The history of virtual pets probably dates back to 1975, when advertising creative Gary Dahl launched a “pet rock” on the market. It was literally a rock. He sold 1.5 million and became a millionaire. In fact, today each pet rock costs $20. In the field they cost you zero, mind you. Probably the first time we in Europe heard about a virtual pet was the Tamagotchi, thinking it was a fad. Almost 30 years later, here we are, with the V-Pet.
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Overnight, a free app on Steam has made the leap to the top almost unintentionally: it’s not even a game, it’s more like a kind of Tamagotchi in the form of a teenage girl in anime style asking for different things (but mostly case) while in the background. Perfect to entertain you in the most boring day-to-day tasks, wow.
It’s actually a simple ad for a game that is currently in early access, ‘VUP-Simulator’, in which you play a content creator who must gradually improve her career, from her setup to her type of videos to a better camera or more powerful equipment. If you are not interested in the game, don’t worry: you can still use V-Pet without any problems.
And you’d think that the hardcore Steam audience would be annoyed that it’s in the top positions, right? Well, rather not: the vast majority are extremely positive reviews and those that are not blame it on the fact that in some programs, such as ‘League of legends‘, they can ban you if they suspect that you are using third-party content. On the flip side, the highest rated review gives it a ten for exactly that.
The V-Pet phenomenon may pass tomorrow, but there will always be virtual pets, from ‘Nintendogs’ to ‘Digimon‘. And the nice thing is that even the most hardcore ‘GTA’ gamers have ended up embracing the simplicity of a little character with two hundred moves that advertises a game that, really, nobody cares too much about. What’s the point.
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