Petz
Petz (Dogz and Catz) is a series of single-player video games dating back to 1995, in which the player can adopt, raise, care for and breed their own virtual pets. The original Petz has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide[3] and the brand has grown to over 22 million copies since coming under Ubisoft.[4]
| Petz | |
|---|---|
| Genre(s) | Virtual pets |
| Developer(s) | PF.Magic, Mindscape, Ubisoft |
| Publisher(s) | PF.Magic, Mindscape, Ubisoft |
| First release | Dogz and Catz 1995[1][2] |
| Latest release | Petz Beach Petz Countryside October 14, 2014 |
Development edit
Petz (Dogz, Catz, et al.) is a series of single-player video games dating back to 1995, in which the player can adopt, raise, care for and breed their own virtual pets. The original Petz games—Dogz: Your Computer Pet and Catz: Your Computer Pet—were developed by PF.Magic. Dogz was released in 1995 and Catz was released in 1996.
Rob Fulop developed the first title in the series, Dogz: Your Computer Pet, following the controversy surrounding his previous title Night Trap and with the desire to make a game that was "so cute and so adorable that no could ever, ever say it was bad for kids". He claims to have consulted a shopping mall Santa Claus to understand "exactly what kids wanted" who informed him that puppies were a popular gift request every single year, leading to the idea of a virtual puppy.[5]
After earning revenues of $8 million in 1997, PF.Magic was acquired by The Learning Company's Mindscape division for $15.8 million in 1998.[6] In 2001, Ubi Soft (Ubisoft, since 2003) acquired the entertainment division of The Learning Company, granting Ubisoft exclusive publishing rights to 88 titles, including Dogz and Catz.[7]
After Ubisoft acquired the series, some games that were Japanese in origin were localized under the Petz name. For example, Petz: Hamsterz Life 2 on Game Boy Advance is a localization of Hamster Club 3, and distinctly different from its DS counterpart, although both DS Hamsterz games were also Japanese-developed but published in English territories by Ubisoft.
Gameplay edit
In Dogz: Your Computer Pet and Catz: Your Computer Pet, the player choose a dogz or catz to adopt and name in the breedz and gender of their choice as a puppyz or kittenz. After a period of time, the petz become adults. In Petz 3, Petz 4, and Petz 5, adult petz can breed to have more kittenz or puppyz of their own. Cross-breeding can create different types of petz, called mixed breeds.
There are a number of toyz, food and water bowls, and treatz available. Petz can learn tricks with positive rewards such as petting and treatz, or trained not to do something using the punishment (water) spray bottle. Petz must be looked after properly; abused or neglected petz may run away.[8][9]
Players may share their petz with others who have the game via an email. Each version allows the importing of petz from all earlier versions. There is also a camera feature, permitting snapshots of petz to be taken and saved.
Later versions of the games included a Petz Web Fun Pack, Petz Publisher and a Petz Player web browser plug-in, allowing players to publish their Petz online in playable webpages.[10] The Petz Publisher does not work anymore, due to the fact that the website has been remodeled with the newer Petz games by Ubisoft.
Animals edit
The initial games were limited to dogz and catz, but additional animals were also introduced. These animals include Pigz,[11] Bunnyz,[12] Monkeyz,[13] Dolphinz,[14] and Hamsterz,[15] some of which received their own games.
Users learned how to reverse-engineer the system, and began producing additional breedz, toyz, playscenes, clothes, and developer tools for the games, as permitted by PF.Magic, Mindscape, and Ubisoft.[16]
Games edit
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (March 2024) |
| Game | Developer | Publisher | Distributor | Release Date | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catz and Dogz I: Your Virtual Petz | PF.Magic | PF.Magic | Virgin Interactive Entertainment | 1995 (Dogz), 1996 (Catz) | PC |
| Oddballz: Your Wacky Computer Petz | PF.Magic | PF.Magic | Virgin Interactive Entertainment | 1996 | PC |
| Catz and Dogz II: Your Virtual Petz | PF.Magic | PF.Magic | Mindscape | 1997[17] | PC |
| Catz and Dogz 3: Your Virtual Petz | PF.Magic | PF.Magic | Mindscape | 1998[18] | PC |
| Catz and Dogz 4 | PF.Magic | Mindscape Entertainment | Mindscape | 1999[19] | PC |
| Catz and Dogz 5 | Studio Mythos | Ubi Soft | Ubi Soft | 2002[20] | PC |
| Hamsterz Life | Ubisoft | 2006 | Nintendo DS | ||
| Horsez | MTO | Ubisoft | 2006 |
| |
| Petz: Dogz 2 and Catz 2 | Digital Kids | Ubisoft | 2007 |
| |
| Petz: Wild Animals: Dolphinz[21] | Magic Pockets[21] | Ubisoft[21] | 2007[21] | Nintendo DS[21] | |
| Tigerz | Magic Pockets[22] | Ubisoft[22] | 2008[22] | Nintendo DS[22] | |
| Petz: Bunnyz[12] | Digital Kids[12] | Ubisoft[12] | 2008[12] | Nintendo DS[12] | |
| Petz: Monkeyz House[23] | Ubisoft[23] | 2008[23] | Nintendo DS[23] | ||
