Tamagotchis Case Study

Tamagotchis are egg-sized virtual pet toys first released in 1996 by the Japanese toy company Bandai. Numerous versions of Tamagotchis have been introduced since then with brand new features developed to keep up with a toy industry driven by novelty. Throughout the years, the marketing of Tamagotchis has also changed to keep the sales up and the children playing. To do so, marketers have intentionally made commercials more girly to emphasize the nurturing aspect of Tamagotchi play. By only focusing on marketing the toy to girls instead of both genders, Tamagotchi marketers are underestimating the power of Tamagotchis to teach all children how to take care of another being. The concept behind Tamagotchis came from a Japanese pet enthusiast who had the idea of creating a virtual pet for her children that could be fed, nurtured, played with, and most importantly, taken anywhere by the player. They require continuous care and attention much like a real pet. “Tamagotchi” is a combination of the Japanese …show more content…
Caring for a virtual pet can be used to teach children of all ages to take care of another being on their own, and both boys and girls could benefit from this. However, Tamagotchi marketers have chosen to focus on a female demographic by appealing to them with girly colors, glitter, and sparkle. If at one time Tamagotchis were more neutral in color, they have now been decorated in a stereotypically girly fashion to attract young girls to play, and deter boys from playing with them altogether in fear of facing judgment from their peers. This leaves us wondering who is at fault, the marketer or society itself for setting gender norms in the first place? It is truly a shame because Tamagotchis have the potential to be great educational toys for teaching parental and social skills to all children, boys