From Tamagotchi to Fufuly: A Brief History of Virtual Pets
I talk a lot about AI assistants. And although they come in many different shapes and forms, they exclusively reside in the digital realm. Virtual assistants usually don’t cross the boundary to the other side, the real world. They form useful, sometimes entertaining, interlocutors between us, our devices, and everything that exists online.
One of the first virtual pets to make a leap of faith, jump into reality and becoming an outright worldwide hit, was the Tamagotchi.
Even though ‘it’ was confined to the small display, the egg-shaped device itself felt part of the ‘thing’, which made your Tamagotchi tangible. Not just a 8-bit creature that you had to feed on time for it not to die, but also a physical thing you could carry around and hold in the palm of your hand.
Children would go to great lengths to keep their Tamagotchis alive, and while some critics declared the mania as a source of distraction, others argued the value in teaching kids about responsibility in pet ownership. Regardless, the ability for digital creatures to captivate hearts and minds was clear: we cared for them.
The bond between people and their pets
But why do we care? In one of my first newsletters, I talked about the concept of anthropomorphism: the attribution of human traits and emotions to non-human entities. It’s the reason we see faces in the clouds and why we like Disney characters so much, yet it doesn’t fully explain why we so desperately work to keep our virtual pets alive.
The truth is it makes us feel good. Objectively. Studies have shown that the bond between people and their pets is good for your health: decreased blood pressure, cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels, feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and symptoms of PTSD. Having something to care for, whether that thing is real or not, makes us happier.
To some, the virtual pet can even be considered superior to the pet that’s made of flesh and bones. Virtual pets have eternal life. You don’t have to take them to the veterinarian. You don’t have to buy expensive food for them. And when they are too loud you just put the volume down.
The magic of mixed reality
The Tamagotchi inspired a whole line of spin-offs. Then in 1998 came the Furby — remember? — which seemed to exhibit some sort of intelligence, because they spoke more and more English as they ‘grew’. In reality all of this was preprogrammed.
Pet-inspired simulation-games were kind of a thing, too. Games like Nintendogs (quite literally) offered you a gaming experience where you would take care of a virtual dog, but also the Sims (less literally) built upon the concept of caring for digital entities: keeping little, digital people as personal pets.
Unfortunately, these games did not bridge the gap to the real world and remained digital-only experiences, putting back this invisible in-between barrier that the Tamagotchi scattered.
The first game that was able to turned the world back on its head again was Pokémon Go in 2016. This augmented reality (AR) game allowed you to catch Pokémon in the real world, meaning you had to get out of your house, physically. Cities were turned into battlegrounds, cultural landmarks into Pokémon gyms, and Starbucks and McDonalds establishments into Pokémon centers.
Arguably, Pokémons aren’t really pets. Or maybe they are. But the game is more centered around collecting and battling rather than taking care of ‘em. However, very recently, the company Niantic has taken another shot at the genre with their game Peridot.
It mixes on the power of AR with the joy of fostering vibrantly colored four-legged friends.
The game maps your surroundings using your phone's rear camera: your virtual pet can navigate obstacles, jump on tables, and run behind things. Are you sitting in your living room? Toss a virtual tennis ball by tapping your phone screen and see it bouncing of your Thonet chairs and watch your pet chase it.
For those who want to try it out: Niantic is free to play, but, as we’ve come used to, it promotes in-game purchases of virtual clothing and toys for your virtual pet, and ‘hatching’ new Peridots will also cost you.
When the real and the virtual meet
I have to admit, there’s something magical about when the real and virtual meet. And with technology getting better, the magic is becoming more magical every day.
Another front where great strides are being made are companionship robots — although again, technically not pets, they may serve many of the same purposes that pets do and may offer similar health benefits. AI-powered companions, pets and mental health support services are mentioned as one way to fight the loneliness epidemic.
With a shortage of therapists, counselors and care providers, virtual companions can be scaled to poorly served regions and offer temporary relief. Meet ElliQ, the elderly companion.
I had the pleasure of talking to one of ElliQ’s designers, Jason Gilbert, for one of my previous newsletters. Because ElliQ has a body, she can lean in when curious, put her head down when sad, and dance when she’s in the mood. ElliQ mixes small talk with news, messages, and logistics support, all conveniently managed through a smart display.
Another target group for companion robots are children. Meet Moxie.
Moxie is a social robot designed for children aged 6-10 stimulating social, emotional, and cognitive development. It’s developed by in-house experts in neuroscience, psychology, and child development, and they’ve worked with an external group of advisers representing organizations like Autism Speaks and the Rogers Foundation.
And a final example of what the future of virtual pets and companions might look like is Fufuly, a cushion that breathes.
You heard that right, a cushion that breathes.
I haven’t had the opportunity to try one out myself. But, apparently, the magic behind this pillow lies its ability to synchronize with your breathing rhythms. All you need to do is embrace the cushion. It can be used to unwind, sleep with, or to focus and being in the moment.
And you might be surprised, but this is not the only one of its kind on the market. A major Dutch competitor Somnox is doing something very similar; an organic-shaped cushion-like device marketed as a breathing and sleep robot.
So, from Tamagotchis to breathing pillows, what’s next?
Jurgen Gravestein is a writer, consultant, and conversation designer. Four years ago, he stumbled into the world of chatbots and voice assistants. He was employee no. 1 at Conversation Design Institute and now works for the strategy and delivery branch CDI Services helping companies drive business value with conversational AI.
Reach out if you’d like him as a guest on your panel or podcast.
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