The name “Popcat” has lately been trending on social media, with Malaysians calling on their compatriots to join them in their quest to bring the country to the top. But what is Popcat, and what on earth are Malaysians hoping to accomplish with it?
As it turns out, it is an online clicking game that simply involves clicking on an image of a cat. Every time you tap your screen, the kitty opens its mouth in a wide “O” shape, with a popping sound accompanying it.
The image of the cat originated from a viral video posted on Twitter last October by user @XavierBFB, which featured his cat, Oatmeal, chirping at a bug. Edits were made to the original image and the feline has since become something of an internet celebrity.
The Popcat page was set up as a joke last December by a trio of computer scientists from Sheffield University, though it only started to truly pick up steam in April before conquering cyberspace these past weeks with millions of visits from users worldwide.
Each click a netizen makes will be counted as a point for their respective country, and right now, it seems Malaysians have been hard at work pushing the country to the top.
Malaysia is in third place at the time of writing, trailing behind Thailand and Taiwan respectively, with over 14 billion clicks made by Malaysians or 38,000 clicks per second.
Thailand, on the other hand, has quite the lead, with over 40 billion clicks.
A total of 214 countries are present on the leaderboard, including, funnily enough, North Korea, with a total of one click.
It is likely that many people are using programmes to do the clicking for them, but since there is nothing stopping people from using these auto-clickers, it might be considered fair game.
Patriotic fervour has emerged in the form of memes, with netizens from around the world urging their countryfolk to join the competition in the name of national pride. The fact that there is no prize being offered does not seem to be fazing anyone.
Certain Malaysian companies have joined in the fun, with BurgerLab offering to treat Malaysians to their tasty burgers if the country reaches the No 1 spot, and Cauliandrice featuring a cauliflower in the cat’s mouth.
Golden Screen Cinemas’ Facebook account, on the other hand, asked Malaysians to pause their cat-clicking to participate in an online fundraising campaign for frontliners.
So, is Popcat a time waster or a stress reliever during this turbulent period? Perhaps it’s a little bit of both – you decide.
Click away on Popcat by visiting popcat.click.