Robert the Serious Siamese reports further on Ingress

by Robert the Serious Siamese

I must report something rather alarming going on in my neighbourhood.

I told you about the Ingress game my Human mother and my Human child started to play.

The teams are divided into greens (the Frogs) and blues (the Smurfs). Both groups communicate within their communities in closed forums, making strategies for the future and sharing tips and tricks.

A Smurf Lady mentioned in one of these forums that her cat eats frogs, just like my Brother Jacob does. 

Or to be precise, Jacob doesn't actually eat the frogs, he just brings them home as a trophy, to our Human mother's delight.

Anyway, a few days after this lady had mentioned her frog-eating cat, signs of missing cats popped up in the area where I live: 

Is this just a coincidence? 

I don't think so. I mean, they do claim it is not just a game.

I fear for my brother. Up until now, only Gargamel's cat Azrael was known to chase Smurfs. 

Now my species must fear attacks from both sides of Ingress players!

I hereby hope to reach out to a bigger audience through this blog: If you have a frog-eating/killing cat, do keep an eye on him/her. And if you spot any of the above missing cats, please report back as soon as possible according to the instructions.

The underlying problem may very well be that once a player reaches the higher levels, there is less challenge and more routine hard-work. 

This is how most games are designed; in the beginning you level up quickly and you are constantly rewarded. This is done to maintain the interest and in psychology it is called "positive reinforcement". 

Once you are hooked, there is less immediate reward as you are expected to go on just out of habit.

These very same tactics are used in the training of animals, children and employees. 

I will be back soon with some ideas to keep the gamer's happy and away from my precious species. 

In the meantime: Should you spot a cat that does not seem to belong, do call the local stray animal center (or don't -depending on where you live...). 

In Basel, you can safely call 061-378 78 10 (= number to

"Tierfundbüro des Tierschutz beider Basel"). 

Thank you.


-Robert the Serious Siamese

Robert on Ingress

By Robert the Serious Siamese

MyPerson and littlePerson started to play a game called Ingress with their mobile phones.

A simple Ingress explanation: There are two teams, enlightened (green) and resistance (blue). The greens wish to bring humans to a new level, using an alien energy called exotic matter that escaped from CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. The blues wish to protect human freedom. 

You play the game by walking outdoors with a mobile phone. The game is displayed as a map of the real world and in addition you see portals, from where this exotic matter is leaking out. The portals are actual, physical man-made things like sculptures, official buildings, parks or even graffiti. 

The idea is to capture portals and link them to build fields. By hacking portals (your own or the enemy's) you receive stuff that can be used in the game, such as weapons to destroy enemy portals. 

MyPerson was thrilled when she got something rare called a Jarvis Virus. But she is a humble Level 3 player so she might overreact.

As a cat, I would join the resistance; I do not wish humans become enlightened. It could be disastrous to my ruling feline race.

Ingress is fun for a dog owner, or for someone who wants to spend time walking outdoors and for anyone who wishes to meet new people, because few things make people bond better than a common enemy. 

Most cities have local clubs that organize Ingress meetings. MyPerson was invited to a welcome meeting but she couldn't go because my brother Jacob had injured his leg on that day. 

If you see a group of people, all with their phones drawn, tapping their screens and whispering to each other you can bet they're Ingress players. Or you may see a loner doing the same minus the whispering with a smug on look on his face, perhaps suspiciously looking for others walking with their phones held high. In fact, many Ingress players have been questioned by the police due to odd behaviour at odd times in odd areas.

At first I thought Google would benefit from learning more about various locations and people's movements. They receive photographs from places that are not accessible by car, as players suggest new portals and so Ingress turns each player into a data collector for Google. Ingress is GPS driven and this is draining the phone battery. Good business for battery booster manufacturers.

Us pets are experts on human behaviour, we study them around the clock. 

Human consciousness, that they are so proud of, is but a thin layer of the mind. Humans believe they control their own actions in a conscious and rational way. This is an illusion. And this is also the reason why it is more helpful to observe behaviour than to conduct interviews when wanting to understand people.

No doubt Google is getting some interesting data about human behaviour through this game. Hope they use it wisely.

Then again, perhaps it isn't just a game...

-Robert the Serious Siamese