Social SandBoxes – Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a social sandbox released in March 2020 for the Nintendo Switch. Although the game was only recently released, I’ve already logged over 200 hours, spending my time inviting villagers, collecting furniture, and overall building my island paradise.
In the beginning of Animal Crossing, the player flies by plane to a deserted island with a few other animal friends with the intention of starting a new life on the island. At a certain point in the game, after the player has fulfilled most of the basic objectives, the player is given free-reign to terraform the island, constructing cliffs, ramps, waterfalls, rivers, bridges. The player’s character also has no real personality and their appearance can be customized at any time.
Social Elements
In New Horizons, socializing is highly encouraged. The game features a huge catalogue of items that is nearly impossible for players to collect on their own without trading items with other players. When players first choose an island to populate, the island is randomized to have one out of five possible native fruits, which cannot be changed later. In order to collect the other fruits, players must trade with others. Players can earn more points in events like the seasonal fishing tournament when they play multiplayer. When animal islander are moving out of a player’s island, other players can swoop in and invite the islander to live on their island instead. Players also earn “Nook Miles,” an in-game currency similar to flight miles, by visiting other players’ islands. Of course, players also open their islands to visitors to show off their beautiful terraformed islands. The social aspect of Animal Crossing: New Horizons is definitely the main thing that keeps me coming back to the game, as I want to impress my friends with my island, and I want to visit my friends’ islands.
Compulsive Game Mechanics
New Horizons has many daily rewards that keep players coming back for more. As mentioned before, the game has an in-game currency called Nook Miles, which players can earn by doing simple daily tasks, like watering flowers or fishing.
The game also features a variety of stores and vendors. The stores Able Sisters and Nook’s Cranny sell clothing and furniture that change daily. Vendors selling rugs, shoes, and paintings also may appear randomly, but they stay for an entire day. The changing selection of items keeps players coming back daily.
There are also seasonal events, such as the cherry-blossom event that lasts for a week in early April, when players can get special themed items for a limited time. If players miss the event, it is unfortunate, but they always have next year to try again.
Despite the incentives that the game has to entice players into logging in daily, the game never punishes players for missing a day. Any items missed can be eventually found on a later date, and players still have the option of trading with others for missing items. Thus, players who log in every day are rewarded, but players are never made to feel left-out for not playing.
What Kind of Fun Does ACNH Have?
New Horizons’ fun is derived from designing the island. In the “What Games Aren’t” chapter of Theory of Fun for Game Design, Raph Koster writes that “fun” comes from the satisfaction of solving problems. In New Horizons, the problem is a self-imposed one: “What is the best way to design my island to my liking?” To solve this problem, players terraform, plant flora, invite their favorite villagers to live there, and collect furniture/items with which to decorate the island. The objective that the player creates is the formal element that makes the game fun. Interacting with other players and collecting resources are part of the fun, but the objective is the main formal element.
Other reasons to play New Horizons are for meditation and for comfort. Repetitive behavior like chopping wood or tossing the fishing line can be meditative for players. New Horizons is a game with little risk; the player never dies and beloved villagers will never move away without notice (unlike in previous games). Players can count on visiting their island for familiarity and comfort.
Toy or Game?
In the end, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is not a toy, but a game. There is an objective in New Horizons. I don’t want to get tired of the game too quickly, so I’m taking my sweet time terraforming.
