Next Virtual Level Pets: "My Talking Angela"

How "My Talking Angela" has won the hearts of children and adults alike with its innovative and interactive gameplay.

Virtual pets have had a surprisingly long history in the market of imaginary domestic animals. However, "My Talking Angela" is one of the current trends taking the world by storm due to its groundbreaking features. Being a hit among adults as well as children, Talking Angela is the new face of virtual pet entertainment...

My Talking Angela

What Is A Virtual Pet?

A virtual pet is an artificial companion that is often kept for enjoyment purposes. They have no concrete form, being that they only survive within the hardware and information in which they've been programmed. The interaction with a digital pet is generally motivated by goals, such as keeping the pet alive or advancing to a "better pet" through minor activities throughout the gameplay. These activities often include playing with the pet, "feeding" the pet, or grooming the pet.

In other circumstances, the digital pet relationship is established through exploring and building a relationship with the pet. These pets are often simulations of real pets, with the exception of passing away and the ability to regenerate. However, the best part about owning a digital pet is that it prepares the owner for the responsibilities that often come with owning a real pet.

All About Angela

What sets "My Talking Angela" apart from every other virtual pet is the staggering amount of gameplay and interactivity it offers. So here's a brief summary of what's possible with Angela:

• You receive Angela as a small kitten. From here, you feed her, look after her, and help her grow.
• You receive coins when you care for her (with actions like brushing her teeth) that can be used to purchase in-app items that enhance the gaming experience.
• The further you progress with Angela, the more rewards are given. Some of these rewards include stickers which can be collected and traded with friends and other users.
• You can choose her style. Is Angela a punk rocker? Maybe your Angela dresses like a NYC socialite on her way to an upscale get together. No matter what you decide, there are enough style choices to match your tastes, from accessories and hairstyles to costumes. You can even decorate Angela's home.
• There are also tons of great mini-games to choose from.
• You can also interact and talk with Talking Angela. You can sing and chat to her and she’ll repeat what you say! Her emotions are life-like so you should remember to be nice!

Generation App - The Mobile Teacher

While educational toys have been popular for years, this current generation's innate lust for information is unmatched, breeding technologic advances that have brought with them the availability of constant learning. Smartphone applications allow our children to play and learn, no matter where they are.

Grandparents or even parents often find themselves asking for help with computers or other technology by their much younger children and grandchildren. Why? Because it is simply a part of the world they are born into, giving them a natural understanding of how these systems integrate with their lives.

Apps encourage this internal desire for learning, teaching everything from fine motor skills for toddlers to complex mathematical complexes, through what, to the child, is nothing more than a game.

While developers have taken some of their cues from toys that have been around fo r years, like interactive an Hot Wheels app or using classic characters like Gumby or Bugs Bunny, there is a level of mental stimulation and integration of knowledge and creativity that are expected in today’s standard applications.

Many apps are specially designed to develop hand-eye coordination and dexterity for toddlers, helping them reach important milestones in their development. Tracing lines and shapes, as well as learning numbers and letters can easily be translated into a fun, exciting pastime with age-appropriate drawing apps.

For older children, there are countless games where complicated concepts like fractions or long division come to live, and practice becomes fun with simple digital rewards and games. Science and history becomes personalized as children can follow the visual, realistic implications of everything from science experiments or a click-able table of elements, to interactive historical stories.

No matter what age the child, today’s advanced society has made it clear, digital entertainment, with its flexible, dynamic usage, is the ideal for both the present and the future. With the majority of games being stored in one simple device, the value and diversity that is available at any given time is astronomical, making the choice of the apps themselves another avenue of self-expression and personal development. Games often offer settings and options that can be altered with a child’s mood, or changed as they grow and improve. Each new app offers additional opportunities for independent choices to be made, including which apps to download, which characters to engage with and how they chose to engage in the game itself.

Children hold these games in the palm of their hand, and love the autonomy of using self-lead programs to both play and learn. No matter what generation a child is born into, they always long for whatever their parents and older siblings have access. Smartphones being at the hands of most adults and older children, is just another catalyst for these developing minds to be reaching for apps to keep them engaged and developing.

Imagine a child 20 years ago begging for access to encyclopedias or lessons on colors and numbers. Things that were once looked at as work, are now associated with play, as the App Generation demands that their minds be challenged as their fingers tap, scroll and click.

• Author Bio:
  
  

  Mother to five and grandmother to ten, Bonnie Wood rum is an experienced blogger specializing in the area of family-focused products and services. Bonnie blogs regularly for a number of children’s entertainment and mom-targeted/kid-centric brands such as Purex,Safety 1st, PBSKids, American Greetings Properties (owners of Care Bears & Strawberry Shortcake), Outfit7Limited (producers of TalkingTom and Friends and TalkingAngela) and Bandai America (makers of Power Rangers action figures, Tamagotchi and more).