Playing Stray

Most video game characters are brave humans who set off on daring adventures. But the main character of Stray, which came out last summer, is a different beast—literally! Players control an orange cat that gets separated from its fellow felines. The game follows the cat’s quest through a deserted city to rejoin its family. The city doesn’t have any humans but has plenty of humanlike robots.

From the start, Stray was made as a tribute to stray animals. The main character is even based on a real-life cat named Murtaugh—an actual stray adopted by the game’s creators. Another cat, Oscar, served as model and actor for the digital stray. Thanks to him, the digital cat’s actions are strikingly realistic.

Most video game characters are humans. But the main character of a new game is a different beast! In Stray, players control an orange cat separated from its family. The game follows the cat’s adventure to rejoin them. He travels through a city full of humanlike robots along the way.

Stray is a tribute to stray animals. The main character is based on a real-life cat named Murtaugh. He was adopted by the game’s creators. Another cat named Oscar was a model and actor for the digital stray. The digital cat’s actions are realistic thanks to him.

Since its debut, the game inspired other people to help real cats as well. On Twitch, which lets viewers around the world watch gamers play, players turned their streams of Stray into fund-raisers. They donated the money they raised to local shelters and larger  groups, like the North Shore Animal League of America. According to Legaspi, “Folks playing have some sense of empathy or compassion in terms of connecting with the character of this stray cat.”

The game inspired other people to help real cats, too. Players asked for donations when streaming Stray to viewers around the world. They gave the money they raised to local shelters. They also donated to larger groups like the North Shore Animal League of America. “Folks playing have empathy or compassion after connecting with the character of this stray cat,” says Legaspi.