“Animal Jam is dying.”

How many times have you heard someone say this- on AJ, online, or even in school or your community? You’ve probably heard this MANY times before. Many believe Animal Jam is dying for one main reason: Everyone is quitting.

I could name at least five famous Jammers who have quit. Julian2, (Spinnybois forever) Aparri, LilacPetals, Gellyjones, Skorm… The list could go on! But have you ever stopped to consider the many smaller Instajammers and YouTubers who have been a community member throughout all of this?

Today, I will be shining light on that phrase, explaining why Animal Jam is NOT dying, and why many smaller Jammers disagree with that statement as well.

Let’s get into it!

Animal Jam is changing. That word would be correct. I do not believe in the fact that the game is “dying,” simply because-look around! There’s PLENTY of incredible, talented Jammers all over the Internet!

In the first few years, your way to see the “community,” was through the Daily Explorer. If you’re an older Jammer- like myself- you’ll remember seeing fanart sent it, and posting “howls” to see if you’d be featured. Now, Animal Jam has shifted this all onto Instagram and YouTube.

While it IS true that a lot of the famous Jammers and Jambassadors have quit in the past few years, it’s also true that we’ve gained a lot of talent as well. Even if the “big names” in AJ like Aparri and LilacPetal have retired, it doesn’t automatically mean the game is “dead.” It simply means it’s time for new talented Jammers to step up! It’s a cycle. At some point, no matter what age you are, Animal Jam will either become too much, or just boring. I know college students who still make content for Animal Jam! It might seem on the outside that our community is “fading away” because our “main members” have left, but that’s far from the truth!

Even if you aren’t “famous,” you’re still a very active part of this community. There’s hundreds to thousands of small Animal Jam Instajammers and YouTubers just waiting for their “big break.” Personally, it was my goal for a LONG time to become a Jambassador. Now, about 2 years into being in the community, I don’t care if I ever get that title or not. All that matters is if I love what I do, and I really do! I love spending my free time editing AJMVs or editing photos for gifts for other Jammers!

I had a very informative conversation with Clark Stacy, the CEO of Animal Jam himself, to get his view on the topic. This is what he had to say when I asked him that question that’s been peering into everyone’s heads:

“I know that’s a pretty important question for the community, but fortunately the answer is pretty simple: Animal Jam is NOT dying, and it’s best days may still be ahead of it.”

This can give us an exciting vibe from Clark! “...it’s best days may still be ahead of it.” Does this mean new, more fan-wanted updates are soon to come?

This brings me to my next topic: Why are so many people quitting?

Now this one is a pretty simple answer, but I really want to break this down. As most know, Animal Jam was created in 2010. It’s been almost nine years since the release, which means that a lot of the first Jammers are now-or close to- in adulthood. People mature, gain interests, lose some, but in the end, they’re all still apart of the community. As Julian2 said, “Animal Jam has taught me so much, and it’ll be with me for as long as I’m alive.” You never truly leave Animal Jam. It’s apart of you, no matter how far you stray from it. Everyone has learned something about either themselves or about the world from this small Wildworks game.

Personally, I’ve learned so much in my two years in the community than I have my entire life. I’ve been a Jammer since 2013, but I never truly learned about my love for this game until I joined Instagram. I’ve learned about my passion for editing, along with my passion for art.

People can “grow up” and retire, but it doesn’t mean the game is dead. It just means there’s a new generation, but we only tend to see the outside of it all.

Clark also had a very interesting imput on this topic too. His idea was close to my own.

“What IS happening is that a lot of longtime players are moving on from the community, which isn’t a bad thing. AJ is a game and community for kids, and while we love seeing so many longtime Jammers still participating in the community, it’s perfectly natural that others decide it’s time for them to leave AJ behind. Our job is to make sure it’s still here and vibrant whenever they decide to come back and look in on their old hangout. It’s also why we’re working on Fer.al; a new game world for players who’ve “aged out” of Animal Jam.”

“As for AJ itself, the community has certainly changed over the years. If you’ve played the game for a few years, it may seem like the community is shrinking as many of the Jambassadors and veteran players you’ve known are leaving.”

“What those players don’t see, though, are all the new players coming in. The next generation of AJ Jambassadors and veteran players.”

Clark’s idea on this topic was very discussion building, and we had a nice talk about this topic for a while. His main idea is that although our veterans have retired, new kids are always filtering in. Just because it seems like the community is “dying” because famous jammers are leaving, doesn’t mean we don’t see the statistics that the workers at AJHQ have.

Clark also talked a bit to me about Fer.al, which he is very excited for both the beta testing that’s occurring right now, and the release of the new game, which as he says, is for players who’ve “aged out” of Animal Jam.

My final topic today is why people are still interested in the game.

Friends are made from this game. I’ve met some incredible friends from this game that have helped me through some pretty rough patches in my life. This game has brought people from other COUNTRIES together! Animal Jam is more than just an “online kid’s game.” It’s an environment to make true friends and really find yourself. Without this community, I wouldn’t be at all who I am today.

Clark had expressed that there are MANY new plans regarding Play Wild, and how jammers will access Animal Jam after Flash discontinues in 2020. He explains:

“Later this year, the Play Wild mobile experience will be coming to desktop computers, so that community will be able to connect from anywhere. The original Animal Jam game isn’t going anywhere, though. Already a lot of players are moving to our downloadable client version instead of playing in their web browser. It’s a better experience (full screen!) and it’s how everyone will be playing that game by the end of next year, when Flash is retired.”

Clark explains that even though Play Wild has many new features yet to come, (Like desktop!) Animal Jam is still being worked on. Remember:

Great things take time.

In closing, Animal Jam is NOT dying. Although we’ve had some pretty big Jammers quit, it only paves the way for a new generation to take the stand. Animal Jam is a very popular game, and won’t be closing down anytime soon. I hope this helped clarify things up, as well as teach you a thing or two about the game we all know and love! If you want to know more about the topic, or have questions, feel free to let us know! Keep Jamming!

*BIG THANK YOU TO CLARK STACY FOR CHATTING WITH ME VIA INSTAGRAM!

*ALSO THANK YOU TO THE AJA TEAM FOR ALSO GIVING ME THEIR OPINIONS FOR ME TO REFLECT ON!