| A digital pet, also known as a virtual
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| | different digital pets, some of them are
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| pet, is a type of artificial human
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| | used to give a sense of reality to the
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| companion. They are usually kept for
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| | user (such as pet's responds to "touch"),
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| companionship or enjoyment. People may
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| | and some for enhancing playability (such
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| keep a digital pet in lieu of a real pet.
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| | as training).
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| Digital pets are distinct from robot pets
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| | Communicating with digital pets
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| and other entertainment robots in that
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| | With advanced video-gaming technology,
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| they have no concrete physical form other
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| | most modern digital pets do not show a
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| than the hardware they run on.
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| | message box or icon to display the pet's
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| Interaction with virtual pets may or may
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| | internal variable, health state or
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| not be goal oriented. If it is, then the
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| | emotion like earlier generations (Such as
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| user must keep it alive as long as
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| | Tamagotchi). Instead, users can only
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| possible and often help it to grow into
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| | understand the pet by interpreting their
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| higher forms. Keeping the pet alive and
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| | actions, body language, facial
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| growing often requires 'feeding',
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| | expressions, etc. This helps keep a pet's
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| grooming and playing with the pet. If the
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| | behavior seem natural, rather than
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| interaction is not goal oriented, the
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| | calculated, and fosters a feeling of a
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| user can explore the character of the pet
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| | relationship between user and digital
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| and enjoy the feeling of building a
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| | pet.
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| relationship with it. Often these games
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| | Sense of reality
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| use realistic visual effects or
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| | To give a sense of reality to users, most
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| interaction to make the pet appear alive
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| | digital pets have certain level of
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| and give a sense of reality to users.
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| | autonomy and unpredictability. The user
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| Gadget-based digital pets
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| | can interact with the pet and this
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| Some virtual pets, like Tamagotchi, are
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| | process of personalizing can make the pet
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| sold on a self-contained, hand-sized
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| | more unique. Personalizing increases the
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| computer. In the case of the Tamagotchi,
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| | feeling of responsibility for the pet to
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| a small screen has an image of the pet,
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| | the user. For example, if a Tamagotchi
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| while buttons on the case let the user
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| | is unattended for long enough, it will
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| perform different tasks, such as feeding,
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| | "die".
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| playing with, or washing the pet.
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| | Interactivity
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| Dissatisfied pets can emit beeps and
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| | To increase user's personal attachment to
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| sometimes "die".
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| | the pet, the pet interacts with the user.
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| Digimon was originally sold on a gadget
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| | Interactivity can be classified into two
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| similar to Tamagotchi's, but able to
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| | categories: Short-term and long-term.
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| connect to other Digimon gadgets in order
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| | Short-term interactivity includes direct
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| for the pets to fight.
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| | interaction or action to reaction from
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| Sonic Adventure 2 for the Sega Dreamcast
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| | the pet. Example: "touch" a pet with
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| had virtual pets, called Chao, which
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| | mouse cursor and the pet will give a
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| could be either used in game or
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| | direct response to the "touching".
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| transferred to the Visual Memory Unit,
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| | Long-term interactivity includes action
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| which enabled a transformation from
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| | that affect pet's growth, behavior or
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| game-based to gadget-based.
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| | life span. Example like training the pet
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| Webpage-based digital pets
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| | may have good effect on pet's health.
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| Virtual pet websites such as Neopets are
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| | Long-term interactivity is quite
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| usually free to play and accessible to
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| | important for a sense of reality as the
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| all who sign up. They can be accessed
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| | user would think that he has some lasting
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| through web browsers and often include a
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| | influence on the pet.
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| virtual community, such as the planet
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| | Two kinds of interactivity are often
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| Neopia in Neopets. In these worlds, you
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| | combined. Such as playing with a pet
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| can play games to earn virtual money;
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| | (short-term interactivity) may make the
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| which is usually spent on items and food
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| | pet more optimistic (long-term
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| for your pets.
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| | interactivity).
