Tag: tom nook

Animal Crossing New Horizons – Being Outside Whilst Staying Inside:

Much like every person on the planet with a Nintendo Switch, I have been playing a lot of Animal Crossing New Horizons over the last month and a half. As it’s release date was scheduled for after my show season was over (for those who don’t know, I was production manager for a play for my university’s drama society), I’d pre-ordered it as a treat, to play as a wind down from the rewarding but incredibly stressful, show weeks. Thankfully, my show went without a hitch but the other play I was doing lighting for, had to stop due to the lockdown measures. So, New Horizons became my isolation game.

WHAT A HECKIN GOOD BOI

I have talked about Animal Crossing before on the site, with it being the second ever article posted on Mind Games (mind blowing, I know). So, if I repeat myself at all, I apologise! However, in traditional Mind Games fashion – there is more I would like to say. Specifically, about how New Horizons has kept me (moderately) sane during these trying times. If you will indulge me dear reader, by enjoying what is probably the thousandth article you have seen posted about the game. I may be no Eurogamer but hopefully something I say will strike a chord with you.

More than anything, what New Horizons provides for me is a sense of normality. Even if we were not in the middle of a world-wide pandemic, my world is at a turning point. I am graduating from university, starting a new job, and moving to a new place. Everything in my life is changing and that is a terrifying thought. So, having a game with a set routine, simple mechanics, and plenty of opportunities to make the island my own, is a great source of comfort.

This guy has been my nemesis since Wild World and I swear to Isabelle, I’ll sink his ship.

When I get up each day, I get my cereal and a fresh mug of coffee. I will watch whatever YouTube videos tickle my fancy, be that livestreams that I missed or compilations from my favourite shows. Then, I boot up Animal Crossing. I will grab the four fossils, hunt down the money rock and freshly grown money tree (who knew that there was a magic money tree), check for any visitors (or invaders like Redd) and water my flower fields. If I am missing any bugs or fish then I will go for a wander, tool in hand. Afterwards, I go about the rest of my day – maybe returning to my island in the evening once my work is done.

It becomes a constant. Others see it as tedious and repetitive, a game with no real end goal or objective – not worth the time investment. To me, it is a life ring that I cling to in a storm. In the words of the Lutece twins from Bioshock Infinite, it is all a matter of perspective. What I see will always be different to what you see. It is when you accept these different viewpoints, that you see the truth value of games like Animal Crossing in trying times like this.

Who needs to wait till Halloween for true horror, when Zipper is here.

Obviously, I am not the most social individual. At university, it means that I tend to avoid the traditional activities, such as club nights, pub crawls and various raves. I would rather meet a friend for coffee and go our separate ways afterwards. A couple of my closest friends have mastered the art of co-existing with me. We could be in the same room for hours, doing our own thing and neither of us will feel the need to fill the silence with awkward chatter.

The multiplayer aspect of Animal Crossing leans into the concept of co-existing. Often, I will visit a friend’s island and we will do our own thing. Be that fishing, harvesting fruit or wandering around getting to know all their villagers (and making them love you more in two minutes than the person who has known them for WEEKS). You get to talk to and enjoy the company of those friends that maybe you are in a different country from or those you cannot see due to the ongoing lockdown. It is not as good as the real thing, but people are finding creative ways to spend time with their loved ones using the capitalist raccoon’s island paradises.

WAKE UP BLATHERS I’VE GOT ANOTHER FOSSIL FOR YOU

The terraforming aspect of the game is remarkably therapeutic. Getting to mould and change your island into something that you feel genuinely proud of, is an incredibly satisfying feeling. Plus, you get to fix those weird cliff edges and oddly shaped ponds that your island starts out with. For those who cannot leave the house for the foreseeable future and those who live in an area without much greenery to enjoy in those brief daily walks for exercise purposes, getting to mould an ideal outside world, brings a little bit of joy that may be missing in their days.

Anyways, those are just a few thoughts I have had about New Horizons. I am keeping this piece short as I have a lot of university work to finish off and I do not want to repeat myself too much! I will post some pictures of my island once I finish the grand rebuilding process (scheduled for AFTER my dissertation is finished) on my Twitter so go follow me – @OurMindGames / @CaitlinRC

See you all soon,

CaitlinRC.

Animal Crossing: Who knew crippling debt could be so relaxing?

Nintendo is known as one of the most successful and popular game companies of the past few decades, with their leading man Mario becoming a household name throughout the world. So, when they come out with a game not set in the Mushroom Kingdom, it tends to turn a few heads. Imagine our surprise when the game they produced was all about… everyday life. Animal Crossing came out 18 years ago and has inspired sequels for each of Nintendo’s consoles, with a new instalment coming to the Nintendo Switch sometime this year (hopefully).

I never played the original, as I grew up as a PlayStation child – living vicariously through the lives of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro The Dragon. When I finally got my hands on a Nintendo DS, my focus was more on trying out these “Pokémon” games that everyone was raving about rather than some weird town simulator featuring goofy animals. Looking back on that time in my life, I wish that I had picked up the series sooner as it would have brought my young self so much joy. Though I can’t deny that Pokémon Diamond brought me dozens of hours of happiness during the long car rides to Scotland.

pokemon diamond
Amusingly, it took me several years to actually beat the Elite Four.

