Yopparatchi - Digital Pet and Drinking Buddy

August 2, 2019

Introduction

Yopparatchi, photo courtesy of MTN GODS

(Yopparatchi demonstrating sobriety, photo courtesy of MTN GODS)

Remember those virtual pets, popularized in the mid-to-late 90's? They hung on a key-chain, and were called Tamagotchis or digital pets. If so, then you will be happy to know the creators at Brooklyn-based studio, MTN GODS, are hard at work on a cool grown up version of the Tamagochi, called the Yopparatchi. The device comes with a sensor that detects alcohol coming off you and your friends.

"WHY WOULD ANYONE MAKE THIS"?, you ask

The Concept Behind the Yopparatchi

It's a CELEBRATION!! Apparently, Tamagotchi celebrated 21 years of making the digital pet franchise a genre. While its 20th birthday was marked with a celebratory anniversary edition of the digital pet, its 21st received absolutely no love.

Fortunately, the creators over at the Brooklyn-based art, design, and technology studio founded by Philip Sierzega and Charlie Whitney, MTN GODS; are in development with a tongue-in-cheek prototype called Yopparatchi!! Yopparatchi (derived from the Japanese word ‘Yopparai’ meaning ‘drunk’) is a retro-inspired digital pet and drinking buddy equipped with a fully functional alcohol sensor.

Designed & fabricated from scratch, The Yopparatchi prototype is a product from the MTN GODS in-house creative team, from character design & form factor, all the way down to the custom circuit board. Yopparatchi is a toy for adults, created in the spirit of fun, nostalgia and personal education. Therefore, the Yopparatchi won’t be sold or mass produced, sorry kids. Instead, you'll have to follow the MTN GODS official Yopparatchi site for details on how to get you hands on one.

(Yopparatchi demonstrating its sobriety, animation courtesy of MTN GODS)

Sober ----------------------------------------> Drunk

How it Works

Yopparatchi demonstration of a girl blowing into the alcohol sensor, photo courtesy of MTN GODS

(Yopparatchi demonstration of a girl blowing into the alcohol sensor, photo courtesy of MTN GODS)

From what I've gathered the Yopparatchi fits in-line with the original story introduced back in 1997 of the virtual pet. The story is, Tamagotchis are a small alien species that deposited eggs on Earth to see how the environment would affect the babies lives, and it would be up to the player to raise the egg into an adult creature. Now that the creature is an adult, let's turn on the Yopparatchi, and see what the differences are.

First thing you'll notice is, you’re greeted by a very grumpy and very sober pet. The only way to make them happy is to feed them drinks. Pressing the colorful buttons gives it a drink, but unfortunately this pet has developed 21 years of co-dependence, and requires you to take a drink too.

In order for it to take a drink, you’ll need to blow into the alcohol sensor built into the device. You can take turns with friends, helping to get Yopparatchi tipsy and stay happy. I mean it takes a village, I guess. But be careful! When your Yoppa starts raging out and trashing the place, you'll need to care for it. If it drinks too much, you may have to clean up after its pixel puke. If you wait too long between drinks, Yopparatchi might grab a cup of coffee to sober up.

Conclusion

(Yopparatchi demonstrating feeding, photo courtesy of MTN GODS)

I love the classic look of the Yopparatchi. It really gives off the feel of how the digital pets were, when I grew up in the 90's. Animations are still low frame rate, colors are bright and simple, and the buttons look pretty official. I can't wait to get my hands on one. My guess is that there is only a handful of these prototypes out in the world, making them veerrrrry valuable!