I Tama Got You

Childhood fads come and go, but the memories last forever. An example is Tamagotchi, a convenient pocket-sized digital pet that was first released in Japan in 1996. This simple egg-shaped toy became very popular and was mass-produced in the 1990s. In just over a decade, more than 78 million Tamagotchis were sold worldwide. Nowadays, there are variations of this handheld gadget with more functions on the market, including the new app that was launched by Android in February, shortly followed by Apple and Google Play.
With the creative catch phrase, “Love is fun everywhere,” Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. has many resemblances to the original Tamagotchi. For example, there are several buttons that are used to feed, discipline and play with the virtual pet. If the pet is unloved, it will die.
However, unlike the original, there are two modes: toy and app mode. The toy mode works similarly to the original, while the app mode allows users to play rock, paper, scissors with their pets by utilizing the touch screen to enhance the reality of the game. There are also more phone-friendly icons, colored pets and some mini games.
“The idea was to base the game play on the original Tamagotchi that everyone knows and loves,” Shin Ueno, the chief marketing officer at Sync Beatz said, according to Huffington Post. Sync Beatz has licensed Tamagotchi from Bandai Co. and are both working together to promote this app to the public.
However, there have been criticisms about the creation of the Tamagotchi app. The convenience of an app in a smart phone cannot replace the childhood memories and youthfulness that came along with the 90s handheld egg. The sentimental value of the key-chained toy has supposedly been degraded by the easily accessible and disposable app.
“[The app] defeats the purpose of having a Tamagotchi toy. They already went as far as making an online web site before, […] and now there’s an app. I think it’s a bad idea,” junior Vivian Li said.
Regardless of the ever-changing world around us, the youthful memories that coexist with the original Tamagotchi can never be replaced.

By Staff Writer Jennifer Thai