I’m starting a new series entitled, as you can see, “Life Lessons from Video Games.” My goal in these articles will not be to promote said game, although if I’m writing about it, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a review of it posted later on, if I were you. Each time I write an entry in this series, I'll include a brief synopsis of the game so that you have some context to understand what I'm talking about. But the fact that I'm writing about it also means that I’m likely recommending it, as well, so you should check these games out! Hope you enjoy!
Game synopsis:
"Animal Crossing" is a life-simulation franchise where you play as a villager in a new town. Your goal is to improve your house and make friends with other villagers. These games are very light in their mechanics and style, but packed full of things to collect and interact with. The goal of the games is to simply live in your town. You collect money through fishing, bug collecting and various other methods, and you gain items to add to your house and to grow your world. "New Leaf," the game I'm discussing, is for the 3DS, and the main difference is that you're this town’s mayor rather than a simple villager.
Games in today’s culture tend to be fast paced. You’ve got shooters, real-time strategy, action and other various genres full of fast-paced play. Even puzzle games like "Uncharted" sometimes have an element of this rapid world within them. We live in a world where everything breezes by us so quickly, we barely have time to keep up with it. We want everything now and we don’t want to work for it. "Animal Crossing" chucks that stereotype out of the window. It takes all of these quick-paced games and sets them aside, allowing you to enter its peaceful and beautiful realm. The game’s purpose is to be relaxing, and it certainly accomplishes this. "Animal Crossing" is a large reminder that, sometimes, taking it easy is the best way to live.
Unlike many games, you don't get rewarded for rapid play in "Animal Crossing." If an extremely valuable insect is on a perch and you run to get it, the bug will fly away. This is the same with fishing. If you run anywhere near the fish, they disappear. Again with flowers—if you dash onto a flower, it will die. The game has the option to run, but more often than not, using it is actually detrimental to you. It forces you to walk, and when you are just walking and progressing through the town slowly, you can appreciate so much more about it. For instance, the music. The soundtrack of "Animal Crossing: New Leaf" is beautiful, and it's also impressive in its scope. Each hour has its own track, and then each hour has a track for when it's snowing and when it's raining. If you’re not always rushing to get the next achievement or score the next point, you can appreciate listening to the music more. You can also appreciate the scenery and the fantastic art that the game provides us with.
The valuable life lesson to be learned here is simple: Take your time. Not everything needs to be done right now or rapidly. Appreciate the people, places and things around you. Don’t speed so quickly through life that you miss what really matters. Because sometimes the moments of peacefulness are the most wonderful ones you can have.
