fierce loyalty that members had towards the moderating staff. The moderators were normally the calm ones, while as the members would come within minutes, honing in on the negativity, defending the moderators as though they were their family. The same went for negative reviews of the games. The site most certainly allowed criticisms, but the members would band together, standing by the company as though they were personally invested. Members took insults personally. I too quickly became a defender of what, to this day, I consider one of the best computer gaming companies.

This website is safe, which made my parents and I both more comfortable. It’s fun, which made me frequent it. I had no doubt of either of these things when I first registered. What I didn’t expect was that by joining, I was becoming part of an online family. From the age of twelve to thirteen, I frequented this site for many hours a day. Half the time, I was helping members who were stuck with their games. Despite the fact that I no longer go on nearly as much, I still check in occasionally. My lack of interest, has nothing to do with the site, and everything to do with my lack of interest with computer games in general. No matter if I become interested again, or if I never touch a Nancy Drew game, I will never forget what I have learned from this site. I made friends that I will never forget. And I became friends with them knowing nothing more than their screen name and their favorite Nancy Drew game. I became friends with them without emails or instant messages, and simply by seeing their personality shine through their posts. Herinteractive taught me that it is possible to have a safe online community. It’s not easy, but it’s possible. Herinteractive, I thank you for taking the effort to make it possible. I’m a different type of internet user because of my time on the website.

If you’ve ever seen anything Nancy Drew related, I think you should check out this website. Whether you are six or sixty (and trust me, this website has members of both ages) you won’t be disappointed in the safety or the enjoyment.

The author's comments:
I belong to many other forumns now. It was a bit of a shock going on these and discovering that herinteractive had sheltered me so much from some of the horrors of the internet. No matter what site you are on, please readers, use your common sense. Don't let your guard down, and be safe.

Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 1 comment.


callas said...
on Sep. 12 2008 at 1:30 am
You did a nice job with this article. It's a great summary of all of the positives about Her Interactive. Kudos to you!