Will Game-Playing Cats Now Dream of Electric Mice?
By BOB TEDESCHI
Published: January 5, 2011
Smartphones and iPads have proved wildly popular among humans, but how will they fare among those with higher intelligence? One level of Game for Cats has a moving mouse your pet can chase.A growing number of apps are being created for cats — not cat owners. Seriously. (Do a YouTube search for “iPad and cats” or “cat plays with iPad” and you’ll see some amusing examples.) The apps do for pets what they generally do for people: help them fight boredom while also letting them look cool.Titles like App for Cats, Cat Game and Cat Toy are free, while Game for Cats starts free but can be upgraded by your cat for $1. (More on that later.)As you might expect, the apps are much more effective on iPads than other mobile devices, simply because of the larger format, but also because cats know a premium toy when they see one. This admittedly frivolous category has not reached Android or BlackBerry, but give it a few weeks and that could change. (I haven’t seen any apps for dogs, either, but that also can change.)At their core, the games are the same: something moves across the screen — like a mouse or a dot — and if your cat swats it, the device visibly or audibly responds.So which app is best?I have a colleague whose cat is so engaged with Game for Cats that the animal won’t leave him alone when he takes out his iPad. I’m sure his cat is a very discerning consumer of apps. But I tested these apps with Kukio, my black cat of unknown pedigree who generally prefers live toys (like my wife’s undersize dog) to inanimate ones. If Kukio’s couch-potato reaction to these games is any indication, none of these titles is a sure winner.That said, there are subtle differences in the games that can be relevant to your cat, and — may it please the Pulitzer board — I will spell them out here.Game for Cats has two levels. The first features a red dot against a black background. This is the free level. After your cat plays this (or not) for a minute or so, a button appears that asks whether you want to upgrade to the mouse level for $1.If your cat is pouncing on the first level, it is quite possible that it can buy the upgraded version without your knowing it because an iTunes password is not always needed to make an in-app purchase.ITunes customers have complained that their cats nearly pulled off such shenanigans, but Nate Murray, one of the app’s developers, said he believed no cat had ever made a purchase.He said the development team hadn’t considered the problem when they built the app because they were unaware that in-app purchases sometimes did not require a password.While he was at it, Mr. Murray said he was confident — but not completely certain — that a cat’s claws would not harm an iPad’s screen. (Of course, if your cat has a pebble stuck in its paw, its gaming habit will absolutely wreck your screen.)Mr. Murray said that because Game for Cats had built a following among cat owners who liked to post their pet’s high scores online, a forthcoming version would let people more easily share scores on Facebook, Twitter and in Apple’s Game Center.“We think it’s a first in competitive video gaming for animals,” he said.(And the quote-of-the-year competition is now closed.)Kukio won’t be making an appearance on the competitive-gaming list or in the dozens of cat videos the game’s developers have posted on blog.ipadgameforcats.com. She swatted the screen once, then watched (with great interest) the dots and mice dart across the screen until I got tired of watching her.Other iTunes users report similar experiences with Game for Cats and other apps.App for Cats (free) has two screens and several kinds of bugs that meow when you hit them. (For what it’s worth, the meow sounded suspiciously human.)Cat Game (free) was more fully featured. It offers a 30-second game, another with no time limit and five different background screens. Regardless of the backdrop, the object is to chase a dot.Cat Toy (free), offered four objects to chase: a spider, a butterfly, a red dot and a tiny mouse that squeaked when tapped.With Cat Toy! ($1), your cat chases a dot that comes in three colors. Humans seem unimpressed; 19 of the app’s 31 ratings are 1 star. Cat Toys ($1), a new app, features five game modes: mouse, rat, table tennis ball, frog and spider. Just seven reviewers have bothered to rate the app, but so far it has fared well.Cat owners shouldn’t feel limited by these titles. As YouTube videos show, cats can also respond to apps that are great for humans, like Magic Piano ($1) or Koi Pond ($2 for iPad, $1 for iPhone).Unfortunately, my cat failed to engage with any of these other apps. Although she watched the on-screen action closely, she apparently learned from Game for Cats that the objects on the screen could not be captured or eaten.What this genre clearly needs is a 3-D element. Feline 3-D glasses could not be hard to design, and, properly fitted, the 3-D specs would pave the way for endless hours of iPad fun for cats everywhere. Plus they would look great.I know nothing about the feline ophthalmological realities of this plan. Still, if it works, I believe this will be a first for competitive video gaming for animals.Quick CallsAndroid users will have an easier time finding good apps because of recent improvements in the Market. Each app’s page on their phones includes suggestions for similar apps and a more eye-catching interface. ... If your football team failed to make the playoffs, there’s always hockey. The N.H.L. streams live video to iPads, with a paid upgrade from the free GameCenter app ($120 for video) or the $10 GameCenter Premium ($110 for video).
