So… this isn’t really anything to do with gaming, but I liked this story so I wanted to share it!
In 2018 Sony released a robot dog known as Aibo which was touted as one of the most realistic depictions of a dog, and the price tag certainly matched that being severl thousand dollars. However, as with all things, it’s clear that people started to tire of their investment even if this one was particularly high quality and made you feel a real emotional attachment. As such Sony have started an interesting idea in Japan, an Aibo fostering service!
How it works is essentially when you are finished enjoying your robot doggy, instead of selling them on or, heaven forbid, throwing them in the bin you can instead donate them to various medical and nursing facilities in Japan. This allows the robot dog to continue existing and doing it’s thing, while giving people who may not be allowed to have pets in their care facility the opportunity to enjoy spending time with a barking friend, even if it is simulated.
The idea is genius in my opinion, and you even get a small thank you and gift for choosing to do this. It’s a great way to recycle something that you own and also provide abit of joy to those who may have difficulty experiencing it themselves. Now I don’t know how emotionally attached you can get to an Aibo, I don’t have one, but just having something even vaguely familiar to a real animal to spend your time with in some of the most vulnerable years of your life I’m sure is a great comfort to many people. This is a Japan-only service at the moment, but I hope other countries and companies take inspiration from this and spread a little bit of joy to those who need it.
That’s all for now, and as always. It’s not just a game, It’s a Life.