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| Some sites adopt out pets to put on your
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| | Example of common features
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| webpage and use for roleplaying in chat
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| | Responds to calling
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| rooms. They often require the adoptee to
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| | Responds to touching
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| have a page ready for their pet.
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| | Training the pet
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| Sometimes they have a setup for breeding
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| | Supplies or toys for the pet
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| one's pets and then adopting them out.
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| | Dressing up the pet
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| Other sites that adopt out pets to put on
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| | Competition or trial amongst pets.
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| a webpage are centered around writing for
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| | Meeting other pets.
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| and breeding said pets to create newer,
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| | Ethical Concerns
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| often 'showier' creatures. Members are
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| | Humane treatment
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| often encouraged to create their own
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| | There are some ethical concerns about
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| species of draconic creatures, to adopt
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| | digital pets. As the digital pets are
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| from other members, and to breed the
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| | more realistic, they simulate different
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| various species together. Unlike with
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| | kinds of emotion and self-awareness. They
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| some adoption agencies for webpage based
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| | may require the same animal rights,
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| cyberpets, where the owner of the species
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| | according to some fields of philosophy.
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| is the only one that can breed said
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| | Digital pets and children
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| species, the Nexus encourages all of its
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| | While users can do whatever they want
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| members to share and interbreed their
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| | with their digital pets nowadays, it may
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| species together, and the resulting
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| | encourage young users to form bad habits.
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| offspring are usually adopted out to
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| | It is arguable that a relationship with a
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| story-based or stats page-based
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| | digital pet cannot compare with a real
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| web-pages.
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| | relationship with an animal, because a
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| Some games also allow users to breed a
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| | real relationship teaches children that
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| pet for combat against other players.
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| | their desires can't always come first.
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| Game- or application- based digital pets
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| | Digital pets over real pets
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| Other virtual pets come in software run
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| | Some people suggest that digital pets are
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| on PCs or video game consoles. Since the
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| | preferable for a number of reasons.
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| computing power is more powerful than
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| | Having a digital pet in place of a real
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| with webpage or gadget based digital
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| | pet ensures real pets don't have to
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| pets, these are usually able to achieve a
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| | suffer, and it is arguably training
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| higher level of visual effects and
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| | before adopting a real pet. PETA has
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| interactivity. Games like Nintendogs
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| | suggested that robotic animals can help
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| render realistic figures of dogs.
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| | people recognize that they are not up to
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| Example game or application based digital
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| | the commitment of caring for a real
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| pets: the creatures in Black and White,
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| | animal.
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| Nintendogs, Petz, Catz, Dogz (in Gameboy
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| | Impact of virtual reality on digital pet
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| Advance and DS), and Pets in Sims 2:
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| | Some people suggest that the simulated
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| Pets.
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| | experience of digital pet lacks the
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| History
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| | constraints of the real world that
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| Digital pets were a massive fad in Japan,
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| | allows us to apply substantive ethics.
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| where they originated, and to a lesser
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| | The virtual environment failed to
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| extent in the United States during the
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| | simulate real social consequences.
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| late 1990s. There have been significant
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| | Another problem about problem about
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| improvements of digital pets since
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| | digital pet is the "virtual slavery". A
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| Tamagotchi's success. From dot-images
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| | robotic pet could be made in the shape of
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| (such as Tamagotchi) to rendered and
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| | a human, a problem raised by the fiction
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| animated 3D games (such as Nintendogs).
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| | Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by
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| Today, there are also "Digital Pets"
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| | Philip K. Dick.
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| which have physical robotic bodies, known
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| | Relationship with digital pet
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| as Ludobots or Entertainment robots.
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| | There is research concerning the
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| The idea of an animal companion composed
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| | relationship between digital pets and
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| of technology rather than flesh has also
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| | their owners, and their impact on the
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| inspired a lot of fiction, such as the
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| | emotions of people. For example, Furby
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| anime Digimon (itself a contraction of
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| | affects the way people think about their
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| "Digital Monster").
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| | identity, and many children think that
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| Common features of digital pets
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| | Furby is alive in a "Furby kind of way"
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| There are many common features between
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| | in Sherry Turkle's research.
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