What is “Animal Crossing” and Why Am I Obsessed?

Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Tom Nook

By Ian Knoll

Let’s start with the basics: In “Animal Crossing: New Horizons,” you play as a human boarding a plane with several anthropomorphic animals to start your new life on an undeveloped island village. From there,  your goal is to develop the community and your home, collecting building resources by chopping trees and hitting rocks, and accumulating wealth (or Bells, as the game’s currency is called) by selling fruit you pick, and fish and bugs you catch. Along the way, you’ll chat with your fellow villagers, getting to learn their unique personalities and behavior (and probably running errands for them).

And that’s mostly it. Honestly. Even as more villagers arrive in town and more shops open up, the core of the game doesn’t change. Sure, maybe now you’re donating some of those fish and bugs (and fossils you dig up) to expand your island’s museum, but at the end of the day you’re collecting resources, talking to villagers, and customizing your world.

“Animal Crossing: New Horizons” came out a little over three weeks ago (even more when this is published) and already my Nintendo Switch tells me I’ve put over thirty hours into it. Across social media, people are gushing about the game, sharing their experiences with it, and very clearly putting in far more time than my 30+ hours. Obviously, the game has appeal. 

So what makes “Animal Crossing” so fun? Is gathering all those resources an exciting process? No, you can usually catch a fish or chop down a tree in a few presses of the same button. Do the lives of the characters around you offer an engrossing, emotional story? No, they’re cute and funny, but that’s about it. Does managing your village require deep, tactical thinking? Nope, just put shops and homes wherever you want and it’ll work out.

Despite being a game about doing basically nothing, “Animal Crossing” is a deeply enjoyable experience. Perhaps, it’s more appropriate to say that because it’s a game with no true challenge, demands, or focus, “Animal Crossing” is a deeply enjoyable experience. Nowadays,  regardless of what we do, it seems like there’s a constant demand for time and focus. Be it school or work, there is an expectation to put in long, dedicated hours to get a good grade or pay the bills—even the way we consume media has become demanding. Whether it’s “Tiger King” or the new season of “Stranger Things,” there's an expectation that when the next big thing comes out, you need to have watched it as soon as possible to stay up with the conversation. If you didn’t, can you really say you’re watching the show? 

While there are certainly some who’ve approached the new “Animal Crossing” with the same breakneck pace, the game is very much built for the exact opposite. Every goal you can accomplish in “Animal Crossing” is simple and optional. If you want to add a room to your house, you can work to amass the funds to do so. Such a task could take a day or a month, depending on how much effort you want to put into it. In fact, “Animal Crossing” actively tries to slow your pace. New buildings and house add-ons take at least one real-world day to build, shops have a limited selection of items that change every day, and certain resources have a limit on how much you can collect in a day. “Animal Crossing” isn’t about “winning” or reaching an ending. It’s meant to be something reliable and comforting, a place you can come back to each day to unwind and slowly work your way towards your personal goals. 

In that regard, the game is well aided by its constantly calm, cheerful aesthetic. Even when it’s covered in weeds, your island is always a pretty sight, one where mellow music follows you wherever you go and animal villagers are always happy to see you. Aesthetics play a huge part in the enjoyment of “Animal Crossing.” It’s oddly satisfying to buy that new stovetop that matches the room you decided to make your kitchen, to be gifted that hat that completes your character’s outfit (or to design it yourself!), or to find a new, adorable villager who has moved to your town (fan favorites include the teddy bear Stitches,  the “stock-broker”-esque cat Raymond, and the Shih Tzu Isabelle).  

Nothing in the “Animal Crossing” world is meant to evoke feelings of discomfort, violence, or stress. Even Tom Nook, the infamous business tycoon and moneylender of the series, lets you pay for all your home improvements with a no-interest pay-when-you-want loan model (if only it were that easy in real life!). I’ve often heard “Animal Crossing” described as a life simulation in that way: letting you live out all the experiences and small accomplishments of adulthood, without any of the fears that go along with them. It’s a sentiment that’s even more important given our current situation. In a world where a pandemic is a constant source of stress and our sense of community is getting more and more distant, “Animal Crossing” has become the perfect island getaway for many. It feels good to shut out those fears and enter a world that's nothing but pleasant, where friends wait around every corner. 

If virtual animal villagers don’t give you enough of a sense of community, you can always invite your real-life friends to your island. Getting to run around with your friends, chatting it up and showing them your town layout may not be the same as meeting up in person, but it helps recapture that spark in a time where such options are limited. I've even heard of some people using “Animal Crossing” to host business meetings or support groups. Beyond in-game connections, the constant stream of social media presence has also been a huge part of the sense of community “Animal Crossing” has created. Seeing people show off their custom clothing designs or recording their villagers doing something goofy is heartwarming in and of itself, and gives the feeling that you’re playing the game not by yourself, but with a community of millions of others.

So is “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” the perfect game? Maybe not. The slow, directionless pace isn’t for everyone, and even for the most devout fans, the lack of variety will inevitably lead to a loss of interest. But is it the perfect game for right now? Absolutely.