Neko Atsume, which translates to "Kitty Collector," is a Japanese game about attracting stray cats to your virtual yard that has 10 million downloads and millions of active users from all over the world. You don't get to interact with the cats and they don't even move much on the screen, which makes you think it hardly qualifies as a game, not be mention an exciting one. Well, remember how Tamagochi was the thing in your childhood even though it was just a bunch of moving pixels? You can think of Neko Atsume as a revamped edition that taps into your inner child and the universal love of cute animals.

The gameplay is simple: You put out some food (not surprisingly, more expensive food gets you more cats) and toys, and wait for cats to visit you while you're away! The whole point of the game is to take pictures of all the cats (there are 49 total) and store them in albums.

So there is a clear objective in this game, which allows you to keep tabs on your progress and feel a sense of accomplishment with each cat you attract. The cute graphics and toys add to the fun -- appealing to its target audience of children and young adults on so many engaging levels.

But how did a game that requires no skill become so popular among almost all ages, genders, and nationalities?

There is an element of challenge in figuring out what food and toy combination can get you the rare cats. These are special cats that are based on real people (such as the cat "Joe Dimeowgio" -- a spin-off of the baseball player Joe Dimaggio). Many people find these special cats to be a clever and endearing part of the game that makes their "discovery" that much more exciting and compelling. The game's cuteness certainly has reasons to attract more players and encourages them to keep playing. Research tells us not to underestimate the benefits of looking at cute animals, for they can induce positive emotions that allow you to perform better in everyday tasks. It's also part of our evolutionary instincts to feel empathy for young animals, which helps us understand the game developer's choice to use round and fat kittens instead of grown cats. This nifty tool helps you explore what it is about the cats' roundness and fatness that we find so endearing.

You can control the size of various aspects of the cat to understand how certain characteristics induce the "aww" response from us. You can also try the mini experiment with a hammer. The cuteness factor in objects explains why we find the overall graphics of Neko Atsume to be so well-fitting and adorable too.

The cute and approachable interphase invites everyone to play, not just avid gamers who dedicate hundreds of hours to be the top player. Neko Atsume is the perfect "check-in" game, an app that you can open during your downtimes or bathroom breaks. No matter how long it takes for certain kittens to show up, you can't "rage quit" like you can in other, more interactive games. How can you get angry at adorable, stray kittens who just want your love (and food)?

The game's share-ability further increases its appeal. You can send pictures of your kittens in funny poses or photos of rare sightings with your friends, bringing the game to real life. There is even a whole online community on reddit dedicated to sharing cute photos with creative titles and everything Neko Atsume.

Now will you excuse me, I need to go check on my kitties.