Adopt Digital Pets

ForFor
Raising Pet AwarenessRaising Pet Awareness
and offering an Alternate Solution toand offering an Alternate Solution to
Enjoyment and Animal CompanionshipEnjoyment and Animal Companionship
Submitted by Dolly Bhasin, Team – The eCreativesSubmitted by Dolly Bhasin, Team – The eCreatives
For Assignment 5 of “For Assignment 5 of “Crash Course on Creativity”Crash Course on Creativity”
Venture Lab, Stanford UniversityVenture Lab, Stanford University
Adopt Digital PetsAdopt Digital Pets

Framing the ChallengeFraming the Challenge
Our team framed the challenge for this assignment as
“How to Raise Pet Awareness
and offer an Alternate Solution to
Enjoyment and Animal Companionship”
This was accomplished by a series of self explanatory and
corroborative slides to frame the problem (slides 3-15)

What are Pets?What are Pets?
A pet is an animal kept for a person's
company, as opposed to livestock, laboratory
animals, working and sport animals which
are kept for economic reasons.
- Wikipedia
In 2012, 62% of U.S. households owned a pet
- APPA National Pet Owners Survey

Most Common PetsMost Common Pets
CATS DOGS
About 78.2 million dogs and 86.4 million cats are owned as pets in USA
(Source: APPA)

Rodent PetsRodent Pets
Gerbils
Hamsters
Chinchillas
Fancy Rats
Guinea Pigs

Avian PetsAvian Pets
• Canaries
• Parakeets
• Parrots

Reptile PetsReptile Pets
Turtles
Lizards
Snakes

Aquatic PetsAquatic Pets
Tropical Fish Frogs

Arthropod PetsArthropod Pets
Tarantulas Hermit Crabs

Pet Industry in USA in 2012 was $56 BillionPet Industry in USA in 2012 was $56 Billion
Pet Food $21.26 Billion
Supplies/OTC Medicine $13.21 Billion
Pet Vet Care $14.21 Billion
Live Animal Purchases $2.31 Billion
Pet Services
(grooming & boarding)
$4.54 Billion
Source: APPA
Can the country really afford this kind of
Expensive Pursuit in troubled times?

Breakup of Number of Pets in 2012 in USABreakup of Number of Pets in 2012 in USA
Freshwater Fish 151.1
Dog 78.2
Cat 86.4
Birds 16.2
Equine 7.9
Saltwater Fish 8.61
Reptile 13.0
Small Animal 16.0
Source: APPA

Dogs Cats
Surgical Vet Visits $407 $425
Routine Vet $248 $219
Food $254 $220
Kennel Boarding $274 $166
Vitamins $95 $43
Travel Expenses $78 $48
Groomer/Grooming Aids $73 $34
Basic Annual Expenses for Dog and CatBasic Annual Expenses for Dog and Cat
owners in US Dollarsowners in US Dollars
Source: APPA National Pet Owners Survey 2011-12

Pet Overpopulation of Cats & Dogs in the USAPet Overpopulation of Cats & Dogs in the USA
• Stray Cats ~70 million
• A fertile cat produces litters 1-2 times/yr with
an average 4-6 kittens/litter.
• The average number of litters a fertile dog
produces is one a year; the average number
of puppies is 4-6.
• Owned cats and dogs generally live longer,
healthier lives than strays.
• Approximately 5 to 7 million companion
animals enter animal shelters every year, and
approx 3 to 4 million are euthanized (60
percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats).
Source: http://www.aspca.org/

Where is the Problem?Where is the Problem?
• Pet Industry is a booming industry in USA, but the
benefit not going to pets
• Pets are companions to 62% of the Population
• Most demanded animals for pets are Dogs and
Cats which has resulted in their Overpopulation
• Stray Cats and Dog numbers are alarming!
• 60% of dogs and 70% of cats in Animal Shelters
are euthanized (Very sad state!)
• Pets need to be trained, groomed and kept fit
• Pet owners need education on pets
• Pet adoption rate is low due to many myths
• Pets need a lot of care and cost a lot of money

