The maker of the Tamagotchi virtual pet is looking for another hit with a toy ant farm, which it hopes will attract stressed office workers who want to watch someone else hard at work.
In “Ant's Life Studio,” created by the Japanese company Bandai, digital ants on a hand-held screen build and destroy nests, find caterpillars to feed their queen ant and — if they’re not careful — get eaten by passing spiders.
“Since fancy toys are a hit right now with adults, this toy can be used as a snazzy interior decoration,” a Bandai spokeswoman said.
PHOTO: AFP
“Stressed-out employees can keep it on their work desks and be comforted just by watching the ants work. By watching them work, they can take their minds off their own work for a while,” she said.
The virtual ant farm is interactive but busy office workers do not need to put in much effort other than warding off the occasional hungry spider by pressing a couple of buttons.
The ants can make up to 100 different nests — which toy buyers may appreciate more on their screens than in their living rooms.
The 15cm toy, which is priced at 7,980 yen (NT$2,250), will be in stores in mid-November.
The Tamagotchi, a global fad in the mid-1990s, is a hand-held digital pet which users must feed and play with to keep happy.(AFP)
電子寵物蛋（Tamagotchi）的製造商打算以玩具螞蟻農場帶動另一股熱潮，希望能吸引上班壓力大、希望是別人在認真工作的上班族。
日本萬代公司打造的「螞蟻生活屋」中，出現在掌上型螢幕的數位螞蟻會建造、摧毀螞蟻窩，找毛毛蟲來奉養蟻后，而且，假如不小心的話，它們會被路過的蜘蛛吃掉。
萬代公司女發言人表示︰「由於現今高檔玩具廣受成年人歡迎，這種玩具可以當成酷炫的室內裝飾。」
她說︰「壓力大的員工也可以將它放在辦公桌上，只要觀看螞蟻工作就會得到安慰。藉由觀看螞蟻工作，他們可以暫時讓心思抽離於工作之外。」
虛擬螞蟻農場採互動方式，不過忙碌的上班族無需花費太多心思，只要按下一兩個按鍵，避開偶爾出現的飢餓蜘蛛即可。
這種螞蟻可以建造多達一百個不同的蟻窩，玩具買主在掌上型螢幕欣賞這些蟻窩，可能比在客廳欣賞真蟻窩更有樂趣。
這種十五公分高的玩具售價七千九百八十日圓（新台幣兩千二百五十元），將於十一月中旬上市。
在一九九○年代中期掀起全球熱潮的寵物蛋是一種掌上型的電子寵物，玩家必須餵食它、陪它玩，讓它保持開心。 （法新社?翻譯︰賴美君）
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