From research to game: the octopus Tamagotchi
Posted on: Tue 30 Mar 2021
How long can your octopus survive in Australian waters?
An Adelaide version of the Tamagotchi that used to drive your teachers insane is back.
The toy from the late nineties has been put in the present by the MOD.,
Adelaide’s Museum of Discovery. As part of their latest exhibit It’s Complicated, you can play a game in which you raise a little octopus and try and have it survive in Australian waters – just like a Tamagotchi. You can also play the game from your home couch, in an app.
Stefanie Staelens caught up with UniSA octopus researcher Zoë Doubleday, whose research the game is based on. They talk about working with local fishermen, turning research into interactive art, and the mysterious spectacle that is the octopus. Like: is its anus actually in its head??
