Real-life simulating Tamagotchi is nostalgic, challenging, and really fun

The virtual pet Tamagotchi is kept alive by feeding it right and clearing its droppings, but the game has lost its luster. The egg-shaped tiny computer game that had the world in a frenzy once is rekindled from the ruins, in a bolder, bigger, and humanized format, by a YouTuber, and we are amazed at the detail and finesse Terence Grover has managed in his version of the Tamagotchi.

Comprising 3D components and Raspberry Pi as the brain, Grover’s Tamagotchi is a representation of real life. The entire creation is based on the classic Tamagotchi game, but it is tied closely to Abraham Maslow’s pyramid of hierarchy of needs, building up from physiological needs to safety, love and belonging, to esteem and self-actualization at the top. The game is simple: keep the virtual pet alive, catering to all possible human needs. You miss one, and the Tamagotchi is no more!

Designer: Terence Grover

According to Grover, the idea of the real-life simulating Tamagotchi was born from the intention to “build a parody of life simulator games,” which would combine pixel art, game design, electronics, and humor. The result is this fun game, that gets serious as you take the Tamagotchi through all the life’s hardships – Job, Debt, etc, Grover says – to earn money that you need to feed and keep the little creature alive. So instead of the cute creature and the simple feeding game, you are here negotiating the “cynical arc of human life,” going through all the levels of Maslow’s pyramid to increase your pet’s life expectancy.

The entire building and rebuilding process is detailed in an interestingly edited YouTube video, which is getting one prominent reaction: Why so few views? The video that has amassed a little above 2.5k views in five days (at the time of writing) is filled with comments such as, “I don’t understand why it’s not viral. He literally did everything right.” Another commenter writes, “Great video, the storytelling is spot on. The amount of work you put into this video is crazy.” Grover has gone a tad fast with his voice over, which hasn’t gone down too well with some viewers, suggesting he go a little slower, “You have all the right content, but you are talking so fast that I have no idea what is actually going on.”

Back to the real-life simulating Tamagotchi. Based on a random set of events and scenarios, it has a Raspberry Pi computer connected to a physical RGB LED matrix. It is controlled by three tactile buttons, like on the classic game device. It features a series of unlockable minigames based on “education, job, housing, socializing, hobby, rest, food” that you must toggle to keep the animated pet alive, whose life may be influenced by the choices you make. Find the logic interesting, you can head over to Grover’s Github to download.