The Tamagotchi (たまごっち Tamagotchi) is a handheld digital pet, created in Japan by Akihiro Yokoi of WiZ and Aki Maita of Bandai. It was first sold by Bandai in 1996 in Japan. As of 2010, over 76 million Tamagotchis have been sold world-wide.[1] Most Tamagotchis are housed in a small egg-shaped computer with an interface usually consisting of three buttons, although the number of buttons may vary for different variations.
According to Bandai, the name is a portmanteau combining the Japanese word "たまご" (tamago), which means "egg", and the English word "watch"(ウオッチ uocchi).[2] Consequently, the name is romanized as "Tamagotch" without the "i" in Japan. But recently in Japan, the romanized name has changed to the English "Tamagotchi" with the i. Most Tamagotchi character's names end in 'tchi' or 'っち' in Japanese, with the exception of a few newer characters such as Makiko.
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A Tamagotchi is a keychain-sized virtual pet simulation game for children. The characters are colorful and simplistically designed creatures based on animals, objects, or people. Beginning with the 2004 Tamagotchi Plus/Connection, a second wave of Tamagotchi toys emerged, featuring different graphic design and gameplay which elaborated upon the first generations. However, the story behind the games remained the same: Tamagotchis are a small alien species that deposited an egg on Earth to see what life was like, and it is up to the player to raise the egg into an adult creature.[3] The creature goes through several stages of growth, and will develop differently depending on the care the player provides, with better care resulting in an adult creature that is smarter, happier, and requires less attention. Gameplay can vary widely between models, and some models, such as TamagoChu, require little to no care from the player.
The Tamagotchi interface first consisted of three buttons and a black and white LCD screen on the front of the toy, a small inset button on the back of the toy to reset the device, and an internal speaker capable of producing beeps. Later versions featured a variety of changes and variations, such as larger/differently shaped casings and screens, grayscale/colored LCDs, pedometers, interlocking contacts for communication, infrared communication capability, and/or sound sensors to sense the player tapping the screen. The screen displayed an animation of the pet and two horizontal menus at the top and bottom of the screen, containing several icons navigable by using the buttons to select, confirm, or cancel. Icons led to different menus, the exact layout of which varies from version to version, but several options from the original toy usually appear.
The clock is accessible by pressing the middle button while no icons are selected. Additionally, the sound can be turned on and off by pressing the first and last buttons simultaneously.
The 2004 Tamagotchi Plus/Connection marked the beginning of the 'second wave' of Tamagotchi, with increasing expansion on the features of the original. It sported a larger casing and screen, and introduced the infrared communication feature. Prior to this, the only connectable Tamagotchi toys were the Osutchi and Mesutchi pairs, which used interlocking top-mounted metal contacts similar to Bandai's original Digimon toys.
Upon activating the toy, an egg appears on the screen. After setting the Tamagotchi unit's clock, the egg will wiggle for several minutes, and then hatch into a small pet. In later versions, inputting the player's name and birthday is also required when setting the clock, and at birth, the player can name the pet and learns of its family group and/or gender. The player can care for the pet as much or as little as they choose, and the outcome depends on the player's actions. The first Tamagotchis could only be paused by going to set the clock, effectively stopping the passage of time in the game, but in later models a pause function was included.
The pet goes through several distinct stages of development throughout its life cycle. Each stage lasts a set amount of time, depending on the model of the toy, and when it reaches a new stage, the toy plays a jingle the pet's appearance changes. The pet can "die" due to poor care, old age, sickness, and in a few versions, predators.
The pet begins its life as a baby, with a very small, simple sprite, and a higher rate of care needed than any other stage. The baby stage typically lasts for an hour, and while in this stage, the pet cannot die, no matter how poor the care. The baby stage of the original Tamagotchi had only one option, but later versions included different appearances, determined by gender, by family, or at random.
The child stage usually has a larger sprite than the baby, but mostly remains a simple, rounded form. The original toys had only one option for a child character as well, but recent toys have child stage characters that correspond to family, gender, and/or player care.
The stage usually lasts for a few days, and the appearance usually changes to either a "good care" or "bad care" option, depending on the care received by the pet thus far. The pet's sprite becomes larger and a bit more complex at this stage, and it may start to gain appendages like arms or legs.
Adult was the final stage for the early toys, unless the player raised one of the special adult characters that could change to a hidden character not revealed in the manual. Adults have larger sprites and more variation than any other stage. More recent toys can age past adult into a senior. After remaining in the adult stage for a number of days, the pet can marry and eventually have an egg.
In more recent Tamagotchi models, when a pet passes a certain age, it becomes a senior. Seniors have only two appearances, a male and a female, with the face of an old man or woman respectively, and little stick legs.
