Game Review #3: Nintendogs
The game Nintendogs was a fun interactive game in which you care for and train a puppy. This was my first experience with a virtual pet. I had the Labrador edition of the game. Some that that stood out to me was the many different dog breeds the player could chose from. There was a labrador retriever, miniature schnauzer, huskie, shiba inu, pembroke welsh corgie, toy poodle, boxer, German shepherd, and miniature pinscher. I felt excited to take care of a virtual pet, as I had always wanted a dog, but never got the chance to own one. This game gave me the opportunity to experience pet care in a safe and controlled environment. There was no mess, and the responsibilities weren’t too heavy, as it was just a game.
A dramatic aspect of the game was when I had to take care of my dogs. You have to check in on your pets several times a day, otherwise they get hungry, thirsty, and dirty. Your ultimate responsibility is to care for your pet, and keep them healthy. I was always sad to see my pets suffering, so I did my pest to take care of them. I fed them often, gave them water to drink, washed them, and took them out for walks. When my pets were happy, I felt happy, and I treated them like the real thing. Nintendogs implements all of the duties that go into taking care of a real pet. Furthermore, it exposes the player to the consequences of not doing their job, as seen when the dogs suffer from neglect. This is what makes Nintendogs so effective. This game taught me, albeit in digital form, that taking care of a pet is a big responsibility.
I also enjoyed playing with my pets, as the game implements mechanics of how real canines move. The game also implemented different temperaments to each dog, giving them unique dispositions and reactions to certain events, pets, and items. Therefore, you never knew how your dog was going to react to something, which made it interesting to witness, and encouraged the player to interact with their pet.
A choice I made was in the collection of in-game items. Some of the items relate to pet care, such as nutrition and grooming. Other items were toys. Some are even miscellaneous items that don’t have a purpose in the game. These ultra-rare items act as trophies to add to the player’s collection. The player obtains items in Nintendogs in two ways. Items can either be bought at the pet shop, or discovered when you take your dog for walks. You obtain money by selling items you already possess. The pet shop contains many different items, such as food, water, and toys. Whenever you take a trip to the pet shop, there’s no guarantee that the same items will be there each time. This mechanic was very effective, as it made the player strive to collect items that were not common, and that they did not have access to all the time.
Walking your dog also gives you the opportunity to collect items. Every time the player takes their dog out for a walk, they have the ability to control where they want to go. The game has little gift box icons, as well as icons that indicate crossing paths with another dog walker. As I played the game, I would trail over the gift boxes, and I was excited to see what kind of items I would get.
The underlying mechanics of item collection are the rarity of the items, as well as the time the player spends looking for them. Though collection is not really a part of the pet care experience, to me it was the most fun part of the game. I enjoyed playing the game in order to collect the items. I even resolved to collect every in-game item. Some of them are very hard to find, but I enjoyed the challenge of searching for rarer items, and buying them at the store if I saw them. The most rare items I remember getting are the gold bar and the promise ring. The gold bar could be bought and sold for $2,000, and the promise ring could be bought and sold for $1,000. These sums of money are primarily used for buying different in-game apartments.
Overall, I felt proud of myself for being responsible in taking care of my dogs. I also was proud of myself for finding the rarest in-game items, as it showed how devoted I was to the game. I was eager to show my friends how far into the game I got as well. While the animation was crude, especially by today’s standards, I largely enjoyed the explorative aspect of the game, and the relationship you build with your digital pets. Nintendogs ultimately taught me responsibility and respect towards animals, and challenged my discovery skills in collecting new items.
