What Animal Crossing Has Taught Me About Life
It's no lie that Animal Crossing is probably one of the most popular games of 2020 as more people are buying Nintendo Switches or buying limited edition gear. Besides Call of Duty, Animal Crossing is definitely making waves in the world especially with the Coronavirus keeping everyone at home looking for time to kill. Here are some lessons I learned from playing Animal Crossing for more than a month now, that you can apply to real life:
1. Achievements:
Right from the start of moving to a new island, you are constantly given new gifts. Two new animal friends, building recipes, a campsite, a getaway island. I mean who wouldn't want to try these things in real life! Every time I shot a present out of the sky, caught a new bug, or dug up a fossil I knew my dopamine levels had spiked up prompting me to play more than an hour usually about three hours. Through this process, I learned that this is the reason why humans get tired of real life so easily. It's the lack of novelty and achievement recognition, we aren't always given some sort of positive feedback for our efforts and don't usually choose the path of constantly striving to reach new destinations or learn new skills like building those fancy "DIY recipe" from Tom Nook, surprisingly most people don't even know how to use a hammer or saw in real life, myself included. The reality is when we begin recognizing the achievements we have in the real world, we can take more advantage of life.
2. Make the most of the hand you were given:
When you start the game, you are given a small set of items, clothing, and friends. You initially set up your world: landscape, hemisphere, etc. What you don't set up is how you grow or what fruits your trees may bare. All of these things are randomized and the choice is now with the player to choose to make something great of it. Similar to real life, we don't have the ability to choose our family or our environment we're born into in this world. The best thing to do however is to make the most out of the cards you were dealt.
3. Social Connection (Teamwork):
The game does this very well. I initially started building bonds by talking to my villagers and the Nooks consistently each day. As the saying goes, "no man is an island" in other words, it takes teamwork to make great things. You will immediately notice as you foster your relationships with fellow islanders the island becomes better. You constantly help eachother out by helping to build tent sites or plan new construction sites for possibly a home. In the process, everyone is slowly growing. As you progress in the game and unlock multiplayer, you will notice that working with your friends on their island provides you with resources, skills, knowledge, and experience (Nook Miles). These would not be achievable without teamwork. Life is like that honestly. We don't accomplish big things by always choosing to go alone. Another great quote: "If you want to go far, go together." Personally, I have found that I create and perform challenging tasks the best when I work with a team. Big companies like Apple and Microsoft didn't just continue growing because it was a one man company. During these coronavirus times, it is even more important than ever to reestablish those connections in our lives and still help each other grow.
4. "What Should I do?"
This is a phrase asked to the island manager: Tom Nook. You will notice in the game that he will consistently give you tasks when you finish your main basic tasks such as gathering fruits or catching bugs. Each task he gives you allows your island to progress even more in the game, highlighting the importance once again of social connections and the reminder that each day there is always something new to do or something new to learn. Ask the right questions and you may find the right places for growth in all areas of your life.
5. Attracting visitors
The game allows you to grow your island by socializing with new potential islanders who visit. They slowly become very happy on your island over time and enjoy your company too. This taught me that life will always pose social challenges to you so its important to be ready for anything and work hard at honing skills so others can find you as a great person to be around.
6. Seasonal Activities
The game is constantly being updated with new activities and events celebrating holidays in the real world such as Earth Day and Easter to name a few. Animal Crossing brought back the childhood joy into these holidays by adding achievements allowing users to participate in these experiences. As life gets even busier these days, it can feel easy to forget just how special these holidays truly are since it can feel easy to just brush them off as just another day. Unlocking holiday specific items or even seeing the Easter bunny can make you feel a bit nostalgic especially if you played some of the old games.