Meters in the health menu tell the player how hungry and happy the pet is, with additional meters tallying different requirements depending on version. The pet prompts the player for attention through beeps or different facial expressions, usually beeping when meters are low. The type of foods given to the pet, the ways the player boosts its mood, the cleanliness of its environment, and the amount of discipline it receives are only a few factors that influence how the Tamagotchi's life cycle progresses. Different adult pets, as well as pets in other stages, will require different amounts of care, may be more or less prone to sickness, and may have different bedtimes.
Until recent versions, the pet did not turn off the light on its own when it went to sleep. In order to raise a healthy pet, the player was encouraged but not required to turn off the lights when the pet fell asleep. Recent versions also allow waking the pet for a short time once it has fallen asleep.
If the pet beeps for attention, but its meters indicate that it's full and happy, or if it refuses to eat or play when its meters indicate it needs attention, the discipline icon gives the option of scolding the pet, and the pet's discipline meter increases when it's scolded. Typically the discipline meter does not fluctuate like hunger and happiness, and only increases intermittently when the player scolds the pet for misbehaving. The amount of discipline given also plays a role in determining the type of creature it will grow into. Some versions change the discipline option to "training" or "praise," or include options to either scold or praise the pet.
Feeding the pet a meal fills up the hunger meter, and feeding it a snack fills up the happiness meter, but feeding causes the pet to gain weight. Reaching the "best care" outcome requires the pet to maintain a healthy weight, as well as being well-fed and happy. The pet can be overfed, and will refuse meals when overfed or become sick if given too many snacks. In some more recent games, the pet's appearance may change if it reaches too high or too low a weight.
Playing a minigame with the pet also makes it happier and causes it to lose weight, with higher scores filling up more of the pet's happiness meter. The earliest Tamagotchis featured one minigame, a simple guessing game, but games became more complex and numerous in later versions. In recent models, the player earns currency called Gotchi Points while playing games, and can use the currency in an in-game shop to buy different foods, toys, accessories, or even room decor for the pet.
Sickness is represented by a little skull next to the pet as it sits still at the bottom of the screen, wearing an unhappy expression. The pet can become sick for a number of reasons, and can die if sickness is left unchecked. Some instances of sickness are arbitrary and determined by the game's programming, while others are the result of the player's neglect, such as overfeeding of snacks or failing to clean up droppings.
The pet will leave droppings around the screen from time to time, and can become sick if they are not cleaned up. Before the pet goes to the bathroom, it will make a face and stink lines will appear around it. In the Tama-Go version, if the player activates the toilet icon during this animation, but before the pet has gone to the bathroom, the pet will use a toilet instead. When done repeatedly, the pet can be toilet trained.
Using infrared communication, two players can link their toys and the pets may form friendships, play games, exchange gifts, and even marry. Infrared connection was introduced with the Plus/Connection, but the Japanese Chou Jinsei Enjoy Tamagotchi was the first model to interact with a computer. Since then, many subsequent models have also been able to interact with the E-Tamago or Tamatown websites by using alphanumeric codes generated by the toy to log into the website's Flash game. After generating a code, the toy remains paused until the player either enters a logout code or cancels. The player may play minigames in the town to earn Gotchi Points, or use Gotchi Points to buy items in the town shops. To transfer points and items back to the toy, the player signs out of the Flash game and is given a code to input back into the toy.
The Mesutchi and Osutchi Tamagotchis were the first to introduce marriages and offspring, and the feature returned in the Plus/Connection and subsequent models. Two players with a male and female pet may link their toys and allow the pets to develop a friendship and fall in love. Once the pets have raised their relationship meter sufficiently, the pets may marry. The player can also choose to have their pet marry a random pet brought in by the "Matchmaker." Once married, the female will eventually produce two eggs, keeping one and leaving one with the male. While the parent remains with the baby, the only care it needs from the player is medicine in the case of sickness. After a few days the parent will leave, and the player is left to care for a new generation. This can continue for as long as the player manages to care for the pets.
The Chou Jinsei Enjoy Tamagotchi also introduced the idea of character "families" or "groups." These "families" are a kind of classification for characters obtainable in the game, grouped mainly by appearance, though they are also associated with certain skills. A character of one group cannot grow into an adult of a different group, and if two pets of different groups marry and have an egg, the baby will be of the female's group.
Some characters are only obtainable by breeding certain characters together, and some groups are only obtainable by using a special card for the Matchmaker.
With the many different versions of the toy, there are other less common mechanics that influence the pet's growth, including but not limited to friendship with the player, varying types of skills, and career. The Chou Jinsei Enjoy Tamagotchi also introduced Skills, which can be built by playing certain games with the pet, or using certain toys or foods bought from the E-Tamago or in-game shops. Having certain skills can help the pet obtain a career, and if built up high enough, can unlock special characters.
