By Luke Anderson
The weather is getting nicer. The days are getting longer. This is fantastic besides the minute issue of social distancing. Through recent precautions taken by the government to ensure the control of the ever-increasing issue of covid-19, it can be hard to enjoy what should be the gentle passage into Summer that is Spring. With currently a speculation of 3 weeks of isolation, which could further result in extension, who knows the next time any of us will be able to fully enjoy and explore the sun-stroked outdoors. Well, it seems as though a potential resolution has presented itself in the time being. This resolution is Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
This Nintendo Switch game, released on the 20th March within the UK, presents an easy-going, community-based experience to the general public. To summarise the essence of the game would to, simply put it, a holiday island simulator. The player creates a character to represent themselves and then they are simply left to roam and establish their own island community as they see fit.
Though this is not the world saving cure that everyone is clambering for, this is a gentle, therapeutic experience. Playing it for the last week, simply performing tasks such as fishing, decorating my house and talking to villagers, really allowed the inventive concept of the game to reveal itself to me. Though many of the tasks within the game could be viewed as atypical day-to-day tasks, my impression from it is that Animal Crossing New Horizons works well in breeding creativity.
This unlocks a miniature virtual world for the player to customise, or even just exist in, to their hearts content. The coronavirus has robbed many people of their sunny getaways this year, but Animal Crossing is an untouchable safe space.
There are a multitude of systems at play within the game, however the approach that the designers took results in a worry-free scenario where you can take each little thing at your own pace.
Some of the activities within the game extend to:
Gardening: planting and tending to flowers and trees
Fishing
Catching bugs with your trusty net, and even displaying them within your island’s own museum
Crafting a number of things from tools to furnishings
Using the airport to explore other islands and branch out to a massive online community
Another thing that the game allows for is interactions with friends. You are able to visit your friend’s island and perform all of the aforementioned tasks together. Social distancing might present a very sad reality of loneliness, but Animal Crossing has come at a critical time to attempt to combat this.
It is hard for a creative to really extend their abilities in a situation like the one that we are in. For a person that is of creative nature, not necessarily even within a creative profession. The problem of social distancing results in somewhat of a brick wall.
Restricted to four walls for the foreseeable future this can really take its toll on a person. This is why, even in this minute fashion, one could say that it is essential that creative people continue to explore their tendencies even when confined to a room.
Though this is simply a video game, I would argue that it is more than that. It is the creative tool that, without any need for reliance on any external factors, allows someone to keep in touch with their creative side.
For the creative person this allows them to keep in touch with themselves.
This just shows that Animal Crossing is beneficial to a wide array of people. Whether you are the isolated creative or the deprived jet-setter, Animal Crossing is here for all of us.
Animal Crossing is the getaway we need right now.
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