Growing up, I didn’t experience the pleasure of having pets running around my home. I had quite a lot of fish over the years, but typically, the last thing a fish feels like doing is running around.
Fish are beautiful, fascinating creatures, and I established quite a bond with them. I remember, at the age of 12, holding a little sign against the glass of the tank, on which I’d written “Your name is Mark.” You know, just so Mark the goldfish was aware of that fact.
Looking back, two things are clear. Mark absolutely couldn’t read, and would have no concept of what a “name” is even if he could. Another thing, though, was that developing a relationship with a more hands-on sort of pet would’ve been nice.
In the virtual world in the 1990s, I had several dogs and cats. The Dogz and Catz games for PC allowed for simple interactions with these furry friends, and I had several dozen of them.
Arranging furniture and accessories in rooms for them, cooing at the kittens they produced, and swapping out active ones so that everybody got some attention was a lot of fun. It wasn’t until 2005,...