7. Your own home:
It's a childhood dream to own your own home. Of course, games such as Sims do this too, but Animal Crossing does this in a different fashion by allowing users to work to build up from their shabby tent to earning enough money to buy their own home. Life is very different from this because we would usually have to get an education, a job, and then possibly consider buying a home if renting was no longer a needed option. This aspect of the game taught me how simple life can be when you focus on basic attributes such as earning money and helping others around you. I mean, in the real world you wouldn't always see free cool stuff floating in balloons above your home. A home in this world is different it is similar to a dream full of items we probably never even knew we needed but add just a satisfying amount of joy.
8. Another Life:
The game definitely does this very well. I find myself investing hours into it and still want to play each day developing myself and my avatar. There is always something to do and new things to be discovered! That's the problem so much time was put into this game to make it addictive and enticing for you not to shut off your Switch and return to the real world. The life I live in Animal Crossing has taught me that life in the real world is not as interesting as the life in the game. If you think about it, the game was made by the creative ideas of many developers so it would feel easy to say the life we live in Animal Crossing is us living truly our best life. However, it is important to find balance when considering these ideas because you don't want to neglect your life and relationships that exist in the real world.
9. Everything Looks Cute:
A big factor that makes this game so enjoyable is how attractive and cute everything looks. Ideally, the morning game environment is so pleasing to watch & explore. I find myself interested in just about everything as I look at all the characters and animal villagers with their unique and quirky personalities. It is a reminder that life in the real world is not always as cute as this. However, the ability to make life in the real world just as enjoyable and attractive would be a much needed trait. The game was designed by artists to be visually appealing but what if I told you fruits, homes, and animals are actually not as cute in the real world. Exactly, life is not always cute so maintaining a positive view in both worlds would be a much desired trait. The optimist wins here defining real versus fiction.
10: Never Satisfied:
You will notice that as you progress in the game. It becomes easy to get addicted. You constantly crave more. You want more bells to buy cool things for your home or you may want more Nook experience points so you can go travel. All of these areas of growth are just another reminder that as humans we are never satisfied with what we have and continue to seek more. It can help us grow or make us learn to never relax in the long run.
11. Pleasing Everyone:
When you start having more villagers on your island, you start talking and building relationships almost each day. You learn what each person likes and dislikes. Surprisingly, some may even give you a nickname! This game taught me a lot about relationships and maintaining them. However, one of the most difficult challenges in the real world with this social aspect is the fact that not all your friends live as close to you as they do in the game. You end up people pleasing as you buy items to help decorate/build homes for your residents and it really is a rewarding feeling in the end. If you have never learned what it feels like to be a manager who ensures his residents are enjoying life then this would be a great game for you. Even though it may seem that Tom Nook is pulling all the strings, the ultimate decision for growth in the end comes from you the player.
12. Time Investment:
A video game wouldn't be a great one without taking time. The best part about this game is that it is in real time meaning that as time goes in the real world you will immediately see progress over time. Of course, the only down side is that we would most likely be spending a good amount of this time indoors but during these times of coronavirus and everyone looking for more ways to spend their time; the game couldn't have been released at a better time! In the end, it's an overall worthwhile use of your time especially if a good number of your friends end up playing the game.
I hope you find something helpful here and enjoy the life you live even more whether it be through this game or the life you live in the real world!
A photo of some online co-op with my friends during CJ's fishing tournament.
1. Achievements:
Right from the start of moving to a new island, you are constantly given new gifts. Two new animal friends, building recipes, a campsite, a getaway island. I mean who wouldn't want to try these things in real life! Every time I shot a present out of the sky, caught a new bug, or dug up a fossil I knew my dopamine levels had spiked up prompting me to play more than an hour usually about three hours. Through this process, I learned that this is the reason why humans get tired of real life so easily. It's the lack of novelty and achievement recognition, we aren't always given some sort of positive feedback for our efforts and don't usually choose the path of constantly striving to reach new destinations or learn new skills like building those fancy "DIY recipe" from Tom Nook, surprisingly most people don't even know how to use a hammer or saw in real life, myself included. The reality is when we begin recognizing the achievements we have in the real world, we can take more advantage of life.
