Each kid got a tamagotchi. This is a toy which would have been inconceivable ten years ago, let alone when I was a kid. These were far and away the favorites.
My sister in law called and astutely asked, “how is the dog? Is anyone paying attention to the real pet, instead of just the virtual pets?”
Weird stuff like this assures me more and more that we are heading into very different times as technology advances. I do not believe in the Singularity, which has been called “the Rapture for geeks”. But it is clear that there is a whole bunch of major change coming faster and faster. Hold on to your hats.
But, Christmas will still be Christmas.
God bless all our bloggers, commenters, readers, friends and enemies.
Merry Christmas Lex,
At our household it wasn’t Tamagotchi but Webkinz, which also have a virtual pet aspect combined with a stuffed animal and a sort of online CareBearesque style MMOG component. The Son of Zen received three from various relatives; a good thing because the Firstborn accidentally knocked Webkinz # 1 against a candle causing it to do a reprise of the Gestapo guy at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark when they opened the Ark of the Covenant.
Agree with you on the Singularity – not a hard prediction but a metaphor for vast changes.
I can guarantee that the tamagotchi would not have been inconceivable ten years ago — because Bandai launched the original tamagotchi in 1996.
(By the way, tamago is Japanese for egg.)