by For two weeks, I carried around a Digimon V-Pet as part of my everyday carry. I took my Digimon with me to work, the bathroom, and even on dates.
If you’re not familiar with Digimon virtual pets, I don’t blame you. The Digimon craze never penetrated the West like it did in Japan. However, you’re likely familiar with Tamagotchi — the Digimon V-Pet is essentially the same thing.
You need to make sure you feed your Digimon and keep it strong or else it will turn into a crappy Digimon (literally a Digimon shaped like feces). And since I have the Digimon Ver. 20th, I had to take care of two Digimon simultaneously.
Since I needed to interact with my Digimon often, I typically carried it around on a lanyard. I have the grey Digimon V-Pet, and kept it attached to a black lanyard. The aesthetic of the device on my lanyard actually looked pretty nice. It’s not flashy like a Tamagotchi, which means it doesn’t look overtly nerdy. If someone isn’t familiar with Digimon, they’ll assume the device is just a simple timer.
It became somewhat of a pleasant morning ritual to wake up, care for my Digimon, attach it to my lanyard, and get ready for work.
However, this morning ritual was partly conditioned in me by the device. If your Digimon are in desperate need of food or training, it will start to beep, which would typically wake me up before my alarm went off. Regardless, it was a good habit to start.
It’s also nice to have something to fiddle with in your downtime, especially if you’re tired of scrolling through social media on your phone. In situations where I’d usually be looking at my phone, I’d take the time to check on my Digimon instead.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not always pleasant having to take care of a virtual pet. You’ll need to take a few moments at school or work to feed and train your Digimon, which can be distracting.
And it can get a bit involved figuring out the requirements for each evolution and keeping track of which Digimon you can get from which eggs. But if you’re all about surprises, that probably wouldn’t bother you too much.
Overall, it’s a pleasant experience carrying around a Digimon V-Pet — it looks cool on a lanyard and offers a nice break from the monotony of everyday life.