Can we Not Do Better?Can we Not Do Better?
• Apart from Dogs and cats, there are atleast 30+
more types of harmless cute pets, with over 500+
species of them can we not adopt them?
• If Dogs and Cats are to be adopted – can we not
take them from Animal Shelters?
• Pets loose their natural habitat by domesticating
them, is it really needed to Cage them and deprive
them of natural habitat
• Awareness needs to be raised on pets for
– Breeding and Hygiene of Pets
– Harmful effects of the Pets to others
(dog bite, poop, litter, etc)
– Reducing the wasteful expenses on Pets
– Vaccinations and antidotes for pet bites (zoonosis)
– Pet Adoption
– Pet Euthanasia
• Do we really need live Pets to offer us the enjoyment
and animal companionship? Can’t we seek an
alternative?

Problem FramedProblem Framed
“How to Raise Pet Awareness
and offer an Alternate Solution to
Enjoyment and Animal
Companionship”

Solution - BrainstormingSolution - Brainstorming
• A brainstorming exercise was undertaken to
search for a solution
• 100 + solutions were brainstormed (see Journal
and part 1 of the assignment)
• Three ideas were short-listed in each category of
– Expensive Ideas, Worst Ideas and Good
ideas, the result highlights are indicated in next 3
slides
• Amongst the three short-listed Good Ideas, the
final selected solution was – Adopt Digital Pets.

• The 3 most expensive of them were
–Pet Education made compulsory in
schools
– For All pet owners it should compulsory
to get a training, license and maintain pet
book containing all details about the pet
– All pets should be trained and groomed
for fitness, hygiene and presentation

• The 3 worst ideas of them were
– Ban Pets
– Spay or neuter all pets
– Send all pets to Animal Shelters and
visit them periodically

• The 3 good ideas of them were
– Create a DIGITAL REPOSITORY of Pets
which can be used for creating
awareness
– Use COMPUTER GAMES to create
awareness about PETS
– Adopt DIGITAL PETS

Reasons for Selection of Digital PetsReasons for Selection of Digital Pets
• Digital Repository – is not engaging enough
• Computer Games – though engaging it is not persuasive
nor does it create an emotional connect with owners
• Digital Pets are not only engaging but also
– Persuasive
– Creates Emotional Connect
– Creates Trust between owner and pet
• Digital Pets offer mechanisms to educate pet owners
and others about pets
• Digital Pets can be used as an alternative to real pets,
thereby not depriving the pets of their natural habitat.
• The next few slides support the above

Solution – Digital PetsSolution – Digital Pets
• A digital pet (also known as a virtual
pet or artificial pet is a type
of artificial human companion.
• They are usually kept for
companionship or enjoyment.
• People may keep a digital pet in lieu
of a real pet.

Types of Digital PetsTypes of Digital Pets
• Real animal based or Fantasy
– Simulations of real animals – Petz Series
– Fantasy ones like the Tamagotchi
• Web-based digital pets – Virtual pet sites
– Neopets,
– Sim Horse Games.
– Simulation Games - Woolly Hooves
• Software-based digital pets
– Life simulation games - that focus on the care, raising,
breeding or exhibition of simulated animals
– Software toys - Pet-raising simulations that lack a victory
condition or challenge
– Pet Therapy- incorporate live human intelligence through an
Internet-based backend.

