I met my younger sister’s friend for the first time, and we got to the topic of games. I told him that I play on the Switch often. He replied (verbatim), “You must be one of those Animal Crossing losers.”
I replied, “Why yes, I like Animal Crossing. What do you play?”
“League, maybe some Valorant.”
I’ve dabbled in some League of Legends (mobile mostly, desktop is hard with my ergonomic mouse), and it’s the single most stressful experience out there. Additionally, with the amount of trolls, it’s hard to believe people genuinely have fun with this game anymore.
So why are cozy games so looked down upon? And why should it be respected more as a game genre?
The Rise of Escapism
The game that brought the cozy game genre into the spotlight was the Animal Crossing franchise, and New Horizons just so happened to launch when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. It sold 22.4 million copies worldwide in 4 months. It managed to sell more than double that today.
So what’s the big deal with Animal Crossing? Well, it offered a different reality for us to escape into indefinitely, since it doesn’t have a final goal. After you reach 3 stars, you can do whatever you want. Most found solace in the experience of decorating their own island, or collecting…
