Virtual Pets and Virtual Pet Collecting

Kids can carry their virtual pets around with them on key chains -- tiny computer game versions of dogs, cats, chimpanzees, aliens, or dinosaurs that beep when they require something of their owners. Kids and adults alike can interact with many different virtual pets on the Web, or through software installed on a computer. Virtual pets are simulations of either real or imaginary animals, and they provide all the fun and enjoyment of actual animals, including a certain degree of responsibility.

For example, in order for virtual pets to stay alive and healthy, they often require regular feeding, sufficient play time, visits to the vet, and other necessities similar to those required by live animals. There are many web sites dedicated to virtual pets, all with wildly different formats and approaches. Some simply catalog and sing the praises of virtual pets of the key chain variety; others present simulations of those same key chain games. Many other sites skip the simulations altogether and provide virtual pets of their own.

Visitors can "adopt" puppies or kittens, or more interesting creatures such as piglets or fantasy carnivores, and then raise them to adulthood, often competing with other owners along the way. If a virtual pet dies, its owner needn’t get out the shoebox and shovel; simply start the game over and try to do a better job next time. There is even a site that provides a little cartoon funeral for virtual pets, based on information provided by the grieving owner. All in all, the world of virtual pets can be just as fascinating, rewarding, and time-consuming as having a real live pet.