Digital Pets are DistinctDigital Pets are Distinct
• Have no concrete physical form other than the hardware they
run on. Interaction with virtual pets may or may not be goal
oriented
• User must keep it alive as long as possible and often help it to
grow into higher forms
• Keeping the pet alive and growing often requires 'feeding',
grooming and playing with the pet
• If the interaction is not goal oriented, the user can explore the
character of the pet and enjoy the feeling of building a
relationship with it.
No Loss of Habitat
No Euthanasia!
Similar Bonding as live pets
Learning about various aspects of Animals

Common Features of Digital PetsCommon Features of Digital Pets
• Communicating with Digital Pets
– With advanced video-gaming technology, most modern digital pets understand
the pet by interpreting their actions, body language, facial expressions, etc.
– This helps to make a pet's behavior seem natural, rather than calculated, and
fosters a feeling of a relationship between user and digital pet.

• Sense of Reality
– To give a sense of reality to users, most digital pets have certain
level of autonomy and unpredictability.
– The user can interact with the pet and this process of
personalizing can make the pet more distinctive.
– Personalizing increases the feeling of responsibility for the pet to
the user.
For example, if a Tamagotchi is
unattended for long enough, it
will "die"

• Interactivity
SHORT TERM
Direct interaction or action to reaction from the pet.
Example: "touch" a pet with mouse cursor and the
pet will give a direct response to the "touching".
LONG TERM
Action that affect pet's growth, behavior or life span.
Example like training the pet may have good effect
on pet's health.

Examples of Digital PetsExamples of Digital Pets
Tamagotchi
• The Tamagotchi is a handheld digital pet, created
in Japan.
• Over 76 million Tamagotchis have been sold world-
wide.
• Most Tamagotchis are housed in a small egg-shaped
computer with an interface usually consisting of three
buttons.
• Upon activating the toy, an egg appears on the screen.
After setting the Tamagotchi unit's clock, the egg will
wiggle for several minutes, and then hatch into a small
pet.
• The player can care for the pet as much or as little as
they choose, and the outcome depends on the player's
actions.
• Pets have Hunger meter, Happy meter, and Discipline
meter to determine how healthy and well behaved the
pet is.
Source: Wikipedia

Digital Pets around Insect themes -Digital Pets around Insect themes -
• Pokémon is a brand owned by Nintendo the
Japanese video game company
• The concept of the Pokémon universe, in both the video
games and the general fictional world of Pokémon, stems
from the hobby of insect collecting
• Players of the games are designated as Pokémon
Trainers, and the two general goals for such Trainers are:
– to complete the Poked by collecting all of the available
Pokémon species found in the fictional region where that
game takes place;
– to train a team of powerful Pokémon from those they have
caught to compete against teams owned by other Trainers,
and eventually become the strongest Trainer: the Pokémon
Master.
• These themes of collecting, training, and battling are
present in almost every version of the Pokémon franchise,
including the video games, the anime and manga series,
and the Pokémon Trading Card Game
Source: Wikipedia

Real Time Simulation Digital Pets - NinetendogsReal Time Simulation Digital Pets - Ninetendogs
• Nintendogs is a real-time pet simulation video
game developed and published by Nintendo for
the Nintendo DShandheld video game console.
• Nintendogs uses the DS's touchscreen and built-in
microphone. The touch screen allows the player to pet a
dog, as well as to use various items that can be found or
purchased. These range from balls and frisbees, to toys, to
grooming supplies to keep the dogs happy.
• The microphone is used to call to the player's dog by
speaking the name given to the dog in the beginning of the
game as well as to teach the dog commands such as "sit"
or "roll over".
• Players can bring their dogs on walks and to the park if they
so choose. They may interact with other players in multi-
player by using the DS's wireless linkup. It also uses the
DS's internal clock and calendar to allow the dog to grow
hungrier or dirtier based on the elapsed time.
Source: Wikipedia

Web Community of Digital Pets -
• Neopets (originally NeoPets) is a virtual pet
website.
• Visitors can create accounts, own virtual pets
("Neopets"), and buy virtual items for them
using one of two virtual currencies, one of
which can be earned within the site and the
other of which can purchased with real-world
money.
• Neopets also operates a pay-to-
play version, Neopets Premium and sells
Neopets merchandise.
• The website was launched by Adam Powell and
Donna Williams in late 1999. Two years later, a
consortium of investors led by Doug Dohring
bought a controlling interest in the company
and in June 2005, Viacom bought Neopets, Inc.
Source: Wikipedia

