## PAWS AND PLAY: THE ULTIMATE GAMING GUIDE FOR CAT LOVERS

### FROM CONSOLES TO CATNIP: WHY GAMERS ARE FELINE FINE

As the warm days of the summer of gaming draw closer, the excitement seems to be raining cats and also many games. The recent announcements by Sony have started the summer game showcase madness. While the reveal was low-key, it gave a hint of things to come. From the wet wilderness of Monster Hunter Wilds to the blood-soaked halls of Silent Hill 2 Remake, gamers have plenty to look forward to, but there is another trend weaker individuals might find purr-fect, one that combines gaming with cats – for better or worse.

### FELINE ADVENTURES AWAIT: THE LATEST CAT-TASTIC GAMES

As you get even closer to the pulsating heart of gaming revelry, it’s notable to see Cat Quest and its sequel, Cat Quest II, showing up on subscription services such as Sony’s PlayStation Plus Extra+Premium. These games are literally catventures – adventure games where you play as cats, with furry protagonists whose adorableness will charm gamers and cat-lovers alike. And there is clearly something more than the inherent cuteness of our shoulder-climbing, milk-swilling felines at play in this cutesification of our gaming escapades. The feline invasion signifies something greater – the growing place these creatures of the animal kingdom have been granted in our world and, now, in our game libraries.

### THE ULTIMATE CROSSOVER: CAT CONTENT IN GAMING

With the rise of cats to internet fame, it’s unsurprising that they are now infiltrating the gaming space. The success of so many cat-themed games indicates that, just like in the real world, cats are already halfway to global domination. The integration of cats into gaming culture acknowledges cats’ mass appeal and demonstrates developers’ increasing readiness to insert felines into the narrative, both as stars and as easter eggs. Games and cats are on a collision course.

### UPCOMING PURR-OWESS: WHAT’S NEXT FOR CAT LOVERS

And as we move into our cat-filled future, cats aren’t going anywhere. If you liked Cat Quest you’ll probably like Cat Quest II as well – and, in a general sense, you should expect that, in terms of entertainment, cats will be as pervasive in the near future as they are in our present. Cats in games, as protagonists or essential characters, remain a growing market. There are a lot of gamers who would love to play games that reflect their feline love, but those options are mostly unexplored.

### GAMERS AND CATS: A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN

More than just playing games with cats in them, though, gamer-owned cats have a similarly special relationship. Cats make perfect gamers, a fact I won’t expand upon because there’s an element of blasphemy in pretending that a domesticated cat isn’t already the constant and annoyed user of someone’s lap, sitting in silent judgment as they stare at a screen at the end of their day. It’s not hard to imagine cats happily sharing this experience, making gaming more comfortable, amusing and, in some cases, fortune-changing with their leap of luck.

### A TAIL OF GAMING AND CATS: WHY THIS TREND IS HERE TO STAY

This cat mashup addresses a privileged demographic of gamers – those who love their cats as much as their consoles. Cats are yet another median in an expansive gaming culture, one in which gaming garners widespread engagement among myriad interests. It’ll be interesting to see how these experimentations in feline implementation of gaming play out, as well as what gaming developers have to offer as cats increasingly become a regular feature of our gaming lives.

### ABOUT CAT

Ultimately, the feline furore is more than just a fleeting gaming trend – it represents the culmination of many decades of domestic felines making our lives that little bit better. Cats are enigmatic creatures with an air of dignified mystery about them. They are also indisputably cute, captivating and, most importantly, fun. A feline companion’s name is eminently appropriate. Now, they’re embarking on adventures in videogames, too. From Cat Quest to the game girlfriends of countless gamers across the globe, as well as innumerable animated critters and virtual kittens, there’s barely a videogame milieu left to escape feline domination. For those of us that have grown up with cats – as well as anyone who has spent long, lonely evenings slumping into a videogame controller – there can be only one reaction: purr.