Virtual pet

Virtual Pets are games that simulate the raising and care-taking of animals, usually domesticated. Originally popularized by the Petz and Tamagotchi [たまごっち] franchises in the mid-90s, gameplay generally focuses on regular feeding, exercising and grooming with the overall goal of keeping one's pet(s) happy and healthy.

While most virtual pet games focus exclusively on general pet-care, some games mix the same ideas with other genres, such as the RPG styles of Digimon World [デジモンワールド] (1999) and Jade Cocoon: Story of the Tamamayu [玉繭物語] (1998). Most games that do this, though, tend to have the virtual pet aspect as a simple background addition, such as the Chao raising of the Sonic Adventure [ソニックアドベンチャー] games or the Capsule Monsters of Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals [エストポリス伝記II] (1995).