Pet raising Simulation : Paws & Claws: Pet VetPet raising Simulation : Paws & Claws: Pet Vet
• Paws and Claws: Pet Vet is a pet-raising
simulation video game in which players can
nurse dogs, cats, horses, birds, guinea
pigs and rabbits back to health.
• The game features 20 ailments. Players can
design their own clinic, choose which kennels to
build and expand existing buildings to provide
further services to their patients.
• Players assume the role of veterinarian running
a pet clinic and must heal sick pets back to full
health.
• THQ is publishing Paws & Claws through their
budget-oriented division ValuSoft.
• Available in Video, Wii, Cellphones, PC formats

Fictional Digital Pets: Hello KittyFictional Digital Pets: Hello Kitty
• Hello Kitty is a fictional character produced by the
Japanese company Sanrio, first designed by Yuko
Shimizu.
• She is portrayed as a female white Japanese bobtail
cat with a red bow. The character's first appearance
on an item, a vinyl coin purse, was introduced in
Japan in 1974 and brought to the United States in
1976.
• The character is a staple of the Kawaii, a segment
of Japanese popular culture.
• Originally aimed at the pre-adolescent female
market, the Hello Kitty product range has expanded
and goes all the way from dolls, stickers, greeting
cards, clothes, accessories, school supplies and
stationary to purses, toasters, televisions, other home
appliances, massagers, and computer equipment.
Source: Wikipedia

Digital Pets through Multi format Games
• Angry Birds is the latest trending digital pet, launched as
a video game created by Rovio Entertainment from
Finland.
• Inspired primarily by a sketch of stylized wingless birds,
the first game was first released for Apple's iOS in
December 2009.
• 12 million+ copies of the game purchased from App Store
• Now available for touchscreen-based smart phones -
Android, Symbian and Windows Phones OS, video game
consoles and PCs.
• Angry Birds has been praised for its successful combo of
addictive gameplay, comical style, and low price.
• In the game, players use a slingshot to launch birds at
pigs stationed on or within various structures, with the
intent of destroying all the pigs on the playing field.
• As players advance through the game, new types of birds
become available, some with special abilities that can be
activated by the player.
Source: Wikipedia

• The latest extension of Digital Pets is Social Games
• Zynga is a provider of social game services founded in
July 2007 and headquartered in San
Francisco, California
• The company develops social games that work stand-
alone on mobile phone platforms such
as Apple iOS and Android and on the Internet through its
website, Zynga.com, and social networking websites
such as Facebook, Google+ and Tencent
• Zynga launched what is considered its best-known
game, FarmVille, on Facebook in June 2009 reaching 10
million daily active users (DAU) within six weeks.
• As of early January 2013, Zynga games had over 265
million monthly active users and the Petsville was also
one of them (now closed)
New Trends – Digital PetsNew Trends – Digital Pets
through Social gamesthrough Social games
Source: Wikipedia

• So next time you want to know more about Pets, just
search for DIGITAL PETS, or adopt one online, you can
be rest assured to find a digital pet that tells you all you
need about that pet in an interesting and engaging
manner.
• If you want to adopt a pet, consider adopting a DIGITAL
PET, rest assured you will not have to face the painful
process of Animal Euthanasia once the pet gets old and
yet have an animal companion for life!
Adopt a Digital Pet Today!Adopt a Digital Pet Today!
ConclusionsConclusions

Credits and ReferencesCredits and References
• Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
• Background Music: The Animal Crossing Wild World at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GCHPD-v1rE
• Paws and Claws: Pet Vet
http://asia.gamespot.com/paws-and-claws-pet-vet/platform/pc/
• All Photos taken from internet for educational
purposes with no commercial interest
• Data sources have been identified in respective
slides

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