Virtual Pets - Computer age animals!
Have you ever heard children talking about virtual pets? Do you feel really old because you have no idea what they are talking about? When we were kids, there was no such thing as virtual pets! You either got a dog, cat, guinea pig, hamster or fish. And if you were a girl, you probably definitely had your love affair with horses - no matter if you got lucky enough to ride!
Today’s children have gotten so high tech with computer games, video games and now the video game world is branching out to these virtual pets as toys and websites! Jimmy and Janie are no longer asking for a real animal - no they want these virtual pets instead! Today’s children are all about computers and anything to do with computers. They no longer have adventures outside building mud forts or, heaven forbid, using their imaginations!
Virtual pets are an extension of this new age world we live in. Today’s children know names such as I-Cybie, Robo Raptor, Tamagotchi, Robopet and Mini Tamagotchi, just to name a few. These are computerized, animated animals (that sometimes actually try to look like a dog or a cat), or a little hand held type game that they have to feed, play with, and are supposed to love.
There are also lots of free virtual pets websites. These sites are free to kids, monitored closely and give them opportunities to interact with other kids. There are such sites and Neopet, Horseland, and others that are geared towards things that the kids are interested in. In Horseland, once the child sets an account (with adult supervision), they are given a bank of pretend money to play with and can buy horses, show them in horse shows, chat with other kids wild about horses and play games. These sites are very kid friendly. These sites also teach about care of an animal, even if it virtual pets are real.
Virtual pets are definitely a new age concept. One plus is that if your child wants one of these creatures, they won’t mess on your floor, you don’t have to buy food for it, and you don’t have to take it to the vet when it gets sick. The only thing they require is batteries, and when it gets “sick”, it finds its way to Mr. Trash can. There is an upside to this new toy.