Read time: 5 mins
If my life were to be simplified to a venn diagram, you’d see a circle for video games, and another for animals. Now of course the sweet spot in the middle is clear – it’s the perfect amalgamation of the two.
The recent release of PlayStation’s new hit game Stray left me thinking about the games that paved the way for it; the games that filled hours of my childhood (and let’s be honest, my more recent years too), and the sweet memories I take with me through life.
Let’s consider the big hitters in turn.
The humble Tamagotchi is a far cry from the gorgeous graphics we see in modern day games, but it was my first introduction to a pet of my own, real responsibility and man did I take it seriously. A small beep would cry out from that little plastic egg and I’d be feeding, watering, and cleaning up after my pixelated friend. Like so many of my peers, I even roped my parents in to babysit when I was at school – the idea of a middle-aged army of 80s and 90s shift-working childbearers caring for tiny robots is everything.
The late 90s were formative years for pet-related games, with Pokémon stealing the show. Nine year old me was beside himself. The cards I’d carefully collected had come to life in a game where I could grow and evolve their digital equivalents. I was going to be a Pokémon master – it was destiny. Then came Pokémon Mystery Dungeon where you act as the Pokémon itself, seeing the world through their eyes. Even as a youngster, the thrill of a non-human view of the world was different, opening up a universe of potential.
The 2000s certainly brought a barrage of pet-based games – one in particular stood the test of time. Of course I’m talking about Animal Crossing. A seemingly-pointless game if you’re a fan of missions and quests, but its cosy feel and cute animal villagers captured so many of us. I’m embarrassed to admit the amount of time I’ve spent on the five Animal Crossing games that have since been released but I’ll let you know it can be measured in weeks. Multiple weeks. There’s something about a game where a cat named Raymond (who’s dressed in a business suit) asks you to play a card game with him – that ticks a box for me. It’s wholesome, it’s worry-free, it’s the perfect escape.
Along with a steady release of Animal Crossing games came another Nintendo gem, one that had kids and adults alike perfecting their pet ownership skills. Nintendogs. In such demand that it was almost-impossible to procure. But then it happened. Christmas 2005 – the tell-tale square shape of a NintendoDS game was scuttling around the ankle section of my awkwardly-knitted wonderfully-misshapen stocking (thanks and sorry Grandma). I don’t remember much else from that festive period. I was too busy training, grooming, feeding and walking my brand new virtual puppy, a beagle I fondly named Scout. This felt like the ultimate evolution of the Tamagotchi.
“It looked so real, I couldn’t imagine how a game could ever look better.”
How wrong I was. In the 17 years since Nintendogs was released, animals have let us into ever-evolving virtual worlds in unimaginable ways. They’ve featured in so many of the hit games we’ve seen over the last two decades. From the sweet German Shepherd, Dogmeat, who’s your faithful companion in Fallout 4, to the horses you name, train, and ride in Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it’s clear that game creators had now understood how important our animal friends are to us. From how they can make us feel safe during intense gameplay, to how they help to transport us around the new worlds we’re exploring. There’s something so special about having an animal with us in a video game.
And so we come to the here and now – the evolution feels complete. Stray, the game where humans don’t feature at all. A vision of the world through the eyes of a small, orange cat. I didn’t know I needed it until I had the controller in my hands playing it – yet so many parts of it felt overwhelmingly familiar. Suddenly, the things I’d seen my own cat do, I was replicating in the game – I instinctively knew I’d be able to scratch posts, drink from puddles, interact with my littermates, and of course, knock items off ledges. I could also tell which jumps I’d be able to make, and which were too ambitious, all from living life in my very real feline friend’s pockets. My cat had already and deliciously taught me to play this game.
Its style is immersive, exciting, and eye opening. I started to think about the way my cat must see the world, how a window for me is a door for him. A fence is a road, a box is something that must always be investigated – it all makes sense now. I got to know him better than I thought possible too.
Stray truly captures everything it means to be a cat. It’s so far up there with the greats of my virtual life line that it begs one question – if this is everything that got us here, where could we be in the next two decades?
Love Letter by Dan Jensen.
(with big tabby Al Purrcino snoozing on the office chair next to him)
