Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector (Grand Fur-nale)

Over the course of this semester, I've written about a number of games which fall into the general category of "cheap and/or free indie games that happen to appeal to my specific interests". Honestly, this is mostly for the sake of my own convenience. But beyond that, I think that this is an area that is often underestimated. Certainly, video games as a whole medium are becoming more respected, as new games by major developers gather massive budgets, advertising, and media attention, and being a "gamer" is hardly the social taboo it may once have been. However, the comparatively simple games I've showcased on this blog have their own impact. They've bent the boundaries of video gaming beyond the expected, told brilliant and heartwrenching stories, and just plain been pretty fun. Yet it's rare for an indie game to get the sort of attention that big-budget games have, and the games on this blog are largely restricted to very small but devoted fanbases (with one notable exception).

On a totally unrelated note, here's Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector.

Meow.

Unlike the other games here, Neko Atsume is a smartphone app. It provides you with a plainly-drawn virtual yard, in which you can put cat food and cat toys. Close the app for a while and reopen it, and a cat might show up to nibble at your food and play with your toys. Close and open again, and the cat is gone, leaving behind it a small gift of fish that can be spent to buy more food and more toys.

That's it. That's the entire game.

Neko Atsume is really unlike other games, to the point it's debatable whether it can even really be called a game. While most games rely on the player's ability to drive the action, interaction is minimal in Neko Atsume. Sure, you can decide what toys and what kinds of food you want to provide to the local cats, and you have to keep up the food supply if you want cats to show up. And you can take pictures of the cats if you want. But it comes down to the cats to decide what happens when. If a cat isn't showing up to your yard, there's little you can do about it except keep refilling those food bowls and pray. The easiest way to play the game is just to set out food and wait a few hours, leaving the cats to play and the fish to accumulate by themselves. 

Here's a yard with a cat in it.

Yet there's something about Neko Atsume that has proven irresistibly charming. Maybe it's the appeal of cute drawings of kittens. Maybe it's the fact that the game can be played with barely any time, money, or emotional investment. Or maybe it's the constant onslaught of cat puns (Joe DiMeowgio, anyone?) Whatever the case, Neko Atsume has hit it big. We're talking tens of millions of downloads. There's a line of plush toys, if you want to bring the cuddliness of cat collection out of the phone and into real life (without worrying about litterbox training). There's a theme park opening in Japan based on these cats, and it's planned to run for a few months and offer attractions and food based on the game. How many games can say that?

These are the cats you're looking for.

Neko Atsume is a definite example of the idea that sometimes simpler is better. By being easily accessible and appealing to humanity's universal love of cats, it's somehow become a multinational phenomenon. I can't quite explain what it is about these kittens that made the world fall in love with them, but clearly it worked, and maybe there are lessons to be taken from this. It's possible that in the modern age of video games we've lost sight of what's really important in a game. Or maybe we're all just blowing this little cat app out of proportion.

Unsatisfying way to finish off this blog? Perhaps. But not everything has to be wild and thrilling all the time. At the end of the day, it's good to be able to sit back, relax, and look at a cat.