Featured Image Credit: Tom Ryan-Smith, Annapurna Interactive
Topics: Indie Games, PlayStation, PC
The success of Stray, with its irresistibly entertaining gameplay and affecting story, has drawn attention to the plight of real life cats in need of rescue and now an enormous amount has been raised for animal shelters in the United States alone.
"It’s more than an asshole cat sim, although it would have been worth the price of admission for that stuff alone," we said in our review, where we scored the game a 9/10. "The cat-based antics are effectively set dressing for a much deeper, more thoughtful game that’s focused on thorough exploration and puzzle solving."
Your heart will melt watching these real life cats react to the charming characters of Stray - take a look below:
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In July, publisher Annapurna Interactive partnered with the Nebraska Humane Society, giving four copies of Stray away in a raffle with each ticket acting as a $5 donation to the shelter. Over $7,000 was raised from 550 donors, with some donations coming from as far as Germany and Malta, and Annapurna Interactive itself donated $1,035 to the Nebraska Humane Society. “The whole game and the whole culture around the game, it’s all about a love of cats,” said Brendan Gepson, marketing specialist for the shelter, in an interview with Associated Press. “It meshed really well with the shelter and our mission.”
Streamers playing Stray on Twitch have also promoted animal rescue centres to their audiences, with North Shore Animal League America receiving $800 in donations from fans of the game.
It's more than likely that these totals has been surpassed already as others are inspired by the personalities of these little creatures and how some have had a rough life out on the streets. This is only one example of how gaming can do some real good in the world.