An Island Escape
OT Kirstie Hughes explores the benefits of the immersive game Animal Crossing and the positive impact it had on many people throughout the pandemic
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ou wake up to sunshine and beautiful green trees. You get up and nosey through your wardrobe for the perfect outfit, potter around the house, check your mailbox and then head out the door to start your day. You chat to your neighbours along the way, do some light gardening and visit the local shops. You might take a visit to the museum and collect some seashells on your way home before spending the evening watching for shooting stars or enjoying some fireworks. Sounds perfect, right? This year is the 25th anniversary of gaming franchise Animal Crossing. March 2020 saw the long-awaited release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a version made specifically for the Nintendo Switch console and pitched to be a huge success, reinvigorating the franchise for fans old and new. What game makers had not banked on was the solace their game would bring as parts of the world went into their first lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 38
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The premise of Animal Crossing: New Horizons has you arrive on a sparse island to be greeted by Resident Services who guide you through the process of expanding your island into a paradise getaway. In real-time, through task and chore driven gameplay, you build your island by crafting items, picking weeds, planting trees and landscaping. You build homes and craft furniture ready to welcome animal friends known as villagers to share the island with you.
CONNECTION AND COMMUNITY At a time where we were not allowed to leave our homes or visit loved ones, Animal Crossing offered us another way to connect online. Others with the game could visit your island, send postcards with messages of support or in-game gifts to help you along your way. A chat feature brought another layer of interactivity to enhance the shared experience. If players did not have others to connect with they could build relationships with their villagers and be rewarded with items and individualised interaction based on daily interactions. Animal Crossing held a June event called “Wedding Season” which offered wedding-themed items and tasks. We celebrated a friend’s postponed wedding in-game by dressing up, decorating the island and taking photos. We celebrated Halloween by using emotive reactions to