Poor care can cause a pet to die, but it can also die of old age. If an old pet dies without producing offspring, the family line has ended. The Japanese Tamagotchi toys usually feature a ghost and headstone when the pet dies, but English versions have been changed to show an angel at death, or simply a floating UFO to indicate its returned to its home planet. After the pet dies, the game can be restarted.
As of 2009, there have been over 44 Tamagotchi versions released since their creation in 1996, several of which were only released in Japan. Along with the original Tamagotchi, the first wave of Tamagotchi toys included Christmas, angel, and ocean themed versions. The newer versions began in 2004 with the Tamagotchi Plus, and the most recent version is the Japanese Tamagotchi iD L,[4] an enhanced version of the Tamagotchi iD. Outside of Japan, the TamaTown Tama-Go is the latest model, featuring a grayscale screen and attachable figurines containing small microchips that enable the pet to visit different shops and play different games.
Since its debut, Tamagotchi has made its way onto several gaming platforms. Several early games feature gameplay similar to the original toys. A few party-style games appeared on major consoles, along with the Corner Shop series of simulation games and a few role playing games for the Nintendo DS.[5]
The character Mametchi makes an appearance in Namco Bandai/Nintendo's Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 as a playable character, along with his pet, Bagubagutchi, as an item.
TamaStation is an arcade machine available in Japan from which the player can win prizes for their Tamagotchi toy. This machine has several sequels, such as TamaStation 2.
On June 5, 2007, it was announced by Reuters that an animated Tamagotchi film was to be released in December 2007. The film, Tamagotchi: The Movie, focuses on Mametchi, along with his friends Memetchi and Kuchipatchi. Introduced are Tanpopo, a human girl who Mametchi accidentally transports to the Tamagotchi Planet; and Chamametchi, the younger sister of Mametchi who is born during the film's events. On December 20, 2008, a second film, known as Tamagotchi: Happiest Story in the Universe!, was released into theaters. This film, introducing a new Tamagotchi known as Hapihapitchi, was later released on DVD, on June 26, 2009.[6] Tamagotchi: The Movie was released on December 15, 2007, and was distributed by Toho Co. The film opened at #3 at the box office on opening weekend.[7] On May 31, 2008, North American distributor Bandai Entertainment announced they had acquired the rights to the film.[8] The movie's first English release was a direct-to-DVD version, released on June 3, 2009 in Australia. The UK DVD was released on September 14, 2009 via Manga Entertainment.
A Japanese-only anime series called Anime TV de Hakken!! Tamagotchi (アニメ TVで発見!! たまごっち, lit. Found on Anime TV!! Tamagotchi) aired from July 7, 1997 to March 21, 1998 on Fuji TV.
In December 2007, Bandai Japan began airing Saa Ikou! Tamagotchi(さぁイコー！たまごっち) a week before the release of the first film. In December 2008, Bandai America dubbed the series, Let's Go! Tamagotchi, and began streaming it on YouTube in both English and Japanese, with captions for up to 7 other languages.[9]
In 2009, another TV anime was announced, called Tamagotchi! (たまごっち!). It began in October 2009. The English version of the Tamagotchi TV anime began screening in Australia on channel Go! as of 22 November 2010. The anime has been dubbed in Tagalog in the Philippines. There is also a dub in Taiwan airing on YoYo TV. The release date for the United States is yet to be known.
An animated video called, "Now Museum, Now You Don't," Tamagotchi Video Adventures was produced by 7th Level, Inc. in association with Bandai in 1997. Directed by Dan Kuenster, produced by Susan Deming and written by Kuenster, Deming and David Lewman. It runs approximately 42 and a half minutes long. Cosmotchi sends the Tamagotchi to Earth to collect an object that best exemplifies the planet for the Tamagotchi Museum. An original animated music video ("What's a Tamagotchi?") and a how-to-draw Tamagotchi featurette, starring director Kuenster follow the movie.
A song called "Tamagotchi" was produced by the music band Sqeezer in 1997.
In Japan, the band Kigurumi, after gaining new members and becoming a trio, released their single, "Tamagotchi", on November 21, 2007, which was also the theme music for the film.[10] It was dubbed in English along with the English dub of the movie.
The Eurodance group Daze song entitled "Together Forever" uses many Tamagotchi references.
The Los Angeles based pop duo, LOONER, released their tribute to the toy in May 2009 with the single "I Love My Tamagotchee!"[11]
There are many songs created for Tamagotchi!, the anime based on Tamagotchi. Some well known ones are:
One controversy over Tamagotchi digital pets involved children taking them to school because certain Tamagotchi versions could die in less than half a day from lack of care. Worry over potential ownership disputes, class disruptions, and general distraction from schoolwork has led many schools to ban the product.[12]
On August 3, 2005, South Australian MP Nick Xenophon attempted to ban the Tamagotchi Connection Version 2 (or at least have it classified R18+) due to the "Slot" game featured on it, fearing that it would make kids grow up to become "gambling addicts of tomorrow".[13]
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