Students explore the design and implementation of a virtual pet by first analyzing existing digital pets and brainstorming desirable features. They then apply object-oriented programming principles in Java to design a VirtualPet class, implement and test methods for interaction and status management, and extend functionality through additional classes like Food and Game. Finally, students enhance their pet simulation with creative features such as health monitoring and environmental interactions, reinforcing class composition and encapsulation.
This lab can be used after Unit 3: Class Creation in Cortado, Unit 5: Writing Classes in Nitro, and Unit 4: Classes and Object-Oriented Programming in Mocha.