| Petz Sports: Dog Playground | Ubisoft Montreal[24] | Ubisoft[24] | 2008[24] |
| |
| Petz: Crazy Monkeyz | Y'sK[25] | Ubisoft[25] | 2009[25] | Wii[25] | |
| Petz Beach[26] | Ubisoft[26] | Ubisoft[26] | 2014[26] | Nintendo 3DS[26] | |
| Petz Countryside[27] | Ubisoft[27] | 2014[27] | Nintendo 3DS[27] |
Reception edit
Entertainment Weekly gave Catz a B+ and wrote that it is an accurate simulation of felines.[28]
The Petz series is also notable for the online community that grew around it,[29] which game designer Nathalie Lawhead speculates is part of the reason for its success and enduring legacy.[30]
The original Dogz and Catz sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide[3] and the brand has grown to over 22 million copies since coming under Ubisoft.[4]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Dogz (1995) for PC - GameFAQs". from the original on 2009-09-01. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
- ^ "Catz (1995) for PC - GameFAQs". from the original on 2009-09-04. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
- ^ a b . The Free Library. 1998-02-19. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
- ^ a b (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 November 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
- ^ Donovan, Tristan (2010). Replay: The History of Video Games. Lewes, East Sussex: Yellow Ant. p. 233. ISBN 978-0-9565072-0-4.
- ^ "Learning Co. to acquire PF.Magic". Cnet. 1998-05-07. from the original on 2017-09-24. Retrieved 2017-09-23.
- ^ "Ubi Soft Acquires The Learning Company's Entertainment Division". Gamezone. 2011-09-27. from the original on 2017-09-18. Retrieved 2017-09-23.
- ^ . Petz.com. PF.Magic. Archived from the original on 21 June 2000. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
- ^ "Children's Software Review: Petz: Dogz 5 & Catz 5". Edutaining Kids. June 2005. from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
- ^ "Web Fun Pack Help". WebPetz. from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
- ^ "Dogz 4 – Wayback Petz". from the original on 2024-03-16. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
- ^ a b c d e f "Petz: Bunnyz". IGN. from the original on 2024-03-16. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
- ^ "Amazon.com: Petz Monkeyz House - Nintendo DS : Video Games". www.amazon.com. from the original on 2024-03-28. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
- ^ "Amazon.com: Petz Dolphinz Encounter - Nintendo DS : Video Games". www.amazon.com. from the original on 2021-03-31. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
- ^ Thomas, Lucas M. (2007-02-23). "Hamsterz Life Review". IGN. from the original on 2023-08-28. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
- ^ Hansmeyer, Becky (11 March 2015). "Ballz & Linez: Remembering the Golden Age of Petz Hexing". Becky Hansmeyer. from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
- ^ "Catz II: Your Virtual Petz Release Information for PC - GameFAQs". www.gamefaqs.com. from the original on 2015-10-19. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
- ^ "Catz 3: Your Virtual Petz for PC - GameFAQs". www.gamefaqs.com. from the original on 2015-09-19. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
- ^ "Catz 4 for PC - GameFAQs". www.gamefaqs.com. from the original on 2015-09-26. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
- ^ "Catz 5 for PC - GameFAQs". www.gamefaqs.com. from the original on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
- ^ a b c d e "Petz: Wild Animals -- Dolphinz". IGN. from the original on 2024-03-16. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
- ^ a b c d "Petz: Wild Animals -- Tigerz". IGN. from the original on 2022-11-30. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
- ^ a b c d "Petz: Monkeyz House". IGN. from the original on 2024-03-16. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
- ^ a b c d "Petz Sports". IGN. from the original on 2017-08-30. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
- ^ a b c d "Petz: Crazy Monkeyz". IGN. from the original on 2024-04-05. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
- ^ a b c d e "Petz: Beach". IGN. from the original on 2024-03-16. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
- ^ a b c d "Petz: Countryside". IGN. from the original on 2024-03-16. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
- ^ "Catz: Your Computer Petz". EW.com. from the original on 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2018-11-03.
- ^ Famularo, Jessica (18 September 2015). "Lost to Time: Gaming's Forgotten Petz Subculture and the Women Who Shaped It". The Mary Sue. from the original on 16 November 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
- ^ Lawhead, Nathalie. "About desktop pets & virtual companions: discussing the inhabitants that fill the void of our digital spaces". The Candybox Blog. from the original on 16 November 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
Academic papers edit
- Socially Intelligent Virtual Petz