For me, one game has risen apart from the rest in recent months. One of the few AAA releases that doesnât focus onperforming wrestling moves on zombiesor using ademonâs spine as a pull-up bar. One thatâs rather gentle and has become a great comfort to people recently. If you donât know what Iâm talking about yet, itâsAnimal Crossing: New Horizons.This latest entry in the adorable village simulator has hooked me and millions of others. Itâs sold insanely well in the U.S,U.KandJapan, and amidst the ongoing pandemic, itâs been used as a stress ball for so many players.New Horizonsis something that you can launch and play for about ten minutes, getting away from the problems of the world.But thereâs one part ofAnimal Crossingthat makes it really stand out, not just this entry but the series as a whole. It doesnât judge you. There are no scores, no wrong or right choices. You, the player, can do no wrong in the world ofAnimal Crossing. Everyoneâs more or less just happy that youâre there.
[pullquote]“You, the player, can do no wrong in the world ofAnimal Crossing. Everyoneâs more or less just happy that youâre there."[/pullquote]
Games often use scores to reflect your performance. Sometimes theyâre literal scores like in sports titles, others offer up completion rates, and in first-person shooters, your K.D. ratio tells others whether youâre a badass spec-ops kind of player or a baby with a Nerf gun. And while these metrics are all good in their own respects, they open up a player to judgement. Not just from outside sources I.E your friend who wonât stop giving you the business for your low rank inCS:GO, but also internally.
So many games somehow punish or reprimand a player for not performing their best. In some of the 3DSonictitles, when youâd receive a low grade at the end of the level, Sonic sounds disappointed. And whoâs he disappointed in, himself? No, Sonic knows heâs fast, itâs you that heâs disappointed in. How could you, the player, make the fastest creature alive, slow? What the hellâs wrong with you?
Thatâs whereAnimal Crossingis different. It doesnât care how you play. So long as you play, the game offers up nothing but good vibes and positive reinforcement. Seriously; you can give a villager a tree branch and theyâll react with âoh my gosh, this is the coolest thing ever, youâre so great.â To a tree branch. Itâs unrealistic levels of support, and Iâm here for it.
Iâm not saying that games are too harsh or anything. Hell, Iâm proud of my good K.D ratios, and my (extremely) modest rank in nearly every single competitive game Iâve ever played. But sometimes you just want to pick up and play a game without feeling like you need to perform to some metric. For once, thereâs no stakes - nothing to unlock after exploring a level, no shiny medal, no prestige levels. Itâs just you and the game, without any conflict, and thatâs a hole in my gaming heart thatâs needed filling. Itâs this sensation thatAnimal Crossingdelivers in spades.
Sometimes.
Yes, I know I just went on for six paragraphs about howAnimal Crossingis endlessly supportive, yadda yadda. And it is. That part of it hasnât, and most likely wonât, change for me as long as I play it. What does change that sensation is other people.
Strangely enough, for a time the worst part ofÂAnimal CrossingÂfor me was looking at other people’s creations online. It was a weird case of impostor syndrome. I had built a small town, donât have terraforming yet or anything, but Iâm proud of what Iâve made and whatâs there. Then I log on to Twitter and say “wow, did that person really make their island into a full-on city already?” What am I doing wrong? How is this possible? In order, the answers to those questions are not time traveling, and time traveling.
But that feeling remains, even if Iâm just looking at a little garden someone made, or a playground. I immediately start thinking âwhy didnât I do that?â and eventually, I think that Iâm playing the game wrong. Not only is that antithetical to the entirety ofAnimal Crossing- it just sucks.
The whole point ofAnimal Crossing, to me at least, isnât to amass the most bells or get the rarest items. Itâs to create something youâre proud of. Thatâs part of why Iâm so happy the village is on a deserted island that youâre free to eventually change however you want. Players get to take a blank canvas and paint what they feel, and it always comes out beautiful. But just like real artists, you eventually look at someone elseâs art and think that yours is garbage.
It was only when I stopped looking at other playerâsAnimal Crossingposts on Twitter that I started to feel better about the game, like how I felt when I had started playing it. When I totally ignored the often amazing creations of others, I looked at mine with an actual sense of pride; like my time was worth putting into this little beach-side with palm trees and fishing equipment. Itâs not a lot, in fact, itâs quite small, but itâs personal and Iâm happy about it.
[pullquote]“The whole point ofAnimal Crossing, to me at least, isnât to amass the most bells or get the rarest items. Itâs to create something youâre proud of."[/pullquote]
Recently though I had a change of heart around this whole issue. I was talking to my partner about this piece, and she said “so it’s about you getting over feeling bad about what you make, right?” And I didn’t really know how to answer that. So far this has been about blocking out what other folks have made and well, that’s not really a good way to cope. I realized how childish that is, and decided to take a new approach.
It’s difficult to avoid being self-critical, especially in games. If you’ve ever been outplayed in a fighting game or dominated in a shooter, you know what I mean. But being self-critical inÂAnimal CrossingÂis different. The skill barrier doesn’t relate to tech, inputs or aim: it’s all about creativity. It’s my desire to be as imaginative with the tools that I’m given as other players are.
So instead of turning away from other people’s work, I’ve been looking at them critically. How do these pieces bring a room together, how is furniture spaced out and pathing used to make an outdoor area look delightful and inviting? If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m not the best at decorating things, but it’s something I’m working on.
[pullquote]“It’s a disservice toAnimal Crossingto be endlessly concerned about how your island looks compared to everyone else’s."[/pullquote]
This has been a strange thing to write about. At face value,ÂAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsis a simple game. It’s cute; you manage an island paradise and money literally grows on trees. At the same time, this game made me take a good long look at how I approach playing games and the feelings derived from them. It’s not what I expected when I picked it up, and it’s still surprising as I type this sentence.
If there is anything I want you to take away from this piece, it’s that you shouldn’t play like me. It’s a disservice toAnimal Crossingto be endlessly concerned about how your island looks compared to everyone else’s. Earlier on, I said that this series is about giving players a blank canvas to paint something beautiful on. That’s still a point that I very much believe. I just have to work on getting there.
