The Times Herald from Port Huron, Michigan • Page 28

2D SUNDAY, JUNE 29, 1997 PORT HURON, MICHIGAN Features GOTCHA: Tamagotchis, a virtual reality pet with attitude if j'i, rj 1 Tama-mama's virtual pet keeps her plenty busy Continued from Page 10 "I've had mine for about four weeks. It's died a couple of times, but I just restarted it." The commitment got to her. "I've got my kids taking care of it for me now," she said. "(Tamagotchis) tend to get on your nerves and it kept me from my work all the time." Cheryl Wright, 26. of Port Huron got her Tamagotchi on Mother's Day as a gag gift because she has no children.

"My first Tamagotchi lasted 15 days," she said. "But I never restarted it after it died. Now, my mom has taken it over. So, she's playing with it now." Ms. Wright said Tamagotchis and other cyber pets are fun and an especially good idea for preteens who beg their parents for a pet of their own.

"Basically, it's the same thing. You have to feed it, take it out and play with it and clean up after it goes to the bathroom," she said. "It teaches them responsibility." Ms. Dewey agrees. "You have to keep track of it all of the time," she said.

"When it needs to be fed, you need to feed it. If it needs to be changed, you need to change it. When it needs medicine, you're supposed to give it one dose and then give more two hours later. My daughter was very good about keeping track of the time to be sure her Nano Baby got its medicine." Kids, it seems, know the whole routine. "A lot of the kids at (Port Huron) Northern had Tamagotchis," said Amy Ware, one of the three teens cooing earlier over a cyber pet.

"They had the Nano Babies, too." Although students got in trouble when caught playing with the toys during class, some teachers were obviously curious about the virtual babies and pets. "Some of the teachers even asked to play with them," Amy said. Crystal Lowrie, 14, thinks cyber babies and pets are a lot easier than having a real baby or pet. She doubts that they could prepare anyone for parenthood. By TONY PITTS, Times Herald and Cheryl Wright, 26, check out their Tamagotchis to see if they need anything.

born from eggs, eat, need affection and other care just like real pets. MINDING THEIR PETS: Kyle Soule, 11, The battery-operated virtual critters are TAMA-TIPS CARING FOR YOUR TAMAGOTCHI and again, but to no avail. He was dying. What had I done? Had I left him alone too long? Did he starve or just become deathly ill? Within seconds, a little Tamagotchi angel showed up to take my Tama to Cyberspace Heaven. It was just his time to go.

After a few hours of grieving, I hatched another Tamagotchi. This time, I attached it to a string and kept it around my neck. I wouldn't forget to feed him this time. I checked on him constantly. I played with him even more than the first Tama.

I thought I was doing everything right, but then, my little Tamagotchi turned into an ugly, selfish masuku-chi one of six different adult characters your little Tama can grow into depending on how you care for it. The masuku-chi was selfish. He'd stay up until 1 1 p.m. On nights when I was dead tired at 9 p.m., I'd have to wake up at 1 1 p.m. to his little beep-beep-beep calling me to turn his light out.

After about a week, I was beginning to have awful, horrible thoughts. Should I reset the egg and hatch a new one? Should I ignore him and let him die? No, I couldn't. I would stick it through for better or worse. Then, one weekend, I took a trip to Frankenmuth. I went shopping with my mother and accidentally left my Tama behind he was still sleeping when we left.

By about 4 p.m., I panicked. I knew my Tama was starving and he had no one to clean up his messes. I thought for sure he'd be dead by the time I got to him. I confided in my mother that, perhaps, if he did die, it was for the better. He was a pain to take care of.

When I returned home, my Tama was still alive, bouncing around with three piles of Tamagotchi droppings filling up the screen. After a quick flush, things were back to normal. Then, a few days later, after an evening when I decided to turn his light out before he was ready for bed, my second Tamagotchi died. This time, I wasn't going through all the angles and "taps" to try to revive him. I quickly hit the reset button on the back.

