Man’s Best Virtual Friend: Throwback to Nintendogs
Nothing beats the despair when, after a much-needed hiatus from your Nintendo DS, you open up your console to find that your pet on Nintendogs is literally filthy, famished, and parched. It was a collective and universal experience and a bitter failure that many of us repeated shamelessly.
Seventeen years ago, Nintendo released the adorable virtual pet game for dog lovers, Nintendogs. The video game was a real-time simulation, though sans deaths as the doggies remained puppies forever, and as many of us begged our families to let us adopt a canine friend, this game soothed this desire bountifully. Nintendogs came in quite a few versions, and players could pick between an array of breeds, like dachshunds, labradors, dalmatians, chihuahuas, etc. Japanese players had Shiba dogs instead of labradors, as an exclusive release, and later cats were introduced.
The Nintendogs caretakers had to feed and groom the puppies accordingly, with health bars showing their status. Using the touch screen for most controls, the virtual dogs responded to audio as well. Using the mic, players would be able to name their pets and they would respond when called, and teach them basic tricks like “sit”. Championships, toys, and dog hotels were part of the simulation game, and the player could collect items by earning them or buying them. Making the dogs love you was also a challenge, and ignoring them could risk losing the hard-earned friendship points.
It won many awards, notably by PETA for Best Animal-Friendly Video Game in 2006, and is even the second best-selling Nintendo DS game. Besides its commercial success, the video game market in the 2000s was blooming as it opened its doors for more unisex and girly games, welcoming newer and younger audiences of all kinds of backgrounds. Nintendogs’ neutrality and realism were something to make note of, and many games still refer to it as inspiration.
Forget about the Minecraft dog: Nintendogs is the GOAT. It’s time to dig out your dusty DS and feed your puppies or donate them to the hotel so they can find a happily ever after.
About the Author:
Mizuki Khoury
Born in Montreal, based in Tokyo. Sabukaru’s senior writer and works as an artist under Exit Number Five.
