Remote life sure has its ups and downs. With the first week of classes officially in the bag, it’s a good time to reflect on what’s worked and what hasn’t. So far I’ve rearranged my living room, planted white lilies in my garden, made connections with my neighbors, explored deserted islands, and paid off two debts to Tom Nook.
Oh. You thought I meant school productivity? As if.
I’m talking about Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It came out a week ago, at the best and the worst time. Since then, it’s all I’ve been thinking about.
It’s pretty much the same social simulation game on the Nintendo Switch that you might have played on the GameCube or the 3DS. You start off in an uninhabited village with little more than a tent; construct tools to go fishing, chop down trees, dig up fossils, or catch butterflies; befriend cute anthropomorphic animals; and shape your island to your vision. And you still complete virtual chores in real time. Every day there’s a new activity, but this time around there’s loads of customization at your disposal.
Don’t worry: Tom Nook, that capitalist raccoon (!), is still there to put you in debt.
I’m having a blast with Animal Crossing and so is my girlfriend. All my friends are, too. It’s been the primary talking point during our voice chats on Discord. Have you found a gold nugget yet? How did you get those emotes? Did the Wisp appear on your island? We’re discovering new things at different points of our playing experiences and that connectivity, I think, is exactly the kind of mental distraction we need right now. At least we have control over our peaceful game world through all this uncertainty!
Animal Crossing is charming, cute, relaxing, therapeutic, and the best mental distraction during quarantine. Every day since it’s been out I’ve looked forward to jumping back in, to report on my findings, and to listen in on my friends’ discoveries. In this world, I’m living my best life. What are you doing to distract yourself?