Animal Crossing is very much a “Marmite Game”: Either you love it, or you hate it. Despite being in constant debt to Tom Nook, receiving verbal lashings from Resetti and having to deal with the UNGRATEFUL TOWNSFOLK WHO DON’T CONTRIBUTE TO ANYTHING AND MAKE ME DO ALL THE HARD WORK… I still love the franchise to pieces. I do have a love-hate relationship with Pocket Camp though, as I have little patience for picky animals demanding specific types of furniture before they will be my friend.

pocket camp
As much as I love Animal Crossing, I have to resist the urge to run over the campers with my caravan.

Despite the constant tasks and never-ending loans, Animal Crossing is a very peaceful game. It is a simplified version of real life, removing many of the stressful activities that we must complete on a regular basis. Sure, you owe Tom Nook a ridiculous sum of money, but you have an infinite amount of time to pay him back and unlike student loans, he does not take a cut from your paychecks! Yes, the neighbours can be frustrating with their constant demands, but it is literally impossible for them to hate you. Trust me, no matter how many times you hit them with a net – they are angry for about 2 minutes and then they invite you over to their house.

The games work on a day-by-day system. It adheres to your system’s calendar (which you can manually change to speed things along), to decide what the date and time are. So, if you play normally, each day you can collect a few fossils, catch some fish and bugs, visit the museum, go see what is new in Tom Nook’s store and chat with the villagers. The options available to you are different for each game in the series but these five tasks have remained consistent throughout the main game series – ignoring Pocket Camp as it is a mobile spin-off.

intro
I think K.K. Slider is making fun of my lack of friends.

To some people, this may seem repetitive and could get boring quite quickly. However, to anxiety sufferers, this game can provide a relaxing space for them. During the time you are playing it, the external world falls away for a while. All the stressors and negative thoughts can be pushed aside for the moment, allowing you to focus on this alternate life that your player avatar is living. It’s quite hard to put into words how much of a calming influence these games have had upon me, as my own experiences with anxiety will not be the same as any of yours, dear readers.

Let me try to explain with an example. When people go through a stressful period in their life, they turn to certain activities or vices as a coping mechanism. These can calm them when they feel overwhelmed or help them process the events that have been unfolding without as strong a negative impact upon their psyche. For some, their pets can help soothe them in times of need. An animal’s sensitivity to their human’s mood is remarkable and can be a great comfort in their time of need.

In my case, video games are one of my coping mechanisms. Not just for anxiety, but that’s what we will focus on here. Being able to lose yourself in another world, only worrying about the immediate problems facing your character such as a giant dragon trying to eat you or how much Tom Nook is going to charge you to change the colour of your roof, is a relief. It is an escape where your actions are only judged by lines of code and as much as they can have impacts on the rest of the game (looking at you Telltale), it is all fictional. It cannot harm you.

tom nook
Tom Nook – Totally not looking at the secret camera he installed in your home.

A key part of what makes Animal Crossing so beloved in my heart and in the fan community is its consistency. You could argue the same for Nintendo’s other long-running franchises such as Mario and Zelda but these both must try new things to remain interesting to the gaming communities. (Though I would say putting Link on a train derailed the franchise) Nintendo’s cute little life simulator is under no such restrictions. Each game, although slightly different from the last, has the same, if slightly tweaked mechanics and feel to it.

Animal Crossing is about joining a community that has nothing but praise for you, with complete control over how you want to spend your time. No work, no university, no weekly bills to pay. When I was younger, I used to go to my older sister’s town and run around wielding an axe just because I could. Surprisingly, several of her villagers decided to move to my town… I’m still not sure why to this day. It provides a freedom that day-to-day life does not provide. You are under no obligations to perform your mayoral duties in New Leaf or visit the city in Let’s Go to The City. Apart from the introduction with Mr Creepy Cat and the tutorial, there’s nothing you are required to do to enjoy the world of Animal Crossing.

uh.jpg
Anyone who has to say “I’m not crazy” is probably crazy.

Everybody’s experience of Animal Crossing will be different as a lot of the game’s enjoyment comes from how much you are willing to put into it. Some enjoy filling the fish and bug encyclopaedia, others wish to create the perfect house or upgrade all their tools to “gold” standard. I’ve been playing these games for about 10 years now and I can say with certainty that I still enjoy them as much as I did a decade ago. I am intrigued by the upcoming Switch entry in the series, despite the complete lack of information provided about it. By intrigued, I, of course, mean RIDICULOUSLY EXCITED.

 

switch ac
Animal Crossing has always been the perfect game for handheld devices. Hopefully, the Switch version does it justice.

Obviously, this game series is not for everyone. After all, nothing in the world is. How we seek to comfort ourselves in times of stress, is of course up to us. If you’ve never tried the games or didn’t enjoy them at the time, do give the new Switch instalment the benefit of the doubt. After all, who doesn’t want to be in debt to a manic racoon? Just make sure you lock your character’s door at night… who knows what ends he’ll go to in order to get his Bells…

See you soon,

CaitlinRC (Not Tom Nook)