FooPets (www.foopets.com)
© 2008 FooMojo, Inc.
Looking for some puppy love on your computer screen? How about a realistic, 3D puppy or kitten to raise as your own? This is a collection of 3D virtual pets that look a lot like Nintendogs. The intent is to teach children to better train and care for real-world pets. Unlike most simulations, these pets don't "live" on your hard disk or personal device. Instead, they live on an external server (the cloud) so you can access them from any web-enabled device, much the same way that you'd check your E-mail. Or you can let them wander around your Facebook page. The pets got their start in February 2008 as a test trial application for Facebook called “Pokey." Content includes 12 breeds of dogs and cats, each with unique personalities. So you might just end up with a crabby kitten, but you can earn more money by giving it a lot of attention, food and care. Once adopted, your pet will need daily care and attention and rely on you for food, water, playtime and affection in order to earn FooDollars. These are used for food, accessories and services. With care and time, pets learn tricks and grow into an adult. If you're going on vacation, or will be away from your computer for a length of time, you can ask another FooPets user to watch your pet. If you don't, your pet may get sick and will be taken to the shelter. The first pet is free, and available at Facebook, MySpace and www.FooPets.com; additional pets cost $5 per month.
$5, Windows, Mac OSX, Internet Site
Teaches: taking care of animals