Tamagotchi Effect

Named after the Tamagotchi, a handheld digital pet created by Akihiro Yokoi and Aki Maita and released by Bandai in November 1996. The toy — whose name blends the Japanese tamago ("egg") and uotchi ("watch") — required constant feeding, cleaning, and play, and children often experienced genuine grief when their virtual pet "died." Researchers adopted the term to describe the broader human tendency toward animism with technology.