It was a game from Japan that became a rage in the 1990s, with people glued to a round-shaped gadget where they had to feed, clean and give some tender loving care to a virtual pet they "hatched" or else it will die. Tamagotchi, the game and "handheld toy", also created a stir because it was deemed disruptive, with players obsessed with minding and tending to a cyber creature at every beep and notification from the bright and colourful device, to the detriment of their studies and other real-