“The smartphone is the 21st-century pet, and we are just making that crystal clear with Hatch,” says the creator of your new favorite app, of the way we shower attention on our iPhones. “A great pet relationship is already there, and we’d like to bring that out.”
And how do they play on doing that? With an insanely cute little blobby guy who purs when you pet him, smiles when you feed him, and dances to whatever you music you’re listening to. Sound familiar? But according to the app’s creators and the folks at Co.Design who got to try it out, Hatch has weapons-grade adorability the likes of which has never been seen this side of a kitten in a sock. And apparently, that’s exactly the point. “We wanted that same visceral reaction you get when you see a really cute helpless puppy or kitten,” said co-creator Phill Ryu, “the kind where you can’t help but stoop down and start cooing, awwing, your voice pitching up.”
Which all raises a simple question: why? As the developers point out, we’re already drooling over our smartphones for hours every day, charmed by their cold, soulless glow. Why do we need more? I’m just saying, if the singularity has already happened and computers are secretly out to hypnotize all of humanity into slack-jawed, dead-eyed submission, a warm, fuzzy, doe-eyed iPhone app isn’t a bad place to start.
Hatch hasn’t been released yet, but if you’d like to get in early on the mind-melting cuteness, watch the video above. You’ve been warned.
