There are over 100,000 games available to download and play on Steam. There’s something for everyone, from free indies to the latest smash hit AAA blockbusters. My library is filled to bursting with games of all types, and yet my most played ‘game’ isn’t a game at all, and I’m not sure what that says about me. 

If you’re wondering, my most played ‘game’ is Bongo Cat. It’s a little desktop buddy based on the meme that first hit the internet back in May 2018. If I’m being honest, my brain somehow tricked me into thinking that Bongo Cat was far older than that; something of a remnant from the simpler times of early 2000s internet life, but apparently I was wrong. 

Regardless, the little bongo-bashing kitty cat quickly became infamous and is now a desktop buddy who helps count how many times I click or tap a key. As you type and click, you earn rewards in the shape of various hats and skins for Bongo Cat. As someone who loves collecting things (I have a problem) and cats, I’ve seen a massive boost in my productivity since I downloaded the demo, and then the full version as soon as it was released on March 5. 

1,000,000 clicks with Bongo Cat

In the time since March 5, I’ve typed and clicked over 1,000,000 times and, in the full version alone, I’ve clocked in 478 hours with him logging my word count. That’s not counting the additional hours I clocked with the demo, which no longer shows up on my list of games.

This might not sound like much for some of the more Steam-centric gamers, but my most played game isn’t run through Steam. If it were, Bongo Cat wouldn’t stand a chance against the 10,000 hours in FFXIV. Still, I’m averaging out at 16,000 interactions a day. I don’t know if that’s impressive or not, but it sounds impressive, right?

Whether I’m working or gaming, Bongo Cat is there to keep me company. I give him a new skin and hat every day, just to change things up and make things interesting. He’s a constant companion. Weirdly, he helps me to keep track of my mental health, because I know that if his count isn’t going up, I’ve not been as focused as I should have been. 

The best part? I didn’t have to pay for him. He’s an entirely free addition to my desktop (and a constant photobomber in my screenshots), and he’s available to everyone. 

What does this say about me?

Well, aside from the fact that I probably don’t play games through Steam as much as I should, it likely says that I have a soft spot for cute things that appeared during the simpler times of internet history, and things that let me keep track of myself. It’s true, I like being organized, making checklists, and seeing real-life measurements of my achievements. 

In recent weeks, my productivity has suffered somewhat with the loss of my main income. That’s understandable, but having hats to unlock is something of a motivating factor. I write, and he rewards me, and for someone who desperately wishes real life were more like an MMO with quests and rewards on offer, that’s definitely appealing.

On top of that, there’s a checklist that lets me see what I have and what I’ve yet to unlock.
Marcel Zurawka knows what he’s doing, he knows that we’re all completionists at heart, and seeing those greyed out boxes of hats that I don’t own yet? Well, that just makes me want to type as much as I physically can before my fingers fall off.