Tamagotchi, a classic Japanese game, is finding a new lease in life as a Toronto club is working to revive hype around the iconic digital toy.
With these classics, players will be responsible for feeding and cleaning the poop of their digital pets and if they are neglected, it could result in excessive beeping of the device and eventually, death.
Bringing Back Tamagotchi
(Photo : Bandai / Screenshot taken from official website)
But if you are able to properly care for your little creature, you will see it live a long, fruitful life and you may even marry them off. Tamagotchis are egg-shaped virtual pets that are small enough to fit inside pockets and can be clipped into backpacks.
The digital toys were first released in Japan by Bandai in 1996 and were made available in the Canadian market in May 1997. The release ignited a buying frenzy that generated millions of dollars and caused schools plenty of headaches.
As time went by and as the electronic pets became another casualty of school bans, similar to what happened with cellphones and vapes in modern days. But later on, the routine of caring for the digital pets outside the classroom grew tiresome and the hype died out, according to The Star.
However, the Toronto Tamagotchi Club, which was founded in 2022, is a 100-member all-age group that has worked to spark a resurgence of the classic digital toys. It began in late 2022 as a response to pandemic-induced loneliness and has since hosted regular meetups in the city.
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The founder of the club is 28-year-old Twoey Gray who said, "It's so beautiful to see the joy it brings people." She said that they see people from all different professions, parts of the city, and various ages, genders, races, and sexual orientations playing Tamagotchi.
Each device is equipped with a small screen and three tiny buttons that allow players to perform various activities. These include feeding your pet, giving it medicine, cleaning up after it, playing with it, and disciplining it.
Toronto Tamagotchi Club
Gray said that she remembered thinking to herself that she could not possibly be the last person in the city of Toronto playing Tamagotchi. She has had one of the digital toys since she was 10 years old, said CTVNews.
When she was in elementary school, Gray joined forces with other kids and organized play dates for their virtual pets.
Gray started sparking interest in Tamagotchi by creating a poster that said that her virtual pet had no friends. She then distributed it around town as well as online and invited others to go back to play the game.
For the first meeting online, Gray said that she had no idea who was going to attend and just wanted someone to play with. It was relatively successful as more than 10 people came to the first meeting, which included an old friend that Gray had not seen in years.
When they had their next meeting, more people turned up and a lot of others reached out and said that they wanted to attend but were not able to make it at the time, according to CBC.
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