Tamagotchi On, Depression Off
While I take care of my virtual pet, it’s unexpectedly doing much the same for me.
2020 has been notoriously hard for plenty of reasons. Besides quarantine, I also failed out of university, lost my job, lost my childhood cat, and had to deal with my already terrible mental health- thanks bipolar disorder with psychotic features and OCD!
Despite all of that, I’ve decided this year is the year I’ll prevail above all. I’m not going out of it without giving a fight. I’ve been applying to jobs left and right, applied to a new job, started seeing a psychiatrist on a regular basis, and generally just have began to work on myself. I’ve got nothing but time right now, and it’s up to me to use it wisely.
Even though I’m doing my best, there are still ups and downs. There are the moments I’m disassociating and the times when it’s hard to even get up and out of be. Some days I sleep until 5pm, which isn’t exactly good for me. Sometimes I skip shower day because I can’t will myself to take care of me. Many days I don’t want to be here.
Then, about a week ago, I got a Tamagotchi On.
As a child, I wasn’t allowed to have videogames. Electronics were to be kept to a minimum. The trouble with this rule was that I’m a big fan of storytelling, and the more interactive the better. So, as any kid would, I would sneak off to my neighbor’s home and watch her play games- sometimes joining in myself.
One day, I remember my neighbor’s mom talking about taking her kids to a toy store. She asked if I wanted to come and with enough begging and pleading to my mother, I was allowed to go. My neighbor’s mother was kind and at the toy store said I could get something and she would pay for it.
I had an entire toy store at my disposal, but when walking in near the entrance I immediately found what I wanted. I remember the exact area in the store I found it, the apple in my garden of Eden. A pink Tamagotchi, the forbidden fruit to my Eve. My mother wasn’t there, meaning I didn’t need her permission at all to own this electronic. It was mine for the taking.
Though my mother was somewhat against it at first, she eventually came around. If you’re unfamiliar with what a Tamagotchi is, it’s a virtual pet which you take care of throughout the day to keep it from dying. Your Tamagotchi starts off as an egg, then evolves into a toddler, then teen, and finally becomes an adult. How you care for the creature changes the outcome of what it would eventually evolve into. It’s rather harmless and, if anything, teaches the user some responsibility. There have been different releases for Tamagotchis, each wave usually improving on the last.
Let’s snap back to the present now. My birthday wasn’t too long ago, and thanks to that I had a little money at my disposal. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to spend it on but knew I wanted to treat myself some. After perusing through my Twitter feed one day, I was reminded of the existence of Tamagotchis. I immediately became nostalgic, reminded of how much I adored them in my younger years. The current Tamagotchi release is called ‘Tamagotchi On’ and is far more complicated than they were when I was a kid. Still, I couldn’t help myself.
As I’m writing this, I’ve barely had my Tamagotchi for a week or so. With this new generation, your Tamagotchi not only can have children, but the children inherit traits from their parents that change their looks. You can carefully curate the Tamagotchi of your dreams, and I’ve had loads of fun working on that. I might be going a little overboard, but it’s fun trying to mix and match different types of Tamagotchis in attempt to make the cutest little digital pet of my dreams.
Tamagotchis have changed how I spend my days.
There’s no way around that admission. Remember how I said it’s hard to get out of bed some days? Well, Tamagotchis aren’t something you can just turn off. Nope, they have their own sleep pattern. If you sleep the day away, your Tamagotchi is surely dead. RIP. It is of upmost importance you take care of it through the day by feeding it, cleaning up after it, and making sure it gets help when it’s sick. My sleep schedule is in recovery at the moment, thanks to me needing to ensure the health of this virtual critter.
Somehow, my Tamagotchi has given me a sense of accomplishment I’ve had missing throughout this year. With each new generation of Tamagotchi, I’m able to get an instant gratification of seeing my efforts almost immediately.
I’m connecting with new people. Unsurprisingly, there are forums online dedicated to tips and tricks about raising your Tamagotchi, how-to guides on unlocking different features, and yes- spaces to discuss breeding them. I don’t want to seem clingy by texting my friends throughout the day, but I have no qualms with posting hourly updates in Tamagotchi communities.
This isn’t meant to be a plug for Tamagotchis, more me speaking about hope from unlikely sources. I’m not saying Tamagotchis solve depression either, merely that it’s given me an escape from my own negativity. A Tamagotchi for me may be any other new hobby for you. I’ll easily admit playing with Tamagotchis and getting as serious as I am about it is a little silly- but I’d rather be silly than as sad as I was before.