Within five minutes, I had a new bouncing baby Tamagotchi in my hands. This one eventually turned into a happy little guy, just like the first one. We had a good time together and when he finally left, too, he was 15. I handled it OK. I didn't hatch a new one right away.

I waited a day until I was more prepared. Today, I sit and watch my new Tama-baby just a little guy right now and wait to see what he'll grow up to be. I just hope it's a happy guy or he's getting reset real quick. By TRISH KINNEE-WEIS Times Herald correspondent Beanie Babies passed me by, so I wasn't about to miss the Tamagotchi craze. I've always loved having pets and thought it would be fun to raise my own little Tamagotchi.

I'd be a good Tama-mama, I thought. I'm responsible. I'm caring. But what I didn't realize was how demanding Tamagotchis can be. In early May, Tamagotchis began appearing on local toy store shelves, and the little colorful egg-shaped toys were being snatched up as quickly as the trucks delivered them.

1 'so fe3 43 TAMA-MAMA: Trish Kinnee-Weis I happened to capture one quickly one with a sassy hot pink case. I didn't "hatch" it right away, however. I read the instructions carefully something I normally don't do. I wanted to raise this pet right. I had heard that without proper care, my pet could turn into an ugly, nasty-looking creature.

Once I got up the nerve, I tripped the reset button. As promised, within five minutes I had my own little Tamagotchi peeking up at me and demanding attention. It was fun, at first, checking on it every 10 minutes to make sure it had a full tummy and was a happy little guy. I remember the first time he got sick. A little black skull showed up on the right upper corner of the screen.

I knew if I didn't give him a shot of medicine, he could die. What I didn't know is that my little Tama would cry from the shot. But he did get better and was soon ready to play a game and have a snack. My Tamagotchi continued to grow. After several days he became a ginjiro-chi a cute, loyal adult who went to bed at 10 p.m.

and woke up at 9 a.m. I'd give him a snack and he'd get even happier. When I cleaned up his little Tama messes, he'd jump for joy. We became pals, my little Tama and I. I kept him with me all the time.

We went to the grocery store together, the mall even for a walk around the block. THINGS WERE going so well until day 13 when my Tamagotchi was just 13 years old. That's when the skull reappeared. Frantically, I pushed buttons to give him his medicine. I tried again Name Brands For The Lowest Prices Guaranteed! it is not a substitute for a lesson best left to children's parents.

"I have some real concerns about these (toys)," she said. "Do (the kids) really learn to nurture from them? Kids need a real role model, not a toy that can just be ignored. "It sounds like a lovely idea, but I don't know who the lovely idea is for. We are constantly trying to rely on anything but ourselves to teach children how to nurture." But most kids and parents interviewed see Tamagotchis and other cyber pets as nothing but toys. "They can actually be more amusing than some pets," said Kari MacLean, Amy and Crystal's friend.

"And if you get bored with it, you can still use it as a clock," Amy added, "because it still keeps time." i sf 1 i Mini Christa Adams, Port Huron Hospital Board of Trustees William Povenz, Parkview Properties Management Corporation -J fx 11 4 Change the battery before it weakens too much batteries last about two months. But change it quickly so your Tamagotchi does not die, too. Never touch the reset the black burton on the back unless you intend to make your current pet disappear forever. Hitting the reset allows you to start all over again with a new virtual pet. the Cornell Center in Port Huron, which offers mental health services to preteens, adolescents and young adults, is cautious about all the interest.

Although she hasn't heard much about the toy, she warns that ssfTr ssrl TsrT-T sTT-1 sr sfT sTli I fTln Janet Castello, Blue Water Health Services Board of Trustees Together, we will partner with the community in providing quality healthcare. Our vision is to be a locally successful regional healthcare system that makes a difference in the health of our communities. I .1 Mere are a few tips that can help you keep your Tamagotchi content: Never leave it alone. It requires constant attention. Don't discipline the little guy for no reason.

Make sure your Tamagotchi is clean before bedtime. If he has relieved himself, make sure you flush. Don't overfeed it snacks. While snacks make him happy, he could get sick. "You don't have to take care of it if you don't want to," she said.

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