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Discipline: n/a
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Here is a brief history of Tamagotchi!!
Japanese housewife Aki Maita (b. circa
1966) invented the plastic electro-avian, seeking an easy-to-care-for
pet. Since launching the Tamagotchi in November 1996,
manufacturer Bandai (previous hit: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers)
has sold over 5 million units; overwhelming demand created
massive lines at stores and the inevitable black market drove
prices to at least ten times normal value.
Schoolgirl muggings have occurred; sightings of Tamagotchi-struck
businessmen have been frequent. In the US, one FAO Schwarz store
(in New York City) moved 12,000 units in a single day; interest
in the eggs threatens to overtake the concurrent fad "Beanie
Babies." Rival company Tiger Electronics rushed its own
Tamagotchi copies (the multi-species "Giga Pets") to
stores in 1997.
"It is more than a toy, it is a
learning device," states Mary Woodworth, a spokesperson for
Bandai Corporation's U.S. division. "It teaches people to be
responsible -- to care for something like a pet. People see how
long they can extend the life of their Tamagotchi pet. You cannot
just ignore your Tamagotchi when it needs you... Business people
have been known to postpone meetings because their Tamagotchi
needed its waste removed or its sore feelings consoled."
"You don't just play with your Tamagotchi when you feel like
it," she continued. "It will let you know when it wants
you. It will beep you and cry for you, and its sounds will get
louder and louder until you give it attention." If you
ignore it, she noted, the Tamagotchi will misbehave -- acting
loudly and recklessly, not responding to affection and even
becoming physically ill.
In Japan, Tamagotchi has caught on in a
huge way. First released last November, it sold 350,000 units
before the end of the year, and 1.35 million units before the
supply was ultimately exhausted in February. Bandai was forced
into full-throttle production, and is promised to hatch 7 million
new Tamagotchis in Japan by June, when the English version lands
in the United States. All told, Bandai expects to sell 13 million
Tamagotchis by next March. Meanwhile, while supplies are low,
Tamagotchi cultists are wreaking havoc on each other for the
little digital chick.
When a store announces that a thousand or so of the gadgets will
be made available, Japanese children and adults travel hundreds
of miles to camp out on the street, hoping to buy one. Other
people resort to the underground market, where a Tamagotchi sells
for 50 times its street value of 1,900 yen (about $16). In other
words, up to $1,000 for a little plastic cousin-of-Coleco
football.
There are several colours. "People
wear them as necklaces, key chains, bracelets," "Movie
stars are seen playing with them while they are being interviewed
on TV." It has now become more than a fashion statement --
the Tamagotchi is also a status symbol. Like most fads, the
Tamagotchi craze has sprouted a garden industry of cultural
interpretation to explain the popularity.
Many pundits explain that the toy's popularity is largely due to
Japan's space shortage -- the handheld device enables residents
to own pets without the hassle of a litter box or the requirement
of a backyard. In Tokyo, where 13 million people reside in a
space that seems adequate for barely one tenth that number, pet
owners are often forced to leave their animals in pet shops, and
visit them occasionally on their way to or from work.
Tamagotchi offers what computer users have been seeking all along
-- an electronic interface that talks back and builds a
relationship with its user. This desire for "artificial life"
has driven companies such as Fujitsu Interactive and P.F. Magic
to introduce products such as Fin Fin and OddBallz, screen savers
and windows applications that bond with their "owners."
"Artificial life is a whole new level of human-computer interaction," Yoshi Matsumodo, vice president of Fujitsu Interactive in San Francisco, has said "It is a step along the way to a time when humans and computers -- as intelligent agents -- can work together for productivity and entertainment." It all makes sense. Those of us who have held dysfunctional love/hate relationships with our computers for a long time have suspected a logical next step: a computer device that loves you -- and hates you -- right back.
Virtual-pet craze, imported in May 1997
to the US from Japan in the infantilized pop-culture tradition of
Hello Kitty. The Tamagotchi (roughly translated, "Lovable
Egg") consists of a small ovoid electronic device with LCD
display depicting a bird. The owner must periodically care for
the "pet," with choices of food, discipline, and other
factors influencing its healthy development. The average life-span
is 10-18 days, but negligence will result in premature virtual
"death" (in North America, "flying away"),
signified by loud squawking.
A reset button reincarnates the Tamagotchi. Well, virtually, that
is. Tamagotchi is actually a "virtual pet"; after
travelling millions of light-years through cyberspace" to
hatch in its flattened-duck-egg-shaped shell, it immediately
starts squeaking and crying for attention from its owner.
Tamagotchi owners are then obliged to feed it when it's hungry,
play with it when it needs attention, vaccinate it when it's ill,
scold it when it's naughty and, indeed, clean it up after it
defecates. (All of these tasks are conveniently made possible
through the buttons on the Tamagotchi's casing.) When the owner
does not fulfil these obligations, the Tamagotchi will become
unhappy, kvetchy, ill and, ultimately, dead.
Even though a new Tamagotchi can be hatched with the press of a button when an old one dies, people become quite attached to their digital playmates. An owner can register their tamagotchi, how long the Tamagotchi lived, and leave a short eulogy. "Bye bye Tamagotchi," one entry reads, "he was very cute."
Well it's Japan's latest craze, soon to
hit the U.K.: the Tamagotchi, produced by Bandai, the same
company that blessed the world the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
and the Beetleborgs.
Tamagotchi, or "lovable egg," looks like one of those
plastic change-holders that peaked as a '70s fad. Only it has a
small gray LCD display and three round buttons below the screen.
Small enough to fit into a person's hand, Tamagotchi is Japan's
latest application of artificial Intelligence to bite-sized
electronic gadgets, a Japanese forte. Although not really that
intelligent, the Tamagotchi fakes it pretty well -- and is far
more realistic than graphically rendered make-believe humans.
