The TinyTan Tamagotchi, a new handheld game featuring the members of the group, was announced earlier this year by the company. Preorder the $19.99 gizmo now and it will ship on October 3rd. I happen to review things for a living and I couldn't pass up the chance to try it out.
The idea of a Tamagotchi is not very novel. The device has a screen in the middle and three buttons on the bottom. Traditionally, that screen is occupied by a virtual pet, you feed it, play games with it, and so on. The pet under your care is a member of the band, and it's called the Tiny Tan Tamagotchi. Jimin has been carried around in my pocket for the past few weeks. Big Hit Music is welcoming you.
First of all, any criticisms of this device are not criticisms of BTS, who are lovely people and spectacular performers, and second, I did not grow up playing with Tamagotchis. I understand that nostalgia can play a role in the popularity of old-timey gadgets like this, but devices that are being sold today should hold up. Time works that way.
Jimin is thirsty.
The TinyTan Tamagotchi was powered up for the first time and I was handed a magic door. This is a reference to a video called Magic Door in which young animated versions of BTS members pop through a mysterious portal to hang out with people. If you want to get a member out of their pop star life and into your tiny egg-shaped toy, you need to clean this Magic Door a lot. I would be disinclined to walk through a dirty door if I were a famous recording artist.
Jimin finally showed up after several hours of cleaning.
The professional singer has woken me up at 8 AM every morning since I took him under my wing. If you are reading this, I love you, but 8 is too early. It's best to occupy yourself until at least 9:00. I put the unit out of sight, and its song still wakes me up, which should give you an idea of how loud it is.
There are two things you can do with your mini member. If you can play with him, he won't get bored. When the A and B buttons are displayed on the screen, you need to press them to make your character dance. You have to smash the A button at the exact time when the bowl is full in order to see an animation of a bowl being filled with custard. I know it's terrifying.
I went to work after feeding and playing with Jimin. The Tamagotchi loudly announced that it was time to pay attention to Jimin. A progress bar would appear beside him if I didn't pay attention to him for a long time. Jimin was displayed in a bed when the bar reached zero.
If your member is infirm for a long time, what will happen? He goes back to the door according to the instructions. Any child who knows how to read can figure it out.
Jimin has been sick a few times. He's with us. I pressed the buttons needed to keep him alive. Now that the review process is over, I feel bad throwing it out, but I don't know what to do with it. There is a guy in that room.
There is a dim and ancient screen. 40 percent of the time is when a button is pressed. The games are cute, but they don't have the kind of variety that would keep them entertained for a long time. I wonder how much of a factor this singular achievement has been in the popularity of the game over the years. It has convinced a part of my brain that it is actually a living thing.
I wrestled with the question of whether or not I approve of Bandai making money in this manner. Children are told that a real person who they love and care for will die at their hands if they don't push a small button often.
The main idea of modern entertainment is to manipulate people into caring about imaginary things. If I don't press the buttons correctly, bad things will happen to Geralt and his friends, so I pick up a piece of plastic and press the buttons. It could be argued that it is an essential ingredient of a well-designed game, a clever way to make the experience feel real. I try harder to beat the monsters, to run from the angry villagers, to duck and dodge, and the game is all the more fun because of that.
PC games are not realistic. When I finish playing I turn it off. Geralt of Rivia doesn't wake me up in the morning and he doesn't ask me to play Gwent during the day. I am invested in his journey as a result of interacting with him.
The TinyTan Tamagotchi has a unique draw that is frightening. It doesn't tell you anything It makes you believe that your life is the story. You are in a relationship with Jimin and you are not watching it.
The act of finding one's self emotionally close to a celebrity is known as thepara social relationship. It is important to keep in mind that these are not, in fact, real relationships, as psychologists warn that they can intrude on "real" relationships.
Getting to know a person's interests, sharing in their successes, and some of the same obligations as a real person may be brought about by a para social interaction. The celebrity has all the emotional agency of the normie in the para social relationship. The interaction is one-sided, nondialectical, controlled by the performer, and not susceptible of mutual development according to the paper.
The Aibo was reviewed several years ago. It was cute, affectionate, and charming, without the furniture-ripping and carpet-peeing that a real dog brings. When I was away, I missed it, I worried about it when it bumped into things, and I was guilty of sending it back to Sony. I didn't see it after it was picked up. I went back and watched some of the videos I took when I was younger.
The best possible implementation of the term is a BTS Tamagotchi. If they harm their idols, the guilt they are engineered to feel will be real. It doesn't matter if a child knows that it's a game. The small part of her mind that keeps her coming back to push these buttons is the same part that will be upset if she negligently causes Jimin to fall ill.
The fan gets nothing in return for that guilt and emotional investment. She doesn't get any of the above. She doesn't like playing games. She doesn't haveResponsive buttons She doesn't get love in return. It is particularly harmful when it preys on children and on children's devotion to a band.
I am not ready to say that exploiting genuine love for a band in order to sell a cheap device is a good idea. If games want to be bought and played, they should try to earn that attention on the merits of the game, not through children's sense of obligation.
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