It’s a mix of streaming, raising money, and getting the word out.
Stray is a popular game because it has a cute orange cat as its main character. People love cats very much, and this game is very interesting because the main character is a cat who has to find his way through a dystopian world to get back home. The story makes cat lovers’ hearts melt and pulls at their heartstrings. Animal rescue and foster care groups have even been able to stream the game to raise money for the kittens and cats they care for.
It’s kitten season, which runs from late spring to October. This means that there are more kittens and cats that need help than there are places to help them. Shelters and groups that help foster kids often have to use unusual ways to raise money, like Facebook groups, online giveaways, and streams. Stray is a great game for the second one because, well, it knows how to play with cats. (There’s even a button that says “meow,” which is very important.)
We’re teaching these kittens how to turn on a PlayStation so they can play Stray, the new cat adventure game from @HKdevblog and @A_i! 🎮
Wanna play with them? Donate $5 to the shelter and you’ll be entered to win a code for the game! Donate here: https://t.co/FGJhY9HNae pic.twitter.com/BFLZJCxslX
— Nebraska Humane Cats (@NHSCats) July 15, 2022
It’s a very simple way to get people to watch: “Do you like the cat game?” We have cats right here, though. I like seeing little orange kittens on my feed, and Twitch streams of the game have become a good way to raise money for a good cause. Crits for Cats is one of these groups. It has a Twitch channel and a Twitter account where it shows cats and kittens that have been rescued or fostered. Crits for Cats supports TNR and rescue (which stands for trap-neuter-return.)
Fans who watch Crits for Cats’ Twitch streams get to see good gameplay. Right now, the organisation is streaming Stray, but in the past, it has shown a variety of games. There is also a live kittencam where fans can watch the kittens play and exchange channel points for cat facts or treats for the kittens.
Stray’s publisher, Annapurna Interactive, worked with the Nebraska Humane Society and Cats Protection, a cat welfare charity in the United Kingdom, to raise money for the game. Through a giveaway, the Nebraska Humane Society was able to raise $7,000 for cats in need. This money will be used to pay for the cats’ medical care and other needs.
Brendan Gepson, a marketing specialist with the Nebraska Humane Society, told Polygon via email that Annapurna Interactive reached out to them in June to see if they would be interested in working together on something related to the release of Stray. “We decided to give away 4 PlayStation codes as a way to raise money. […] When the fundraiser was over, 560 people had given more than $7,000 to the shelter. This is especially interesting because almost all of those donations came from people who had never given before. So, all in all, this has been a huge success for us, and we’re thrilled with how it turned out!”
We’re teaching these kittens how to turn on a PlayStation so they can play Stray, the new cat adventure game from @HKdevblog and @A_i! 🎮
Wanna play with them? Donate $5 to the shelter and you’ll be entered to win a code for the game! Donate here: https://t.co/FGJhY9HNae pic.twitter.com/BFLZJCxslX
— Nebraska Humane Cats (@NHSCats) July 15, 2022
The money from the fundraiser will go straight to helping the animals in the shelter. Gepson said, “There are more cats getting surgery and care behind the scenes.” This means that there are more than 80 cats that people can adopt. “We’ve found homes for 4,000 animals just this year, and that number keeps going up, so we need all the help we can get.”
Streaming is a great way to reach out to people and teach them things, as well as share cool games. When cat rescues use this tool, they can raise money from people all over the country and the world. They can also tell you about kitten season, how important it is to get your pet spayed or neutered, and why you should keep your cat inside.
Gepson said, “This has been a really great time for us. We got to meet a whole new group of donors, and everyone has been so nice.” “Some people told us they didn’t have a PlayStation or any way to play the game, but they still wanted to help us out by giving money. We’re trying to get in touch with some local streamers right now to keep this going.”
Adding gameplay of a silly orange cat that scratches rugs, makes robot friends, and walks all over keyboards makes it much easier, especially if you can add unscripted kittencam antics to spice up the footage.
