Tamagotchi Kids: Could It Be The Future Of Raising Virtual Children In The Metaverse?

The metaverse is one of the latest developments in artificial intelligence (AI). The term refers to a unified digital environment where users can work and play together. Although it’s also a virtual world like the internet, metaverse emphasizes enabling immersive experiences created or activated by users.

An expert on AI said that would-be parents would soon be able to choose cheap and cuddle-able digital offspring. The virtual babies will be called Tamagotchi kids.

Tamagotchi kids are yet to be born, says Catriona Campbell. Some people might not want to get pregnant again. Why? Because for several reasons, including issues about the environment, overpopulation, the increasing cost of raising a child, etc.

Who Is Catriona Campbell?

Catriona Campbell is a British behavioral psychologist and an expert on artificial intelligence. She recently launched a new book called AI by Design: A Plan For Living With Artificial Intelligence. According to the book, technology will have advanced within 50 years. And to some extent, babies that exist in the metaverse are similar to those raised in the real world.

The new book has predicted that by the third quarter of this century, parents will have the choice of having digital offspring. So, if you’re a teenager now, you may look forward to playing with a grandchild who’ll exist only in the immersive virtual world of the metaverse.

Campbell shared that this will be known as the “Tamagotchi Generation.”

Buy, Why Tamagotchi Kids?

The name comes from the digital pet made by the Japanese toy manufacturer Bandai. It was a global phenomenon in the 1990s and early 2000s. As of last 2021, more than 80 million Tamagotchi toys were sold worldwide.

What Will The Kids Look Like?

So, will the future “offspring” be egg-shaped and have three buttons? And will we eventually get bored and forget these cuddle-able virtual babies? Technology has immensely evolved since the 1990s. 

Campbell states virtual children will look like you and me. It would be possible to play with and cuddle them. Likewise, they will be capable of simulated emotional responses and speech, which will range from “googoo gaga” to backchat, as they grow older.

So we would get to decide how fast they grow up? Or if they will become teens and adults? 

Another question is, what should people do once they get bored with them? You can cancel if you have them on a monthly subscription basis, which Campbell thinks might happen.

Don’t worry if you can get through because customer service might be improved in the years to come. 

Does it sound a bit creepy?

Campbell encourages people to think of the benefits of this breakthrough. It includes minimal cost and lesser environmental impact. Apart from that, there would be less worry. Although, you might want a bit of that programmed in for a more authentic parental experience.

But are there any downsides? You might be curious if you can turn it on and off. Campbell said it is more like a dystopian doll than a human who is your flesh and blood. But that’s just old-fashioned.

Does that mean that Mark Zuckerberg of Meta will be everyone’s daddy? Or Nick Clegg? Well, not really! It means digital children will exist in the metaverse, which, as you’ll know, is the immersive virtual future of the internet. Campbell predicts they will be commonplace and embraced by society within half a century.