How Animal Crossing: New Horizons is keeping me sane.

We are living in strange times. Yes, it’s been said a thousand times already by everyone with a mouth or keyboard, but it still feels weird to stay at home 24/7, all the while reading terrifying news articles about the current pandemic.

But for me, there has been one thing that has been keeping my mental health on a more or less even keel - a video game called Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

With incredibly fortuitous timing, Nintendo released this game on 20th March, coinciding with both my birthday and the first week of government-mandated lockdown here in Spain. The basic premise of the game is a sort of gentle life-building experience. You are a cute character on an island where you build a house and furnish it. You invite other characters to come and live on your island to create a community. You do some resource-gathering to build stuff and go fishing and bug-catching. You get into massive debt with a capitalist-minded racoon...

I think for an overview, Russ Frushtick at Polygon gives a good summary when they said: “it’s about living in a world where the biggest concern is whether your apples are going to be ready for picking today or tomorrow. It’s about finding a new home.”

Now, I’ve played previous Animal Crossing games and loved them, they’re a great break from the real world and allow you to have a really peaceful and satisfying experience. But recently, against the backdrop of a global pandemic, I noticed some aspects of this game that have really benefited my current day-to-day life.

Fashion inspires you to get dressed

I work from home now. It’s going well, but there have been days where I get up late and go straight to my “office” in pyjamas, making the effort only to brush my hair for the zoom camera. But I remember one day where I wore some very fashion-forward tracksuit pants (I mean…they were bright red!) paired with an 80s side ponytail. That day I actually wore earrings. I realised later that I had sort of put together “a look”. A retro sporty spice vibe, but a cohesive look nonetheless. It was something that I had started to do in the game - Animal Crossing has a huge range of clothing that you can collect and one of the fun things I like to do is put together an outfit each time I log on.

It dawned on me that this way of playing had an impact on real-life me. One thing that helps keep you functioning during lockdown is trying to stick to your routines, so this fun little element of choosing what to wear started to creep into my mornings. I may not have an 18th century coat or a fairy outfit, but I am at least matching my scrunchies to my (most comfortable) clothing. And I feel better for it.

Repetitive tasks help you keep to your mental health routines

This game has structure, but it’s very open, meaning that you can focus on what you want to do and ignore the rest if you wish, but generally you fall into a little routine. Generally the first thing I do (after selecting my outfit) is pick any fruit I have to sell, visit the shops on my island, then chat to the villagers that roam around and see if they have any errands to run or DIY furniture recipes to teach me.

These repetitive tasks are rewarding in the game, and are rewarding in real life, too. Keeping to little routines does wonders for your mental health, especially when it’s hard to have purpose when you can’t leave the house. For me I always have my coffee in the morning before I do anything. I keep my work setup in a different room. I always make sure that I stop for lunch at 1pm. These small daily things make a difference by giving structure and purpose in your day - and help you get out of bed in the morning.

Achieve your goals - by making fruity furniture?

Speaking of routines, something I mentioned already is DIY furniture recipes. These are things that you collect in the game, and for each there are materials you have to gather to make it. For example, if I want to make this peach chair, I need to collect 10 peaches and 5 bits of wood. Which means I need to go find those peach trees and chop some wood.

This goal-oriented thinking can really help when you’re trying to figure out your day. When I sit down at my laptop I make a to-do list, thinking about what I need to get done, and what I can realistically do. I then try and get through it. Breaking it down into components (much like my peachy chair) makes it more attainable. And if I don’t get through everything? No worries, there’s always tomorrow.

You are the creator of your dream (island)

At the moment, real life is pretty scary. Things feel like they’re spiralling, and news comes in faster than you can keep up with. Meanwhile the lockdown you’re in doesn’t have an end date yet, and no-one knows what’s going to happen.

It’s frightening, but this little island you can escape into gives you a sense of control. You are in charge - you decide where you want things to go, from the houses to the museum. You determine how your island looks, whether you prefer a rural country feel or a chic town air. Mine is a combination of both with a paved civic centre but wild flower gardens in the forest. Each house even has its own wheelie bin and telephone pole.

