The Tamagotchi effect is the development of emotional attachment with machines, robots or software agents. It has been noticed that humans tend to attach emotionally to things which otherwise do not have any emotions. For example, there are instances when people feel emotional about using their car keys, or with virtual pets. It is more prominent in applications which reflect some aspects of human behavior or characteristics, especially levels of artificial intelligence and automated knowledge processing. Tamagotchi toy The Japanese toy Tamagotchi was released in 1996. As of 2010, more than 76 million Tamagotchis have been sold worldwide. This toy is an egg-shaped virtual pet. It is used by all ages. The user chooses an object, pet, or person to raise an egg to a creature. Another example of virtual pets is a virtual puppy game. In this game, the user takes the role of the mother or father to raise the puppy into an adult. The user feeds, bathes, and even plays with the virtual animal. The user gains an emotional attachment with the puppy which encourages the user to keep interacting with the pet and to be a good parent. A criticism when the toy first came out was the life expectancy of the pet if left unattended. If the original versions were not attended to, the pet would 'die' within half a day, causing both emotional distress and them having to reset their device. This would cause owners to take their pet with them wherever they went, which resulted in distractions in their daily lives. This caused many schools to ban the use of Tamagotchis. Whilst this problem was negated in newer models by the addition of a pause feature, the "Tamagotchi effect" had already gained mainstream media attention. Discussion of the effect Researchers and talking heads have often discussed the Tamagotchi effect over the years. Whilst some say there is cause for concern in regards to attachments to non-living beings, others suggest it is a safe alternative to a real pet for those who may not be able to suitably take care of one, or that they could be used to 'practice' having a real pet, without the risk of hurting or neglecting one should someone's interests change. After the "Tamagotchi effect" gained mainstream attention, researchers came up with the term, Tamagotchi-human cyborg to describe the seemingly symbiotic relationship between humans and Tamagotchis, in part satirizing