Joipaw, a startup company in the United Kingdom, has revealed plans to create a gaming console exclusively for dogs called Joipaw Console. Initially, it might appear that the Joipaw Console idea was revealed as a joke, and some might still find it unbelievable. However, there are well-thought-out intentions and goals for the device, which will come with a variety of games for dogs to enjoy and benefit from.
The startup began when founders Dersim Avdar and Marco Jenny combined their tech knowledge with their need for a dogsitter to occupy their active canine companion while they were out of the house. The goal of Joipaw is to add more animal inclusivity to technological advancements and human society by providing animals with their own custom and mentally beneficial video games.
Though the Joipaw Console is still in the prototype stage, the company still has a specific plan for what it wants the console and its games to accomplish. The overall goal of the games is to aid in the cognitive health of dogs. As far as games go, Whack-a-mole seems to be a popular go-to game that has found some success with its four-legged players. This version of Whack-a-mole features the same gameplay goals as it would for a human, but with dogs tapping a touch-sensitive screen with their noses. Another game involves dogs having to choose which part of a picture displays more bubbles. Some games may require a motion tracker for the dog’s collar. Both games reward their doggie participants with a treat that is dispensed through the console.
Though the idea for a dog-exclusive console might seem far-fetched at first, previous research suggests that it might not be a bad idea after all. Avdar stated that after thinking about creating a console for his dog, he read a 2017 study that found cognitive health benefits in over 300 dogs and 20 wolves with aging brains that played touchscreen games. Though it was stressed that screen time should not take the place of people interacting with their dogs, there is some promise in introducing dogs to the world of technology.
Needless to say, the idea of an entire console dedicated to games for people's furry friends is very out-of-the-box, and it remains to be seen if it will catch on with gaming pet owners. Hopefully, present and future research will continue to find what other benefits pets can obtain from technological interaction. A new game console for only dogs takes the already established pet tech to a whole new, and possibly ground-breaking, level. In the end, the success of the console will depend on how many canine companions want to be gamers, too.
Source: Axios