Most people, at one point or another, have played "Animal Crossing," and for good reason. The game is a consistent favorite, no matter what version people play. If you’re not playing it already, you should be, and here's why.
1. It’s a classic.
The "Animal Crossing" franchise has been around since 2001. It’s a classic game, recommended to new players and old. In each version of the game, the player moves into a town for a fresh start. The other citizens are animals, and the player is responsible for building up their house, discovering fossils, and collecting bugs and fish. In "Animal Crossing: New Leaf," the player has the added responsibility of being the town’s mayor. It’s the simplest of concepts, but the game is internationally popular, with four main series titles, two spin-off games, and even a movie.
2. The Fanart is amazing.
The "Animal Crossing" community is full of sweet people, many of who like to draw fan art for the series. I am completely blown away by the skill of these players. There’s so much love for one video game series that they want to share this love in other ways. Art normally consists of the villagers, or the player’s character interacting with the town around them, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything cuter in my life.
3. It’s the ultimate cure for anxiety.
If I can’t play a game -- any game -- for a few months, I start to freak out. I’m reluctant to play it again because I don’t know how long it’s been and I don’t remember what I was doing last and what if I had a super grand plan but now I don’t remember anything and I’m gonna mess it all up and it’s terrifying.
That, mixed with any other stress and anxiety I have from real life, just makes me feel bad. It takes something fun and turns it into a chore. "Animal Crossing" doesn’t do that. It’s peaceful. The game lets you play it at your own pace, which is great for anyone with anxiety.
There’s flowers to water and fish to catch and villagers to talk to, but there’s never a real pressure to do anything major. If you return to the game after months of not playing, there will be some changes. Maybe a villager moved out or your plants wilted, but everything is still the same. The bushes you planted will still be there; the fruit trees will be flowering. The game doesn’t punish you for taking your time.
4. The unlimited collections.
"Animal Crossing" is a collector’s game. There’s almost 200 different fish and bugs to catch, 64 fossils to collect, and over 80 different sets of furniture to find. I’ve been playing "Animal Crossing: New Leaf" for two years and the only collection I have completed is the fossils. Rather than being daunting, it means that I always have a goal to reach for in the game.
5. There’s constant progression.
"Animal Crossing" will always let you move forward. There is always a new fish to catch, a new bug to hunt, a new fossil to find. The game doesn’t simply end. Because it uses the internal clock on your DS, there is no preset ending. I still have my copy of "Animal Crossing: Wild World" with the save from my middle school days, and the village is still alive and active. I will always have a house to expand, which means I always have furniture to buy and rooms or decorate. The villagers will always want to play with you. There will always been new public works projects. There will always be another holiday or festival.
"Animal Crossing" encourages you to move forward with your life. It teaches you to enjoy the small things, like catching a dragonfly in summer or building a snowman in winter. It wants us to slow down and appreciate life so that we don’t destroy our surroundings or ourselves. Playing it means you can take a moment, breathe and smell the flowers.
