I restarted Animal Crossing from scratch recently and I treasure this island more than my first perhaps because of the moment I find myself in. It’s led me to some thoughts on gaming and why it really matters—at least to me:

1: One of Animal Crossing’s strengths is its aesthetic that changes with the seasons/events, but it’s also just a beautiful game. I stared at the virtual sunset tonight and felt a keen sense of longing for the outdoors.

The gleaming snow and the gentle snowfall of this winter event are so stunning and touching. I don’t go outside as much due to the pandemic, but this sense of seasonality has been very soothing to play through.

2: It’s also a space that allows you to control almost everything about your environment, outside or in. That control feels vital in a world where I often feel powerless. Yes, there is still a warped form of Capitalism on your island but that too is manageable.

3: Animal Crossing’s use of repetitive tasks and emphasis on collection has also been borderline therapeutic for me. I’ve been sick for the last week or so (not COVID, I got tested) but feeling like I have something to do has helped me not to overthink it.

The health stuff I’m struggling with has left me stuck on the couch and easily exhausted or drained. So roaming around on this digital island chopping wood or fishing for sea monsters is somehow reassuring.

Collecting impulses are also something I hear discussed in gaming communities, but not every community values it or knows how to satisfy that urge. Animal Crossing does collection exquisitely. There’s little to no pressure and it feels personalized.

4: Love languages aren’t something we talk about that much in gaming but for me Animal Crossing offers me an outlet for some of mine—gifting and words of affirmation are huge for me. These are the primary forms of care offered and received by villagers.

Luckily, these love languages are easy to satisfy irl...to an extent. The pandemic has taught me about how much I value in-person interaction over FaceTime or Zoom. While the villagers are obviously digital (& fictional) there’s a stronger sense of presence in the interaction.

Sharing the same physical space is something I didn’t realize was so important to me until this last year. And inhabiting the same digital “space” where these social interactions are happening is so damn comforting it feels crazy.

I’ve always believed that gaming matters. That play and how we express it is important to being human. But I feel that more acutely this week for a variety of reasons, and I’m so damn grateful to be playing Animal Crossing of all things.