'Animal Crossing' Goes on Forever With Little Purpose, and That's Why People Love It
“Mom, the villagers like my island name!” my 5-year-old squeals. “They voted for me!” I’m elbows-deep in a diaper change and far too busy wrangling my 1-year-old’s flailing limbs to realize my son is using his 20-minute e-learning break to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the seventh installment in the Animal Crossing series that debuted for Nintendo Switch on March 20. His father downloaded it under the guise of “helping me get through coronavirus quarantine with a baby and an elementary schooler” (he really purchased the game for himself) and now? Well, now my young son is obsessed.
Like many parents, I had no idea what Animal Crossing was until we were asked to shelter-in-place and, subsequently, found myself trying to work from home while simultaneously caring for and entertaining small children. But I’ve since grown grateful for the (very frequent) presence of what I’ve come to view as the kid version of Second Life, a game familiar to fans of The Office.
Animal Crossing offers never-ending, gentle gameplay.
The simulation-style game, developed and published by Nintendo, allows players the chance to create their own versions of paradise on a deserted island inhabited solely by animals. Once their customizable character names their island and establishes a small village within, they’re free to build elaborate homes, tend gardens, fish, throw parties, and converse with their always-kind animal neighbors. The graphics are soft and bright, and the concept of the game is simple — if you want to catch bugs, you catch bugs. If you want to dig for buried treasure or interesting fossils, you start digging. It doesn't have an end.
Is Animal Crossing just for kids?
People of all ages are enjoying the escapism this game provides. My 5-year-old, who doesn’t fully comprehend the current global health crisis we’re facing, is happy to “talk to” a cute raccoon when he can’t talk to his kindergarten classmates. And my 36-year-old partner, who definitely comprehends the crisis we’re enduring, is happy to farm a patch of pixelated land after a 10-hour shift at an Amazon warehouse.
The simplicity of the game itself, coupled with the normalcy it provides via the simplest of actions — like collecting different species of fish or decorating a virtual living room — has certainly aided in this installment’s popularity — it broke sales records in the U.K. and was the fastest selling Nintendo Switch game in Japan.
So, how do you actually play Animal Crossing?
Up to four players can play Animal Crossing: New Horizons at one time via “Party Play,” where one character is the “leader” who chooses activities for the group (a source of contention between my son and his dad, these days), and up to eight players via wireless play (you will also need a subscription to Nintendo Switch Online).
Players can also visit islands created by other players once they’ve built an airport (normally on Day 3), and invite others to visit theirs as well using a private code players set for their specific island. Innovative players have been using this feature to do things like plan in-game celebrations as replacements for birthday parties that have been canceled due to social distancing. The code helps protect younger players from online predators — it’s difficult for anyone who doesn’t have a person’s private island code to interact with someone else via the game.
There are additional apps, like the Best Friends app and the Chat Log app, that allow players to chat online, and these apps do allow players to accept invitations from strangers. For anyone worried about online safety, they can use the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app, which can assist in monitoring online play and determining which apps are enabled.
As we continue to navigate the unknown during a particularly trying time — and, if we’re lucky, attempt to balance working from home and parenting while homeschooling — I’m grateful that my son has a chance to take a break from e-learning and the furious fists of his teething younger brother, to watch the sunset from the shores of a serene beach. Even if it’s a virtual one.
You Might Also Like
