Name: LGR - Catz, Dogz, & Oddballz.ペッツ回顧録 (LGR - Catz, Dogz, & Oddballz: Petz Retrospective)
Uploaded: 2021-01-14T08:53:04.000Z
Duration: 9 min 30 s
Description: VoiceTubeの動画で発音を聞きながら英語表現を覚えよう！学べる英語：

基礎受動態

The spherically-focused fighting game with a testicular title from 1994.

Or maybe you don’t know what I mean; it’s not exactly the most widely-remembered property,

Nonetheless it’s pertinent to the topic at-hand because this was the first time developer

PF Magic revealed their balls to the world.

Each fighter was built using 2D spheres that mimicked 3D through a clever combination of

The game itself only received a lukewarm reception, but the tech was fast and versatile, which

was notable at a time before mainstream 3D rendering hardware.

But how did this lead to making virtual pets?

Amusingly enough you have to look to Night Trap for that.

Rob Fulop, a designer at PF Magic, had worked on Night Trap and was really irked by the

negative media coverage the game was getting in regards to it 'ruining children' and such.

On retrospect he said, “the next game I made was going to be so cute and so adorable...

The answer came to him after talking to a mall Santa Claus that Christmas, because who

would know better what kids want than Jolly Old Saint Nick?

Santa replied, “the most popular thing that kids ask for every year is a puppy.

Combine that knowledge with the existing tech they had from the game Ballz,

That brings us to the 1995 computer game Dogz, providing puppies for the kids by expanding

on the graphics of Ballz, and continuing PF Magic’s tradition of avoiding S-based plurals.

“Your Virtual Petz,” it says on the box.

That’s right, this is the first in what would become a long line of titles in the

Petz series, eventually becoming the property of Ubisoft who then made

14,000 games for the Nintendo DS and such.

But back in 1995, Dogz was a trend-setter, being what PF Magic described as...

They live on your desktop, you adopt them as a little puppy,

and then you grow them up to be a full-grown dog.

Its combination of cute pets, novel interactivity, and an asking price of $20 proved irresistible

and in the days before Tamagotchi was even a thing the Petz series was a huge hit,

selling 1.5 million units in less than 3 years.

With the success of Dogz, the logical follow-up came in 1996 with Catz, altering the software

in feline ways, while also taking the opportunity to partner with

animal shelters to promote pet adoption...

PF Magic wants a home for all its digital Catz.

PF Magic had a good thing going with Petz, but what was next?

Oddballz of course, another title from 1996, but one that

It was still a virtual pet sim, but instead of domesticated mammals, you had weird alien

creatures and sci-fi machinery to play with.

And it is just as enjoyably quirky as it sounds.

This original trio of Petz programs is what we’ll be looking at today, but let’s start

These particular programz begin with a menu that let you play with and adopt one of five

puppies or kittens, each of which has a unique set of traits that affect

Some will be naturally playful or hyper, others are curious or skittish, but for the most part

you’re just choosing whichever one strikes you as the cutest.

Or you can take a "pup" quiz and let the game decide for you because

Choose your pet, give them a name, and from here you’re given free reign to play.

Well, unlike many later virtual pet experiences, Dogz and Catz are more like activity centers

or desktop buddy programs, rather than fully-fledged games or simulations.

While they can be fed, watered, trained, groomed, and played with,

none of this is 100% vital to their survival.

In fact, don’t worry about survival at all since Petz can’t die,

Instead, your desktop is a totally safe play area for your animated dog or cat, and they

Well, unless you count painting them stupid colors, that’s arguably harmful.

But yeah, you can ignore pets for ages and they’ll still be just as alive and happy

This is in stark contrast to later games like Tamagotchi, where it was infamously easy to

In fact, with the popularity of Tamagotchi in 1997, PF Magic started polling their players

on the topic of death, asking the question “Should Virtual Petz Die?”

The results were overwhelmingly against mortality in Petz, with an adorable set of responses.

I don't think oddballz,dogz,or catz should die.

Although some poeple do need a touch of reality."

Says JeAnna B: “NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!!!!!!!

And says the wise W. Melvill: “I don't know”

Hehehe, the entire page is worth reading, I’ll leave a link in the video description.

But yeah, no one’s being sent to the farm here, so just click around at your leisure

and have some wholesome fun with your virtual friend.

A friend that’s made up largely of spherical sprites by the way, the same kind of method

I think it’s used to greater effect here though, presenting more as solid creatures

Anyway, your mouse cursor acts as your hand, letting you pet them, pick them up, call them,

Pets are constantly aware of your mouse hand too, reacting to it even when you’re not

clicking on anything, providing a sense of awareness to your petz that’s adorably convincing.

Additionally you have an array of toys and treats to choose from, each of which can be

Dogs have things like shoes to chew, balls to play fetch with, and bones to gobble up,

and cats have even more, including catnip, yarn, brushes,