As a child, Webkinz engraved itself onto my soul.

Seriously, Webkinz has been the only MMO that was ever able to hook me. I’m a sucker for media with a domestic bend to it and Webkinz really scratched that itch. Boasting a mix of once-a-day and ‘endless’ activities (including variants of common strategy arcade games and the ability to decorate a house which I recall having an infinite number of new rooms added to it), I genuinely believe Webkinz to be the most relaxing yet non-boring comfort game I’ve played in my life.

However, the quality of the game is not why we are here today. Instead, I intend to explain why Arte Fact and the Curio Shop deserve to be recognised as a solid shopkeeper character and locale, particularly in a game aimed at younger audiences.

Conceptually, the Curio Shop exists as a ‘back alley’ alternative to the game’s standard, all-purpose store. It is the Jolly Redd’s Treasure Trawler to Nook’s Cranny. And the setting does a strong job of conveying this characterisation without making it feel tonally disconnected from the rest of the game’s world. The intention behind the design of the shop was communicated by Webkinz’s Creative Director Karl Borst:

“When I joined Ganz, Ms. Birdy and Dr. Quack were already designed, along with an early concept for Quizzy. The first character and location that I personally designed were Arte Fact and the Curio Shop. I really hated how rare items were handled in Neopets and wanted to create something that captured the “chase” without the frustration and endless refreshing. I also wanted to give our characters more personality, which is why I personally did the voice for Arte as well…” (Weimer, 2021, para. 12).

When it comes to NPC personality in Webkinz, Arte has the lion’s share. The other main characters a player would likely have bumped into at this point all consist of individuals in respected positions with their corresponding expected upstanding personalities: a lovely older adoption agent, a strict but fair teacher, and a kind-hearted doctor, all of whom enunciate each and every one of their words.

Arte is just some guy with a gravelly voice and an olive pilot jacket. As you enter his shop, he gives you the lowdown. While Webkinz’s main shop exists to sell fixed foods and a rotating inventory of reasonably priced furniture, the Curio Shop exists to offer a mix of rare and common items at a variety of prices. Arte gives it to you straight—not every price here is fair. Look at the items and prices yourself and come to your own conclusions.

This already does a good job of adding some level of gameplay to what may otherwise be a glorified shop menu. This is by no means a novel or unique feature. However, what Webkinz does a really good job at is simultaneously introducing the concept and enforcing it to an audience who may not have encountered anything like it before. While Arte explicitly explains the mechanics of the shop, the juxtaposed characterisation of the store and character relative to the rest of the game tacitly communicates to players ‘hey, be on alert—something’s up with this place/guy’. As a result, it is able to teach players mechanics without talking down to them—a factor that I was able to sense and engage with fresh out of kindergarten.

Some hints exist in the way of asking Arte about when he will be having his next sale or begin selling a rare item, though he only gives you a vague response as a new customer. This does not break the gameplay aspect of the shop as it is not some outside source giving you information—you are asking the person you are skeptical of for hints. If anything, giving younger player the option to see what Arte has to say regarding future sales and decide whether they believe him furthers their engagement with the shop’s gameplay rather than detracts from it. Add the fact that you have a shopkeeper who warms up to you and offers more precise hints the more you visit, buy, and tip (because of course there is a tip can, this shop is the best), and you have a location that remains interesting as you log in to check it day to day.

This battle of wits with Arte is taken a final step further when it comes to the store’s last feature: the gem hunt. Look at the gems:

(top) from https://discover.hubpages.com/games-hobbies/Curio_Shop; (bottom) from https://webkinznewz.ganzworld.com/announcements/special-report-with-steve-webkinz-31/

Look how they shine. You start with an empty library and instantly want all of them. Seeing as there’s only 30 in the game, every new one feels like a concrete step towards completing a section of the library. Every day, you have 3 chances to randomly find a new gem, with very little influence over which one you find and a maximum of one per day. Needless to say, when you find a new and rare one, the stakes feel high.

It’s in this very moment, after you return from the mines but before you can keep the gem, that Arte stops you to propose a deal. Every time you find something, he comments on it and offers to spend a varying amount of currency to take it from you. He has no reservations making an offhand comment about your find, such as stating how common of a find it is, not to get too excited, and that he would be willing to cough up a couple of bucks for it. If he buys the gem, it is not added to your collection.

Playing into this, Arte is specifically coded to specifically offer more money if it’s a gem you don’t already own. In a game where the economy is surprisingly tight typically only allowing you to make a couple 100 Kinzcash (currency) an hour through regularly gameplay in the arcade, being offered hundreds or even thousands of it creates a genuinely difficult trade-off. And just like with the store, sometimes Arte may be making a fair deal and sometimes he may be low-balling you.

This screen offers no hints. Just the price, and an option to accept or decline. Either decision is final.

Games often have trouble balancing the competence of their NPCs. In Animal Crossing New Horizon, your neighbours and supposed friends never really do anything or express agency, despite maybe being a physical roadblock as you singlehandedly terraform the island they call home. It evokes the feeling of babysitting. On the other hand of the spectrum, games (particularly those aimed at children) tend to struggle with introducing mechanics and telling a narrative that isn’t speaking down to the player (generations 6-8 of the Pokémon mainline games have a serious problem with linearity and constantly interrupting the gameplay with cutscenes and tutorials). The fact that the Webkinz was able to strike a balance between these pitfalls through Arte Fact and the Curio Shop is something that should be applauded. Standing toe to toe with Arte as an equal is a moment of gaming in from my childhood that I still carry with me today. People of all ages respond well when their abilities are appropriately respected.

So, thanks Arte.

Pleasure doing business with you.

References

Weimer, J. (2021, September 1). Webkinz’s OG Creative Director answers 25 questions we all had as kids. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacksonweimer/2021/09/01/webkinzs-og-creative-director-answers-25-questions-we-all-had-as-kids