An appealing virtual reality creature. Tamagotchi ("tom-ah-got-chee") was as mentioned earlier, first discovered in Japan. Tamagotchi hatch from tiny eggs after traveling millions of lightyears through cyberspace. With proper care and feeding (accomplished by pushing buttons on the egg), Tamagotchi quickly grow into adorable virtual reality pets in a wide variety or shapes and personalities.
Enormously popular in Japan, Tamagotchi
have been adopted by children, teens, and adults of both sexes.
If you do not keep Tamagotchi happy or take care of Tamagotchi
properly, it will mutate into an unattractive alien or dies, and
you will have to start all over again. Tamagotchi will beep, or
if you turn off the sound, a small light bulb will light to let
you know that Tamagotchi needs something. If Tamagotchi beeps and
it needs nothing, it means that Tamagotchi needs to be
disciplined.
The record for longest lived Tamagotchi is 28 days, which was set
somewhere in Japan.
Tamagotchi crimes -- where teenagers, in pursuit of fresh eggs, are arrested for assault -- have reached such dangerous levels that Tamagotchi owners are advised to keep the devices hidden while in public, and Bandai employees are warned to keep their employment affiliation secret to avoid being mugged and robbed. All this for a product that purportedly teaches people how to be "responsible" and "care for another."
Tamagotchi - goes mad. Jumbo jets are being chartered to bring weekly supplies of the cyberpets to meet demand. The trip by boat would normally take four weeks, but Bandai are more than happy to pay the extra to get them here in a day.
News from Japan is not so good as the
tamagotchi craze has started to spiral out of control in Japan
with people being mugged for their cyber-pets by "Tamagotchi"
snatchers.
Tamagotchi's 2 & 3 are already on sale, but for you real
addicts there's the Tamagotchi phone with a virtual pet stored
inside!
Tamagotchi - the cyberpets for the future are small egg shaped pets and are designed to be the perfect computerised companion. Just what you need for this fast paced world.
Firstly hand over your £9.99, pull a little tab out from its side and an egg appears on the little built in screen, simple as that - no after birth or anything!
There are two different versions of Tamagotchi, one is the American version and the other is the Japanese version. The American version has three buttons and the Japanese version has five buttons. A Tamagotchi comes in a variety of colors. The most favorable colours are clear blue and white, which are pretty rare. The other colors are yellow, green, and purple. A Tamagotchi is very small and has the shape of a chicken egg.
In Japan the craze of tamagotchi has
given 'birth' to creches for pet owners to place their tamagotchi
(cyberpets), in whilst they work. The beauty of this little
cyberpet is there is no messy birth, no mess to clean up - and
you only have to play with it to keep it happy.
Just like any cat or dog, the tamagotchi requires exercise, to be,
fed and kept clean. You can also give them medicine if they are
unwell or run-down.
In America a tamagotchi usually sells for $20 and the Japanese
version usually sells for $50. A Tamagotchi in Japan is rare and
hard to find, so people are willing to pay up to $400 each.
There are also many imitation versions of Tamagotchi out on the market. The most famous are manufactured by Tiger Electronics which are called Giga Pets. The other imitation versions of Tamagotchi are mostly made in China, Japan, or Taiwan. The imitation versions come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and number of buttons. Also, they have other types of animals that you can take care of. The most famous are aliens, dogs, dinosaurs, and cats. Bandai is also currently making other animals for the Tamagotchi.
If you really want to take care of another animal other than a chicken or cannot find a genuine Bandai Tamagotchi, then you should buy an imitation version of Tamagotchi. However, I recommend that you buy a Bandai Tamagotchi, because the imitation ones break easier and are bigger, which makes them more difficult to carry.
Every parent or pet owner will know that a contented pet is a happy pet, with love and care it will grow into a well adjusted, happy and healthy individual, follow these simple tips for a happy cyberpet.
Feed regularly.
You can tell when tamagotchi requires
feeding by the little health screen on the computers face being
blank, you can change this by clicking on the buttons underneath
the screen. Four hearts are displayed under hungry and if any are
empty, he needs feeding.
The chain supplied with tamagotchi is tender-hearted. If you hang
your tamagotchi on your bag, you will lose your tamagotchi quite
easy. (The chain on the English version is much stronger than the
Japanese version). Don't touch a button on the reverse side of
your tamagotchi, this action will kill your tamagotchi. If the
battery is dead, it dies, but if you change the battery quickly,
your tamagotchi will be quite safe. Too many snacks are not good...when
your tamagotchi is hungry, meals will fill it up and make it
happy.
Make it happy.
You can tell when tamagotchi is happy - as the same as when he requires feeding happens, a cross tamagotchi will have blank hearts under happy on its health meter. To cheer it up, you have to play a game by clicking on the bat and ball icon.
It bleeps if it doesn't like what is
going on or if it wants to get your attention.
If you dont tend to it regularly, it gets hungry and sulks.
Give a shot to tamagotchi ONLY when it is sick. If a mark on its
cranium appears, it is heading for sickness, cure it by giving
shots quickly until it makes your tamagotchi healthy again.
Clean regularly.
Cleaning is a simple chore, not as messy as cleaning up after a baby, a kitten or a pup - no stained carpets, all you have to do is press a flush button and the mess gets shovelled off the screen. Easy as that.
Let it sleep.
Your tamagotchi will sleep for up to twelve hours if well cared for - so there is none of that getting up in the middle of the night to see to it either. They say the creatures live for about a month and then choose to go back to their own planet. If they are unhappy or neglected, they can die much sooner. You could have a visit from the tamagotchi cruelty police, so be warned!
Oh and turn off it's light when its sleeping.
