In Defense of Overfeeders

Nestled in the heart of Neopia is a charming place known as the Kadoatery. When leaving for a vacation, doting Kadoatie owners can place their beloved companions in the safety of the Kadoatery. It’s a kennel, of sorts. As nice as the Kadoatery is, the sweet Kads often become sad at the prospect of being separated from their owners. This is where you come in. Kind-hearted Neopians can alleviate some of their sadness by providing the Kads with a treat. These petpets will ask for a specific food item, ranging from 1 to 99,999nps and up. You purchase the snack and then give it to the Kadoatie. This quickly changes their mood from virtually depressive to ridiculously happy. When the Kads ask for food, you must move very quickly. There are many people vying for a chance to feed, and only a limited number of spots to do so.

There are no neopoint or rare item prizes for feeding Kadoaties, but something more elusive; a shiny trophy and a spiffy avatar.

The trophies:

You receive a third place trophy for feeding 1-10 Kadoaties.

Upon feeding your tenth Kad, your trophy upgrades to this sparkly silver edition. This remains until your 25 Kadoatie.

Finally, we have the coveted golden trophy. This upgrade appears when you feed 25+ Kads.

The avatar:

You receive a third place trophy for feeding 1-10 Kadoaties.

The avatar is achieved when you visit your lookup after feeding 75 times. With this avatar you have “gone pink”.

This is where some controversy comes into play in the world of Kadding (the act of feeding Kadoaties). Kadding is a long and time-consuming effort in the quest for account improvement. This would lead many to believe that once you reached the 75 Kad requirement, you would stop. Your Kadding career would be over and you would be free to you know, eat, sleep, and step into the sunlight once again. For many, nothing could be farther from the truth. Feeding Kads quickly becomes an addiction. There is a certain rush that appears every time you refresh and witness a slew of hungry Kadoaties in front of you. The thrill that comes when you beat your opponent to the Kadoatie of your choice cannot be replicated anywhere else on Neopets. Those who continue to feed beyond the 75 avatar goal are known as overfeeders. Overfeeders continue to feed Kadoaties for an indefinite amount of time. They have no limit, and many are trying to reach an individual goal, such as 500 or 1337. There are even some elite overfeeders who have fed thousands upon thousands of Kads. Talk about dedication!

Many new Kadders (also known, adorably, as mewbies) become frustrated with overfeeders. Overfeeders are fast, experienced, and many have a full arsenal of Kad food at their disposal. I have seen many mewbies blame overfeeders as the reason they cannot Kad effectively. There seems to be a disdain against those who have fed beyond the 75 goal. Sometimes, an argument about what is fair and unfair ensues in the Neopets community, and some have even gone as far as to accuse overfeeders of cheating. Admittedly, I was unhappy with overfeeders in the beginning. It seemed like every time I was beaten or “owned” (alternatively, pwned) on a Kad, it was by a voracious OFer. I was irritated, and in my mind, overfeeders were selfish. They were keeping everyone, including myself, from our avatar goals. If they already had the avatar, why did they need to keep feeding? It did not make any sense.

In a desperate attempt to defeat the overfeeders, I began to only feed the Kads who were asking for unbuyable foods, each one above 100,000 neopoints. Needless to say, my bank account depleted quickly, and I still had 72 more Kads to feed! When I realized the cost, I decided to quit Kadding entirely. Months passed, and every time I visited my lookup, my eyes would land on that little bronze trophy that read: Kadoatery (3 Fed). One day, I found my resolve. I wanted to become a Kadder. I decided to learn everything I could about Kadding. I read several guides on shop wizard, invent, and SDB feeding. I learned the time system, and stalked the Kadoatery boards for times. I even conferred with several users that had gone pink and asked for tips and advice. They were all forthcoming and encouraging. With my newfound knowledge, I set out to the Kadoatery.

I’m not going to lie; I missed many feeds at first. Like many. But still, I persisted. I experimented with playing at different times during the day, working to find my timeslot. Eventually, I got the hang of it. Sometimes, I still get owned, and I don’t have the time to Kad as frequently, but I am completely capable of feeding now. Before long, I upgraded my trophy from bronze to silver. The joy I gained from feeding a Kadoatie was irreplaceable. The activity that I once hated the most was now becoming…fun. As I continued, I began to see how someone could enjoy overfeeding. It was wonderful to watch my trophy count go up.

I began to learn a valuable lesson from Kadding; overfeeders were not bad Neopians. They were quite the opposite, actually. Overfeeders were not a snobby, elitist group, bent on keeping others from going pink, but instead a group of friendly and encouraging members. I never saw anyone downing or making fun of any mewbies, but rather cheered them on. No one was excluded from their conversations on the boards, and no one was unwelcome, regardless of Kads fed (if any!).

But still the question remains: Why do overfeeders continue to feed Kads? For many, a personal goal is being worked towards, such as a specific number. Others like to engage in friendly Kadding competitions with their neofriends. And some just enjoy the excitement of it all. The truth is, no matter the reason, overfeeders have just as much right to feed Kadoaties as new feeders do. Many people fill up their stamp albums (including ones without an avatar reward), their neodeck, their gallery, etc. You know you have accomplished a goal when you see the numbers on your albums tick upwards. The same rings true for Kadding. Increasing a Kad number is no different than adding to your stamp count, or upgrading your high score.

Overfeeders have a bad rap in the Neopian community, and it’s time to change that. They’re collectors just like everyone else. And the truth is, overfeeders get beaten out by other players too, sometimes even by new Kadders. As I write this, I haven’t gone pink yet, but I am working towards it. It can be difficult, but I am determined to make it work. I admire overfeeders and their dedication to the game. They also happen to be great competition. They keep the game interesting. Without overfeeders, I don’t think feeding would have the same excitement to it.

When it comes to Kadding, keep trying. Patience and persistence are key. You WILL go pink eventually. Who knows, you may just become an overfeeder yourself