Electric Love

From time to time our friends in Japan tend to introduce us to new ways to become that much closer to machines. We all remember the Tamagochi fad that swept the nation. Children all over had a pet that fit on to a key chain. These little cyber pets played, slept, ate, pooped, lived and died. They did this all in their little "egg like" computer world. Consider it the evolution of the pet rock, if you will. no longer did children beg mom and dad for a dog, they wanted computer Fido, not the real thing. This fad thrived for much longer than it should, until the children started seeing that artificial life holds seemingly less relevance to organic life. And so the Tamagochi's faced extinction, exiled to junk drawers and the bottom of toy boxes. Their watch batteries eventually ruptured and corrosion set in.

But the market still had a nitch to be fed.

Soon more toys similar in nature began to be produced. Some were monsters that you hatched and trained to fight. Some were small robots that could walk on your desk. Eventually entire computer programs were devised for these simulated creatures, or Sims as the name was coined. First the Sims just lived, then loved, then worked, after a while they didn't shower, and then they died. Before long the Sims were Livin' Large and Bust'n Out of their pre-made mold. They went on-line, and gave us the ability to socialize though little artificial life forms.

And like the Tamagochi before them, they two faced extinction. This is the fate of all artificial life, to exist and thrive as a fad, but soon face the oblivion of disinterest. Be it buttons or keys, batteries or space on out CPU, we create this artificial life responsibility, and maintain it only at our whimsy.


Exile

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