TAMAGOTCHI
A Revisit of the Nostalgic Toy:
Anything virtual back in the 90s was impressive due to the rise of technology. Among them was a simple toy, Tamagotchi, created by Bandai from Japan. Tamagotchi is a portable virtual pet game in a tiny egg-shaped device. Tamagotchi’s popularity soared after the first few months of its release. It comes in many different colors and includes three buttons to operate with. Then, something happened 20 years later. Bandai released 20th anniversary Tamagotchis on November 5, 2017, in the U.S. The nostalgic feel kicked back after the announcement, however, there is one thing that is noticeably different about the 2017 Tamagotchi.
One thing that people noticed immediately was the size difference. This 2017 one was indeed much smaller, around 60% smaller in size than the original one. People born in the late 90s are adults now, meaning the small device doesn’t fit their hands. The buttons are too small to press on, causing some irritation in buyers. However the size, the new Tamagotchis still prove that they are an ideal portable virtual companion.
The 2017 Tamagotchi stays true to the original 1996 Tamagotchi, nothing else changed except for the size. It still comes in various vibrant colors and includes six different designs. Two that almost resembles a clock, one that has numbers on them, two solid colors, and one with a transparent blue eggshell. Each device has a different pet. Sadly, the screen is very reflective of the light. Not only that, the screen still lacks the backlight and have the same low-resolution LCD.
The goal is the same as always: keep your pet alive. You do not want your virtual pet’s health bars to drop to zero. To prevent that, all you need to do is feed them, clean them, discipline them, and play games with them. Just check up on your pet occasionally to keep it alive. They still bear the same eminent features—beeping loudly for your attention and can die quickly if you are not careful enough. But what’s Tamagotchi without these two characteristics? Many people, who were kids in the 90s, found that Tamagotchi became hard to handle today. Not from its size, but from their daily life. On the first few days, they were in loved with the comeback and held the device close to them all the time. They would check on it a lot and often fiddle with the buttons. However, after another next few days, they isolated from their virtual pet because they have too many technologies around them that distracted them. For example, checking up on their phone and using the laptop for work. These factors led stray the affection showered toward Tamagotchi, and they became uninterested in them. After just several days, the Tamagotchi does not follow them anywhere anymore. Adults who play Tamagotchi also felt a big responsibility that came along with the toy because of its parent like constant call for responsibility.
So, why did people pay more attention to Tamagotchis in the 90s? The lack of ownership of computers back then was the key for the widespread interest toward Tamagotchis. People who didn’t have a pet or a computer found Tamagotchis the perfect fit to make up those points. They could easily raise a pet by pressing buttons without the need to pay for their pet’s necessities in real life. Kids were more likely to play with Tamagotchi for a longer time because apps were not a thing yet. In modern days, many gaming apps are created for entertainment and because there is already a variety of apps out there, people are more likely to use their phones for gaming instead of Tamagotchis. Thus, the nostalgic Tamagotchi is easily abandoned.
Despite all these information, Tamagotchi is worth a grab if you want to experience being in the 90’s again. They cost around $20 depending on where you buy them. Gamestop offers them for $13.99 excluding shipping fee. Target offers the original Tamagotchi for $19.99 with free standard shipping. Have fun!
Beep Beep
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Hm? What’s that? An eevee tamagotchi?
By: Connie Tan