Animal Crossing: An Escape from the Coronavirus

With the self-quarantine orders given amidst efforts to contain Covid-19, it comes as no surprise that people are trying to find new ways to fill time that ordinarily would’ve been spent out and about. Video games, the perennial stay at home pastime, are unquestionably at the frontlines of this, and one of the strongest competitors has been Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons, their latest release in a series spanning nearly two decades. 

For many, the game can be thought of as a simulation of real life, minus all the stress and responsibility - players are encouraged to explore the world and do as they please (no face masks necessary). Friends can meet up on each other’s islands, providing a much needed social outlet for anyone feeling cooped up in their homes. Families find the rated E for everyone game to be a perfect pastime for both parent and child alike. Workers, meanwhile, take advantage of its real time mechanics that sync up with the local timezone to impose a sense of structure in their new, looser work at home environments. 

Above all, people flock to the game for the sense of control and normalcy it provides - something the world around them distinctly lacks. Such has caused sales of New Horizons to rocket to the point that its companion hardware, the Nintendo Switch has gone the way of toilet paper: sold out in retailers across the country and sold online by third parties at several hundred dollar markups. Without question, new and returning players alike are finding much needed relief in the world of Animal Crossing: a world where the worst thing one has to worry about is paying off their loan to a talking racoon who charges no interest and accepts heavily (as in, indefinitely) deferred payment without complaint. 

There is something to be said about the value of Nintendo’s brand and how it has aged into the 21st century. Fundamentally, Nintendo deals in one thing: joy. This is reflected in their vision statement: “Putting Smiles on the Faces of Everyone Nintendo Touches.” This recent success with Animal Crossing: New Horizons is only the latest in a long line of instances where the company has accomplished its vision with flying colors - putting smiles on faces that sorely needed them. In a time period where change is a constant and normality gives way to uncertainty, Nintendo provides a steadfast source of relief, a way for people to forget about the troubles of the real world for a little while and just have fun. In effect, then, they can be thought of as intrinsically oriented towards marketing, for if marketing aims to identify and satisfy the needs of the consumer, Nintendo as a company aims to satisfy a need inherent to every human being: happiness.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-animal-crossing-became-coronavirus-therapy-11587318513?mod=djem10point