Smartphones and iPads have proved wildly popular among humans, but how will they fare among those with higher intelligence?
One level of Game for Cats has a moving mouse your pet can chase.
A growing number of apps are being created for cats — not cat owners. Seriously. (Do a YouTube search for “iPad and cats” or “cat plays with iPad” and you’ll see some amusing examples.) The apps do for pets what they generally do for people: help them fight boredom while also letting them look cool.
Titles like App for Cats, Cat Game and Cat Toy are free, while Game for Cats starts free but can be upgraded by your cat for $1. (More on that later.)
As you might expect, the apps are much more effective on iPads than other mobile devices, simply because of the larger format, but also because cats know a premium toy when they see one. This admittedly frivolous category has not reached Android or BlackBerry, but give it a few weeks and that could change. (I haven’t seen any apps for dogs, either, but that also can change.)
At their core, the games are the same: something moves across the screen — like a mouse or a dot — and if your cat swats it, the device visibly or audibly responds.
So which app is best?
I have a colleague whose cat is so engaged with Game for Cats that the animal won’t leave him alone when he takes out his iPad. I’m sure his cat is a very discerning consumer of apps. But I tested these apps with Kukio, my black cat of unknown pedigree who generally prefers live toys (like my wife’s undersize dog) to inanimate ones. If Kukio’s couch-potato reaction to these games is any indication, none of these titles is a sure winner.
That said, there are subtle differences in the games that can be relevant to your cat, and — may it please the Pulitzer board — I will spell them out here.
Game for Cats has two levels. The first features a red dot against a black background. This is the free level. After your cat plays this (or not) for a minute or so, a button appears that asks whether you want to upgrade to the mouse level for $1.
If your cat is pouncing on the first level, it is quite possible that it can buy the upgraded version without your knowing it because an iTunes password is not always needed to make an in-app purchase.
ITunes customers have complained that their cats nearly pulled off such shenanigans, but Nate Murray, one of the app’s developers, said he believed no cat had ever made a purchase.
He said the development team hadn’t considered the problem when they built the app because they were unaware that in-app purchases sometimes did not require a password.
While he was at it, Mr. Murray said he was confident — but not completely certain — that a cat’s claws would not harm an iPad’s screen. (Of course, if your cat has a pebble stuck in its paw, its gaming habit will absolutely wreck your screen.)
Mr. Murray said that because Game for Cats had built a following among cat owners who liked to post their pet’s high scores online, a forthcoming version would let people more easily share scores on Facebook, Twitter and in Apple’s Game Center.
“We think it’s a first in competitive video gaming for animals,” he said.
(And the quote-of-the-year competition is now closed.)
Kukio won’t be making an appearance on the competitive-gaming list or in the dozens of cat videos the game’s developers have posted on blog.ipadgameforcats.com. She swatted the screen once, then watched (with great interest) the dots and mice dart across the screen until I got tired of watching her.
Other iTunes users report similar experiences with Game for Cats and other apps.
App for Cats (free) has two screens and several kinds of bugs that meow when you hit them. (For what it’s worth, the meow sounded suspiciously human.)
Cat Game (free) was more fully featured. It offers a 30-second game, another with no time limit and five different background screens. Regardless of the backdrop, the object is to chase a dot.
Cat Toy (free), offered four objects to chase: a spider, a butterfly, a red dot and a tiny mouse that squeaked when tapped.
With Cat Toy! ($1), your cat chases a dot that comes in three colors. Humans seem unimpressed; 19 of the app’s 31 ratings are 1 star. Cat Toys ($1), a new app, features five game modes: mouse, rat, table tennis ball, frog and spider. Just seven reviewers have bothered to rate the app, but so far it has fared well.
Cat owners shouldn’t feel limited by these titles. As YouTube videos show, cats can also respond to apps that are great for humans, like Magic Piano ($1) or Koi Pond ($2 for iPad, $1 for iPhone).
Unfortunately, my cat failed to engage with any of these other apps. Although she watched the on-screen action closely, she apparently learned from Game for Cats that the objects on the screen could not be captured or eaten.
What this genre clearly needs is a 3-D element. Feline 3-D glasses could not be hard to design, and, properly fitted, the 3-D specs would pave the way for endless hours of iPad fun for cats everywhere. Plus they would look great.
I know nothing about the feline ophthalmological realities of this plan. Still, if it works, I believe this will be a first for competitive video gaming for animals.
Quick Calls
Android users will have an easier time finding good apps because of recent improvements in the Market. Each app’s page on their phones includes suggestions for similar apps and a more eye-catching interface. ... If your football team failed to make the playoffs, there’s always hockey. The N.H.L. streams live video to iPads, with a paid upgrade from the free GameCenter app ($120 for video) or the $10 GameCenter Premium ($110 for video).
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