Many look back with nostalgia on some of the best parts of the 90s, including the golden 16-bit era of gaming, the 3D revolution, the rise of the internet, Y2K, and so forth. One of the less forgotten fads of the 1990s involved a toy watch known as a Tamagotchi. This fad definitely wasn't forgotten by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare developer Infinity Ward, as it has now been referenced in a big way.
Tamagotchi watches essentially allowed wielders to take care of virtual pets, all the way from birth to their passing. If pets received poor care, then they would become neglected and possibly face and early death. Or, given the right attention, players would see their perfectly healthy pet all the way to the end. It isn't necessarily the most engaging concept, but there are still iterations of it today with things like the mobile game My Tamagotchi Forever, released in 2018.
Tamagotchi watches are getting a comeback of sorts with a reference in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Called a Tomogunchi, developed by fictional company Rothwynn Industries, the watch provides incredibly similar mechanics to those stated above. However, there is a Call of Duty spin on it.
In a satirical blog post on Activision's website, Rothwynn Industries writes an advertisement for the watch. Describing the watch as having "an interweaving of style, plastics, and cutting-edge button-related technology," there is a clear awareness of its now-antiquated design. Yet, while the watch is like the Tamagotchi in design, its mechanics are far less innocent than those of the Tamagotchi.
While wearing the Tomogunchi, players have to pay close attention to their virtual pets, which can include dogs, pandas, and more. It will start off as an egg and eventually come out once players use the watch in combat. The pet starts off as a Baby but later grows into a Child, then a Teenager, and then an Adult.
To nurture your pet, you must rack up kills and killstreaks, complete objects, win matches, and so forth. Failure to do so will result in an unhappy pet with a possible untimely death. You can evolve your pet more quickly with specific objectives as well, such as captures and plants.
The blog post states that the "Watch Interact" function grants benefits to the player as well.
The Tomogunchi can be obtained through the Tomogunchi Bundle on the Modern Warfare Store for 1,000 CP, which equates $10 USD.
The value of this bundle is ultimately up to regular Modern Warfare players and those with 90s nostalgia, though it is a funny reference. The Tamagotchi is one of the more-known toy fads of the 90s, so to bring back in this way is charming. All the benefits it has besides the endearing nurturing of the pet are unknown, but with time, they'll definitely be discovered.
Source: Activision Games Blog