Pou
Virtual pet app engages kids as they care for cute alien.
Parents say
Based on 5 reviews
Kids say
Based on 10 reviews
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Pou
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Pou is a Tamagachi-like game, where players must entertain, feed and bathe an amorphous creature. The point of the app is to teach responsibility, though there are visible effects of shirking those duties, which could be more amusing for some kids (i.e Pou gets dirty and his eyes get very shaky and large when he's hungry or tired). There are also in-app purchase opportunities that kids may take advantage of to improve their Pou.
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What’s It About?
Players must take care of a Pou, an amorphous creature that is under their care, ensuring that it's bathed, plays, sleeps, and eats. Feeding is a matter of dragging and dropping food to its mouth, while sleep requires swiping to another room of the house and turning off the lights. The games vary, but most are direct offshoots of popular apps (like Doodle Jump), which makes them easy for kids to learn.
Is It Any Good?
Some adults will hate Pou, but their kids will probably love it. Like any Tamagotchi game, there's the thrill of responsibility and the reward of seeing your Pou grow. Some kids, though, might enjoy torturing the creature and watching it suffer.
Kids will like the games included in the app, in part because they're quite simplistic and offshoots of popular real-world sports (like soccer) or popular apps (like Doodle Jump). There's also a talkback feature, where the creature will repeat what kids say into their device's microphone -- something sure to engage young ones. And the ability to change the creature's look will charm them as well. Just keep an eye on their coins, as the urge to spend real-world money on these virtual items will likely be high for them.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
If you have a family pet, delegate some of the responsibility for its care to your kids to help kids transfer what they're learning in the app to the real world.
Don't have a family pet? A small fish is a low-cost, low-commitment way to give kids the experience of being responsible for another living creature.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire
- Skills: Emotional Development: persevering, Responsibility & Ethics: respect for others, Self-Direction: self-reflection, time management
- Release date: June 26, 2013
- Category: Simulation Games
- Publisher: Paul Salameh
- Version: 1.3.9
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 5.0 or later; Android 1.6 and up
- Last updated: August 17, 2016
Our Editors Recommend
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Tiny Monsters
Cute breeding sim playable without in-app buys.
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Littlest Pet Shop
Pamper and play games with your virtual pets.
For kids who love animals and sims
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