Eric Klopfer
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262113151
- eISBN:
- 9780262277297
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262113151.003.0012
- Subject:
- Computer Science, Game Studies
This chapter begins with an overview of the virtual pet industry. It describes the rise of the Tamagotchi in the late 1990s and the emergence of online virtual pet sites. It then discusses the ...
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This chapter begins with an overview of the virtual pet industry. It describes the rise of the Tamagotchi in the late 1990s and the emergence of online virtual pet sites. It then discusses the development of Palmagotchi (cute Palm)—a simple educational game played occasionally over long periods of time outside of class, connecting back to classroom content through discussion and data analysis. Palmagotchi draws upon analogies to Darwin’s finches in the Galapagos. Players maintain families of birds and islands of flowers while considering issues in genetics, ecology, and evolution to best maximize their chances for survival.Less
This chapter begins with an overview of the virtual pet industry. It describes the rise of the Tamagotchi in the late 1990s and the emergence of online virtual pet sites. It then discusses the development of Palmagotchi (cute Palm)—a simple educational game played occasionally over long periods of time outside of class, connecting back to classroom content through discussion and data analysis. Palmagotchi draws upon analogies to Darwin’s finches in the Galapagos. Players maintain families of birds and islands of flowers while considering issues in genetics, ecology, and evolution to best maximize their chances for survival.
