Chloe Burdette
Editor in Chief
Since passing the one-year anniversary of the initial COVID lockdown in the United States, I have done plenty of reminiscing about my life one year ago. Not much has changed, but all I knew is that during that initial lockdown, I had to stay in my house and somehow find a way to keep myself occupied for the next several months. I tried knitting, earring-making and even baking cakes to keep my hands moving. While these kept my creative juices flowing, I still felt unsatisfied when the day would end, and I would vow to choose another hobby for the next day. But, on March 20, 2020, the day’s new hobby was about to become an everyday obsession — Animal Crossing: New Horizons for the Nintendo Switch.
First off, Animal Crossing is not a new franchise. The first Animal Crossing game debuted in 2002 in the United States on the GameCube, a console that my family happened to own when I was the ripe age of three. From what I was told when I first was introduced to Animal Crossing, it was the game that people played when they wanted to wind down from their own chaotic lives. Of course, that intrigued me. The game was a low-stakes, relaxing option for even the most amateur of gamers. What more could you want from a video game? When I was finally old enough to maneuver a controller, my parents bought me Animal Crossing: City Folk for the Nintendo Wii. Animal Crossing: City Folk was the first Animal Crossing game I ever owned, and despite my excitement for the game, I was never truly impressed. My underdeveloped mind in 2008 became easily bored, and I only played it for a few months before I gave up. I didn’t play an Animal Crossing game again until I was 21 years old and boredom had hit an all-time high. But boy, am I happy I did.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a game that can suck you in for hours. You play as a self-created character that you can customize with clothing you either buy or design yourself. You live on an island that is completely bare until you decorate it to your heart’s content. You have neighbors who are all different kinds of animals but have human-like qualities. You can talk to these animal neighbors and form relationships with them. But the greatest part about this game is that there is truly no objective. Yes, you have to pay off your house in “bells,” the game’s currency, and you have to try to get a five-star rating from Isabelle in Resident Services, but the creative freedom people have in this game is still unmatched. You can fish, plant a garden or even celebrate the holidays in real time with your chatty animal friends.
Now, I am sure you are asking: do you ever get bored with this Animal Crossing game? The answer is rarely, because there are always new updates when the holidays come around, and you can complete many mini-tasks to build different pieces of furniture for your home. Additionally, if you have friends who also play the game, you can visit their islands and do all kinds of activities with them. The possibilities are truly endless with this game. If you ever find yourself bored with nothing to do, give Animal Crossing a shot. You won’t be disappointed! But if you are, sorry, I don’t determine your happiness.