I was checking out the website for the new virtual world MyePets, in which players (likely to be largely but not entirely children judging by the promotional material) purchase a physical plushie pet (only dogs seem to be available right now) and then they get to play as their ePet in the virtual world. So far so good and this sort of real/virtual mash-up is only going to become more common in the wake of the success of Webkinz.

There’s not a lot to say about the world except that as I was watching their promotional video I noticed that the game allows you to take your puppy to the soda fountain and purchase “all its favorite treats” for it. And what are it’s favorite treats? Things that can kill it, apparently. Chocolate cake and chocolate chip cookies are featured in the video promo that highlights the soda fountain part of the world.

I don’t want to be too picky but it strikes me that teaching kids that dogs love things that are easily available to children and can kill said kid’s real-life pet is really, really stupid.