Taking a cue from the hugely successful Tamagochi craze, an Internet game in Taiwan has now reduced men to virtual pets. At least in the virtual world, Taiwanese women have never had it so good.
Female players get to pick as many men they want as their personal pets.
Mr Shiue claims that the game has become popular because it fulfils many women's fantasies by giving them the opportunity to do things that they are afraid to do in real life. She said the game allowed her to talk and share secrets with other men without making her real boyfriend jealous. Meanwhile, the men enjoy the freedom of expressing their weakness, sensitivity and need for attention without embarrassment. The Chinese-language portal has attracted some 200,000 members and its daily page views have tripled to 700,000 since it was launched eight months ago. About 40 per cent of members are men with a growing number eager to become virtual pets.