stuck and don't know where to start? poke through this thread for ideas.

here are some things you could try to make for the jam...

a comic!
a zine!
a painting!
a clay sculpture!
an embroidered hoop!
a song!
a neocities website!
a raising sim!
a collage of tamagotchi packaging materials!
a visual novel about a neoboards romance!
a twine game about a haunted idog!
an instructional booklet for a fictional pet game!
a manifesto on what makes a "good" pet site!

got ideas you're not gonna use? drop 'em below!

someone could probably do a sprite sheet in the style of those tamagotchi sprites. like the different ones for eating for sleeping or sick

hi, i'm oz and i can't sleep rn, so here is an excerpt from my initial deranged musings after learning of this jam's existence. 

maybe they can serve as game jam ideas:

• put a pixel budgie in a pixel room with a pixel ball. witness budgie try to balance on said ball. watch until it falls off and gets annoyed and starts pecking at that damn ball. earn in-game currency depending on how long budgie manages to balance. use those in-game earnings to buy cuter balls and budgie outfits and treats to reward it for working so hard. rinse and repeat.

• feed the (tsundere) monster under your (aesthetically messy) bed snacks and also read them stories until you become friends (and maybe more?)

• ghost therapist: help cute little ghosts work through their emotional baggage so that they can have a happy afterlife

• office lady helper: bring a sweet lil teeny-tiny OL on your desktop or phone cups of tea and soothing eye masks for her poor tired peepers; build a rapport to boost her mood, and maybe even motivate her to quit her dead-end job and run away with you follow her dreams

• paper dolls. digital or analogue. cutesy, grotesque or fashion; doesn't matter. the world needs more paper dolls.

I really enjoy using pomodoro timers and eventually came across oscar's pomodoro timer because of a friend. I got really inspired by the flirt personality to think of what it could be like to push that further. I've been thinking about the idea on and off and because of this jam I'm going to actually work on it! It's basically going to be a sexy desktop companion lol

EDIT: I realized I misunderstood this thread and should've posted some ideas someone could use for what can be made for this jam and not my own ^^' oopsie

- A tutorial/documentation for building a physical pet using RaspberryPi or some other hardware! (I'd love to make a pokewalker type thing someday!)
- A lullaby for a fictional pet
- A short story about being isekai'd as a virtual pet

I also dont know but i thought about coming up with something when the comp starts bcz i might end up stressing if my project gets good bcz im kinda perfectionist

Making a little ACTUAL KEYCHAIN PET using the micro:bit (they're like $20 aka CHEAPER than a real Tamagotchi) you can also do this with the Arduino but that is $$$

mod ur fancy tamagotchi, I don't have the latest version so ymmv but there's smth called MyMeets that lets you do that maybe????

OpenTama if you're the smarty-pants who can just....magic computers together (smth smth solder???) 

https://m.elecrow.com/pages/shop/product/details?id=207465& this is a Tama DIY kit for $10 but idk how to make *gestures to all that* into a *holds up old dingy Tamagotchi* (3D printer crowdfund plz)

a cute simple ad-free app I can play on my phone that doesn't steal data, doesn't need bluetooth, doesn't integrate in apps, doesn't take over my smartfridge when it's hungry or print archaic messages when it's sad

I would love to see a webpet that everyone with a link can take care of together and leave little notes and gifts with to give to other users/friends.

I'd also love to see a Discord bot that gets points/health from talking to your friends!

Pokewalker/Pokemon Pikachu (GS) like guy who goes on walks when you walk and brings you things. (I miss you Pikachu, I'm sorry I didn't take you out of my pants and washed you. oTL)

*looking at my old Furbys and Tekno* *wonders if I can revive them or otherwise use their carcasses*

*looking at my old Tamas and knock offs* *wonders if I can make them cuter with paint/clay/crochet*

*looking at my printer* *ponders drawing/printing cute stickers and cards for everyone*

also YESSS PAPER DOLLS I made little paper dogs in elementary school and would make them little paper toys and beds and rooms ;A; (would anyone want to do a penpal/mail list thing and make/send each other little paper pets/stickers? or is that too out of scope for a "digital" pet?)

EDIT: omg I forgot about my nintendogs. can a smart people make a web/phone app nintendogs?