--- title: "There’s a Vape With a Tamagotchi Inside It That Dies If You Stop Puffing" description: "A participant in an NYU \"Stupid Hackathon\" says they created a Tamagotchi-integrated vape, where the pet dies if the user stops vaping." date: "2025-03-01" modified: "2025-03-01" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/vape-tamagotchi" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "gadgets" - "hackathon" - "vaping" - "videogames" --- # There’s a Vape With a Tamagotchi Inside It That Dies If You Stop Puffing ![A participant in an NYU "Stupid Hackathon" says they created a Tamagotchi-integrated vape, where the pet dies if the user stops vaping.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* *Update: We talked to Rebecca Xun and Lucia Camacho, the creators of the Tamagotchi vape — and [they said it's "funnier to be evil]()."* Behold, the latest dark entity purportedly birthed out of our not-so-brave new world: a Tamagotchi, housed inside of a vape, that croaks if you stop hitting that sweet sweet juice. The Tamagotchi in question was apparently presented during a "Stupid Hackathon" put on by New York University (NYU) Tisch School's Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) and Interactive Media Arts departments. There, [according to the ITP website](), students enrolled in the programs are invited to "make something stupid." "Do you have an idea so absurd, so utterly useless, that it needs to exist?" it reads. "Then welcome to Stupid Hackathon 2025!" Among those ideas, [according to a video posted this week to ITP's TikTok account]() showcasing the event's various — indeed, delightfully stupid — treasures, is the Vape-a-gotchi. "May I ask you what your Stupid Hackathon project is?" the interviewer holding the camera asks one participant, who's gripping what appears to be an orange e-cigarette. "It's a vape with a Tamagotchi in it," the participant calmly replies. "And if you do not hit the vape, the Tamagotchi will die." Harrowing! https://www.tiktok.com/@itp_ima_nyu/video/7475559816891551022 Incredibly, a few Google searches reveal that the Stupid Hackathoner may not be the first person with this idea. "Idea for a vape: a Tamagotchi that you can only 'feed' or 'play with' by taking a puff of nicotine," reads one — satirical, probably — [X-formerly-Twitter post]() from *Works in Progress* editor Sam Bowman, published in May 2023. "Vaping is so safe that if this got just one kid off cigarettes it would be worth another 50 getting into vaping." "Hi sharks," reads [another post](), this one from June 2024, referencing the "Shark Tank" television program, "today we're putting a Tamagotchi pet on this vape thing." (This one was written in response to a [post]() from senior *Wired* business editor Louise Matsakis, who had posted about some very techy-looking vapes.) Through one lens, the Tamagotchi vape could be interpreted as an exploration of sacrifice, or maybe even mutual destruction; studies continue to show that [vaping is terrible for you]() — and so, to ensure the life of their beloved Tamagotchi, the vaper must offer up their own health for that of their pet. Or, given that Tamagotchis are generally regarded as a children's toy, it's a poignant meditation on how the tobacco industry's turn towards vaping [reignited nicotine addiction]() amongst [young people](), as cigarettes continue their steady, [decades-long decline](). Zooming out, it could even be regarded as a general rebuke of young people's tech dependency. Or it's just a very stupid Tamagotchi vape. In any case: hats off to our new favorite Dr. Frankenstein. **More on whatever this thing is:**[ *Military Robot Deployed as Nightclub DJ*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()