You may not be able to change what’s happening globally, but in your little piece of paradise you can change the layout, add mountains, move houses - you have some cause and effect. And it’s liberating.

Spark your creativity with a simple but limitless tool

I’m a creative person. I am. But when I’m inside all day working, the call of Netflix from the living room is difficult to ignore. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to switch off and immerse yourself in something fun. But moving from desk chair to sofa every day makes it harder to start creative projects.

Step in the designer feature in Animal Crossing.

In this game you can create anything you like in a little pixel tool. It sounds clunky, but it works very well, and there’s almost no limit to what you can do. You can add your creation to a wall, on a hat, on the floor - even a flag. But when you’re faced with this little square of opportunity, wonderful things happen. Plus, you can share your designs with the world using a QR code for others to use or display. Some of the most popular things people have been creating are famous outfits from films and anime, music album covers and museum art.

My own version of Jacques-Louis David’s Death of Marat

It’s inspiring and gets your creative juices flowing with ideas on what to make next, so even if you aren’t getting out your paintbrushes, you’re still getting the satisfaction of creating something wonderful.

Get “outside” into nature

This game is set on an unoccupied island. So it’s full of beautiful landscapes. Sandy beaches, lush green fields with fruit trees, cliffs with dense forests and the sea lapping the shore. Add in Nintendo’s wonderful attention to detail with natural environments and you can almost feel the fresh air.

The game reflects the real-world seasons, so right now it’s spring, meaning there are breezy days that rustle the leaves and wonderfully grey, rainy days that water all the flowers. The weather effects and nature in the game transport you to an outside that’s impossible to for many to experience right now. I’ve truly felt a vicarious enjoyment of “going outside” to water my flowers, even when I’m on my sofa. And it makes the shooting stars you can see on a clear night feel magical.

Keep up your physical activity cos the bear showed you how

OK, this is a somewhat theoretical one as I’m terrible at exercising. However, as you walk around your little piece of paradise you will always see some of the residents doing some sort of exercise. Lifting weights, racing each other in the main plaza or gentle yoga, they are just going about their daily health routine.

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve stopped and watched them, breathing along as they move into different poses. And each time I think that maybe it’s some to take a break and stretch. Seeing your residents make time to exercise serves as a reminder to take care of yourself physically.

Let the positive vibes give you some happy moments

While we’re on the subject of villagers, something that lifts me up are the daily interactions with these cute characters. There are many different personality types that will end up in your town, from cranky to peppy to lazy. And you’ll get a very different feel from each of them, making each exchange charming. There have been many times I’ve laughed out loud because a character said something funny or cute, and you get to “know” these animals well as you go about your day.

But one aspect of this is the uncanny ability some villagers have to catch you off guard - in a positive way. Taking care of your mental health isn’t easy, and there’s no quick fix. But sometimes you can hear a line or a little affirmation that hits you hard, exactly when you needed to hear it.

Examples taken from the Reddit community when asked for “times villagers made you feel supported.”

Online trading can be fun

One last thing I wanted to talk about here is the online community around Animal Crossing. It’s not a necessary component to playing the game, but there is an online feature that let’s you visit other people’s islands, and allows other people to visit yours. This is great if you already have friends who also play the game, but if you don’t, what do you do?

This is where communities like Reddit step in. Normally Reddit isn’t a place I’d recommend anyone go if they wanted to have a peaceful time, mentally-speaking, but this particular game community is (for the most part) incredibly wholesome. People open up their islands for tours, trade furniture and flowers and make swap shops. I’ve even seen themed parties, more experienced players stepping in to help out newbies, and no question is considered “too stupid”.

For me, it’s meant that I am interacting with people on a daily basis, and meeting new online friends. The amount of kindness I have seen and experienced has really kept my mood in check, and I’m having a lot of fun and socialising, even if I’m locked in at home.

For me, this game has been a daily check in, mood-booster, and a reminder to take care of myself. It’s important in unsettling times to find something that can re-settle your mind to get you through. This doesn’t have to be a video game. It can be people creating a sense of community through balcony concerts. Or daily meditation. Or making sure you dance to your favourite songs as much as you can. Whatever you enjoy and brings a sense of contentment, no matter how small, can help you through the day.