Animal Crossing While In Quarantine; An Island Escape

On March 20, 2020, the newest addition to the Animal Crossing franchise was released; a life simulation game for the Nintendo Switch called Animal Crossing New Horizons. Within the first 3 days after release, 1.88 million physical copies of the game were sold, more than any other Switch game ever, according to theverge.com. Globally, the Nintendo Switch Lite, Original Switch, and special Animal Crossing edition, all sold out as well. Only available online from 3rd party resellers, people are "listing their consoles for around $500 on Amazon, much higher than the official $300 price tag." (Wall Street Journal, ‘Animal Crossing’ Gives Nintendo New Horizons). The game is so popular that it yields 267,000,000 Google results, with top results being advice for maximizing profit, "town ratings", and other in-game information.

Image credit- ZachScottGames on Youtube, Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Gameplay Walkthrough Part 1 - First Day on a New Island!

The game opens to a title screen displaying the game's title and a bird's eye view of your town.

Relaxing music plays in the background as you click start and you're taken to a transition screen featuring dog musician K.K. Slider. At the very beginning of the game, you start with a tent given to you by a tanuki character called Tom Nook, the portly CEO of Nook Inc., who sponsored your island escape as part of the beginning storyline. You start with 2 villagers, animals that speak a language created for the game, but as the game advances, you can visit other islands near you and invite other villagers to move in. You can make friends with, give gifts to, and care for your villagers. You can do all the regular Animal Crossing things- catch bugs and fish, build up your house from the original tent, explore, and make your island beautiful. You can also terraform after you reach a certain in-game level, allowing you to change the shape of your island. "The game revolves around building friendships, running errands and playing outside... There's no real danger, no lives to lose and no romance to pursue," (NPR, Newest Nintendo 'Animal Crossing' Arrives).
In a time of fear and anxiety, a game where you can create a perfect world gives scared citizens a sense of control in their out-of-control lives. In shifting times, the fantasy life offered by the game gives structure; "Animal Crossing serves up unexpected consolation by offering surrogate habits—a structured, if fictional, alternative to normal life," (The Atlantic, The Quiet Revolution of Animal Crossing). The game moves in real-time, allowing players to move at a relaxed pace. The game gives ideas and basic guidelines for things you should do, but there's no time table and the tasks can be finished at any time. Control, peaceful gameplay, and friendly creatures create a world of escape in hectic times and allow for a place where the player's worth is not measured by how much work they do. "It's just really nice. You don't have to worry about anything, and you don't have to do anything if you don't want to. I don't have to think about anything... and everyone's really nice," (Anna Schmidt, sophomore at Hillsdale High School and avid Animal Crossing player). These scary times and a society where we are still expected to be productive puts a lot of pressure on those who cannot work as hard in these conditions, and a game where you can escape the stress has created an international sensation.