It all comes back to the egg… In honour of Pokémon Day, we’re once again taking an askew look at the biggest franchise in games, this time by showcasing two properties that are often (and perhaps unfairly) compared against it. Sam leaps from your keychain and beeps aggressively to give an essential timeline on Tamagotchi, explaining the lore and dispelling the myths, while Kit (@kitenby) wrangles with the wild history of Digimon and its wealth of spin-off media. There’s also plenty discussed on the key link with their parent company, and the wider bubble of the virtual pet craze of the late 90s. Tight!

Find us at: https://gamertime.online/

Topics discussed: Bandai, Tamagotchi, the Sega Dreamcast VMU, Pokémon Pocket Pikachu, the Pokémon Mini,; Digimon V-Pets, Digimon Adventure, Digimon World, Digimon: The Movie, Digimon Survive

Also mentioned: Metaphor: ReFantazio, Like a Dragon: Yakuza, Donkey Kong Country (TV series), Anbernic handhelds; the Apple Pippin Atmark, vTech v.Smile, Osutchi & Mesutchi, Santaclautch; NiGHTS into Dreams, Chao Garden, Seaman, the Sony PocketStation, Hey You! Pikachu, the Pokéwalker, Skillz (UK magazine), Professor Sherry Turkle; the WonderSwan, 4-Kids, Saban Productions, Angela Anaconda, Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth

Music used:

Pokémon Stadium Opening - Masafumi Kawamura, Junichi Matsuda
Menu Music 3 (“Okay Fellas”) [from “International Superstar Soccer 2000”] - Kazuhiko Uehara
Tamagotchi (Tschoopapa...) - Sqeezer
Join Us 4 Happy Time [from “Sonic Adventure”] - Fumie Kumatani
Pokéwalker [from “Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver”] - Junichi Masuda, Shota Kageyama
Digi Rap [from “Digimon: The Movie”] - M.C. Pea Pod, Paul Gordon, Shuki Levy, Haim Saban
File City Day [from “Digimon World”] - Koji Yamada, Yuko Ishii,
Hey Digimon [from “Digimon: The Movie”] - Paul Gordon, Shuki Levy, Haim Saban
Brave Heart [from “Digimon Adventure”] - Ayumi Miyazaki, Ōta Michihiko

Further reading:

“the tale of tamagotchi: the never-ending rabbit hole.” (planetclue, 2023): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQHU9m90VLU
“The CRAZY History Of Tamagotchi” (Retro Dodo, 2023): https://youtu.be/VmJresLF3ho?si=zAa40gi27pPIdLg7

“A Complete History of Digimon Virtual Pets” (Lost in Translationmon, 2023): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKk7WNz6SmI