Recently, I have noticed the people around me playing Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector on their phones. In fact, I have this app on my iPhone too. I have been infatuated with this game, and I'm not the only one; many other people are also finding it addictive. If you haven't heard about it, it is a game about collecting cats.
The goal is to get the cats to visit your virtual garden by putting out food, sashimi or kibbles, and toys, such as yarn, pillows, boxes, vases, or a goldfish bowl. The cats will visit randomly depending on how much food is left and the kinds of toys out. Some of the cats will only visit if there is a particular toy out. When the cats visit, you can snap pictures and add them to your "Catbook", a virtual photo album. You never see the cats arrive and leave; they just appear, and when they're full and done playing, they will leave fish--silver and gold--for you to buy more food and toys for them. With enough gold fish, you can expand your yard and eventually remodel. When a cat visits you enough times, they will leave you a memento, which can range from random seeds to a gift-wrap ribbon.
Some of the cats are rare ones, and their names are puns. For example, Joe DiMeowgio (Joe DiMaggio) will come to your yard if you have a baseball out. My favorite special cat is Tubbs. He visits not for the toys or furniture, but for the food; he will consume all the food. If you manage to catch him, you'll find that he is a chubby white cat that lies lazily by the food bowl.
Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector will hook onto you once you start playing, but why is it so addicting? The cats are extremely cute or "kawaii", but that's not a sufficient reason to keep so many people engaged for a long period of time. First off, it's a really simple game that isn't time consuming. All you have to do is check in once in a while for a less than a minute to refill the kitty food, collect the fish, and leave out some new toys. Also, it doesn't require any real cash to play because it is so effortless to earn more gold and silver fish, and it doesn't randomly play any advertisements. But most importantly, the game creates positive reinforcement because cats will always visit your yard no matter what; you can never lose. Whether you are into playing apps on your phone or not, I would definitely recommend checking out this game. You will fall in love with these cats.
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