Therapy On the Horizon
Shortly after the world seemed to halt in the wake of COVID-19, it’s no surprise that Nintendo sold 13.41 million copies of Animal Crossing New Horizons (ACNH) within the first six weeks after its March 20th release. ACNH is a game inhabited by cute, anthropomorphic non-playable characters (NPCs), hilarious dialogue with such characters, and a calming atmosphere despite the fact that it takes place on a deserted island. It’s a game that many claim is actually good for the players’ mental health, a notion that hasn’t always been the opinion of the masses when it comes to video games. As the heat of July and current events continue to rise, the game has continued to be a stress reliever for its players.
On March 10, Sebastien Ponton became the 10th person in Montreal, Quebec to be diagnosed with COVID-19. When doctors told him he’d caught the virus, he likened it to being told he had the flu. “I did my due diligence,” Ponton said, “informed work, informed my girlfriend, and went on.” What he soon realized, though, was that COVID-19 was much more like being “hit by a train” than the flu.
Although Ponton describes himself as an optimistic person, it was difficult for him to hold onto hope for the first 15 days after his diagnosis. He was bed ridden and could do very little to concentrate on simple tasks. In an effort to take his mind off his own mortality, his friends bought him Nioh 2, a role-playing action game. He soon realized he wasn’t able to concentrate enough to play the game. This sense of futility, never mind the fever, muscle pain, and constant, lung-scarring coughing fits he suffered, took its toll on his optimism. However, on March 20, just 10 days after his diagnosis, Nintendo released ACNH for the Nintendo Switch game console.
Despite what many believe, ACNH isn’t a game intended just for kids. One of its game developers, Katsuya Eguchi, claims the game is for “Every person who has a family, friends, boyfriend or girlfriend, who wants to play merrily with them. And, people who love to play freely, taking good care of their own personalities.” When Ponton first heard about the anthropomorphic villagers, harvesting fruits for fun, and collecting furniture to decorate the village with, he claimed it wasn’t his thing. However, this peaceful, low stakes game was exactly what helped him when he needed it most.
“I discovered that it was more about making the island your home.” Ponton explained. “It sounded really fun, and a nice way to escape what I was going through.” Although even just holding the four inch long Nintendo Switch controllers, which weigh less than a pound, felt like exercise, Ponton was able to perform the game’s simplistic tasks. He spent most of his days combing the seashore for shells and fish to sell, which gave him a new sense of accomplishment.
Ponton’s experience with playing ACNH is not unique. In fact, there’s have been many studies about video games and what they can doing for those struggling to manage their moods during the COVID-19 crisis, whether they’ve been diagnosed with the virus or are just generally stressed about the state of the world. Senior scientist at the Center for Lifespan Psychology at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Simone Kühn, have studied how video games can not only help players manage stress and mental disorders, but can also help with “spatial orientation, memory formation and strategic planning as well as fine motor skills.”
According to Forbes, this genre commonly referred to as cozy games, help “shift away from the immediate threats of life and death that typically define player actions in games toward moments of growth, self-reflection and creativity.” It’s a way to reinforce positive mood management, such as creating relationships, whether with NPCs or with other online players, and building something instead of destroying it.
The game also gives players a stress free medium to connect in a way that social media, such as Facebook, cannot. Denver resident Pamela Zorn, wife, mother of seven, and grandmother of 12, calls her time on Facebook the “scroll of doom.” She says “I cry and my husband puts my controller in my hands, calms me down and lets me concentrate on the game rather than life.” She loves the calm escape it gives her and her husband, who also helps her with her island’s design. It’s proven to be a low stress project they can work together on.
ACNH is also helping players learn more about the real world they live in by introducing new seasonal bugs, flowers, and fish. If the player brings these findings to Blathers, the scholarly owl who runs the local museum, he will give even more information about the find. Texas citizen Corie Perez, who only had four hours left in her paramedic training program before having to shelter-in-place in March, claims that not only is ACNH therapeutic but it has also encouraged her to appreciate her surroundings more than before. “I find myself actually looking for real plants to plant now because of animal crossing!” She says. “It is low key informing us about how interesting and beautiful our earth is.”
As if the initial buzz of ACNH wasn’t enough, a new update is scheduled for July 3rd that allows players to swim, dive, and meet new characters such as Pascal the philosophical otter. Perhaps he will have some valid wisdom to bestow as we continue to play this stress free game in an increasingly stressful era of real life.
