The world changed drastically when COVID-19 became a global pandemic at the beginning of this year. As more COVID-19 cases spiked throughout the world, governments started enforcing guidelines and rules for people to stay safe and healthy. Most of the general public, except for essential workers and businesses, had to go into lockdown.. Shopping Centers, sporting events, festivals were canceled. There were many questions and not many answers.With limited social interaction, a wave of desperation and boredom left people feeling more lonely than ever. Baking, reading, and watching movies were some of the few activities I did to avoid insanity. However, absent from my normal everyday routine left me with a desire to find something to escape reality, perhaps a new hobby or interest.
I have never been an avid gamer. As a kid, I grew up playing a few games such as Tetris and Cooking Mama. My parents didn’t allow computer games or video game consoles for most of my childhood. In all honesty, I am not as interested in video games. Hence, the reason why my Nintendo Switch has been collecting dust in my drawer. I impulsively bought it thinking I was going to get into video games. Unfortunately, not much happened since then.
means up to eight people can be on the same island.
In early April, I began to notice Facebook and Instagram posts all about the new Animal Crossing release. My friends couldn’t stop talking about it. It was a well-anticipated game as the franchise was gaining so much popularity in all social media platforms. Specifically, people who grew up playing Animal Forrest (2001), Stardew Valley, and Harvest Moon. Luckily, Animal Crossing: New Horizons was released on March 20, 2020. Only a few weeks after US cities began enforcing stricter Covid-19 guidelines. Animal Crossing: New Horizons seemed the perfect solution to my boredom problem.
What appealed to me the most about Animal Crossing was the idea of creating the perfect “world”. Which was ironic living amid a global pandemic. The customization of my island, comforting music, and soothing waterfalls to build seemed like a new adventure waiting to happen. I pre-ordered the game and anxiously waited. I began questioning if I was going to hate it or if I simply was going to forget it within a few days. My first week of playing was pure bliss. I began working my way through the every-day tasks to keep my island running. I built furniture and gathered materials to give my residents. The amusement kept raising as I kept refreshing my social media’s newsfeeds and seeing people’s creativity. Players were creating islands with themes that included Disney, Studio Ghibli’s, and other pop culture favorites. The possibilities were endless. It was heartening to see my friends enjoying something despite the scary events COVID-19 was unfolding.
Also, Animal Crossing was able to capture the attention of a wide range of audiences. My dad is a 49-year- old man who surprisingly enjoyed playing the game. We spent time fishing and showing off our rare-flower breeds. It became a quarantine tradition to play after dinner. It became the perfect getaway from reality as we were looking forward to relaxing. We spent hours trying to achieve a 5-star island rating. I also spent my time playing with friends, even those who lived in other states! We played using the online playing feature. My friends and I exchanged tools and helped each other gain the best turnip profits. It felt like the closest thing to normalcy at the time. The world felt like it had changed over a few days. This versatility of Animal Crossing brought families and friends together, even more in quarantine.
It is no shock that Nintendo doubled their sales from the previous year. Retailers such as Target and Walmart had trouble keeping their shelves stocked. I had friends texting me that they were driving to multiple stores just to find a Nintendo switch. While it is a privilege to be able to stay in and play video games during a pandemic, many people found ease in video games. Social media also influenced the demand for Animal Crossing. Viral Tik Toks and Instagram pages were allowing people to share the love and enthusiasm for the gamer. The hashtag #animalcrossingnewhorizons has over 1.6 billion views on Tik Tok as of October 2020. The videos consist of 15-60 seconds focusing on tips, island tours, and customization codes. In Twitch, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has over 1.3 million followers. I even created my first ever twitch account and explored the intriguing world of video game streaming. It was something I would have probably never done if it wasn’t for Animal Crossing. Animal Crossing showed the world the essence of video games. The world needed a sense of escapism and normalcy.
The following are links to find out more about one of 2020’s most loved video games:
Animal Crossing: https://www.animal-crossing.com/
Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/animal-crossing-new-horizons-switch/
Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2020/07/14/inside-academias-growing-interest-animal-crossing/
Mayor Mori: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZyuzG_2xN4
© All images copyright, Nintendo and Animal Crossing, 2020.
About the author:
Emilia Torres is an Art and Design student at USF. In her free time, Emilia enjoys baking cheesecake, eating ice cream and playing with her cat Mr. Whiskers. She claims herself as a world champion in Just Dance.
