Virtual pet
You look after a creature that lives on the screen: feeding it, cleaning up after it and playing with it so it doesn't fall ill or get sad. Its needs keep ticking with the clock even when you look away, so the challenge is checking back in time and watching it grow.
Also known as: digital pet, pet-raising simulation, Tamagotchi-like
This is a basic entry: it has the definition and the classification. Full entries add history, games and a demo.
History
- 1995OriginDogz: Your Computer Pet
PF.Magic's Dogz was the first widely popular virtual pet, followed by Catz in 1996. Desktop pets such as Neko, a cat that chased the cursor, already existed.
Virtual pet (Wikipedia) - 1996Tamagotchi
Bandai releases Tamagotchi in Japan, a pet in an egg-shaped device with three buttons; it goes worldwide the following year and becomes a global craze.
Tamagotchi (Wikipedia)
Reference games
1995
Dogz: Your Computer Pet
You adopt an animated dog that lives on your computer: you feed it, look after it and play with it. It was the first widely popular virtual pet and started the Petz series.
1996
Tamagotchi
A pet that lives in an egg-shaped device with three buttons. You raise it from birth, feeding it, cleaning up and caring for it as it goes through its life stages. It was a worldwide craze in the late 1990s.