2. Make the most of the hand you were given:
When you start the game, you are given a small set of items, clothing, and friends. You initially set up your world: landscape, hemisphere, etc. What you don't set up is how you grow or what fruits your trees may bare. All of these things are randomized and the choice is now with the player to choose to make something great of it. Similar to real life, we don't have the ability to choose our family or our environment we're born into in this world. The best thing to do however is to make the most out of the cards you were dealt.
3. Social Connection (Teamwork):
The game does this very well. I initially started building bonds by talking to my villagers and the Nooks consistently each day. As the saying goes, "no man is an island" in other words, it takes teamwork to make great things. You will immediately notice as you foster your relationships with fellow islanders the island becomes better. You constantly help eachother out by helping to build tent sites or plan new construction sites for possibly a home. In the process, everyone is slowly growing. As you progress in the game and unlock multiplayer, you will notice that working with your friends on their island provides you with resources, skills, knowledge, and experience (Nook Miles). These would not be achievable without teamwork. Life is like that honestly. We don't accomplish big things by always choosing to go alone. Another great quote: "If you want to go far, go together." Personally, I have found that I create and perform challenging tasks the best when I work with a team. Big companies like Apple and Microsoft didn't just continue growing because it was a one man company. During these coronavirus times, it is even more important than ever to reestablish those connections in our lives and still help each other grow.
4. "What Should I do?"
This is a phrase asked to the island manager: Tom Nook. You will notice in the game that he will consistently give you tasks when you finish your main basic tasks such as gathering fruits or catching bugs. Each task he gives you allows your island to progress even more in the game, highlighting the importance once again of social connections and the reminder that each day there is always something new to do or something new to learn. Ask the right questions and you may find the right places for growth in all areas of your life.
5. Attracting visitors
The game allows you to grow your island by socializing with new potential islanders who visit. They slowly become very happy on your island over time and enjoy your company too. This taught me that life will always pose social challenges to you so its important to be ready for anything and work hard at honing skills so others can find you as a great person to be around.
6. Seasonal Activities
The game is constantly being updated with new activities and events celebrating holidays in the real world such as Earth Day and Easter to name a few. Animal Crossing brought back the childhood joy into these holidays by adding achievements allowing users to participate in these experiences. As life gets even busier these days, it can feel easy to forget just how special these holidays truly are since it can feel easy to just brush them off as just another day. Unlocking holiday specific items or even seeing the Easter bunny can make you feel a bit nostalgic especially if you played some of the old games.
7. Your own home:
It's a childhood dream to own your own home. Of course, games such as Sims do this too, but Animal Crossing does this in a different fashion by allowing users to work to build up from their shabby tent to earning enough money to buy their own home. Life is very different from this because we would usually have to get an education, a job, and then possibly consider buying a home if renting was no longer a needed option. This aspect of the game taught me how simple life can be when you focus on basic attributes such as earning money and helping others around you. I mean, in the real world you wouldn't always see free cool stuff floating in balloons above your home. A home in this world is different it is similar to a dream full of items we probably never even knew we needed but add just a satisfying amount of joy.
8. Another Life:
The game definitely does this very well. I find myself investing hours into it and still want to play each day developing myself and my avatar. There is always something to do and new things to be discovered! That's the problem so much time was put into this game to make it addictive and enticing for you not to shut off your Switch and return to the real world. The life I live in Animal Crossing has taught me that life in the real world is not as interesting as the life in the game. If you think about it, the game was made by the creative ideas of many developers so it would feel easy to say the life we live in Animal Crossing is us living truly our best life. However, it is important to find balance when considering these ideas because you don't want to neglect your life and relationships that exist in the real world.
9. Everything Looks Cute:
A big factor that makes this game so enjoyable is how attractive and cute everything looks. Ideally, the morning game environment is so pleasing to watch & explore. I find myself interested in just about everything as I look at all the characters and animal villagers with their unique and quirky personalities. It is a reminder that life in the real world is not always as cute as this. However, the ability to make life in the real world just as enjoyable and attractive would be a much needed trait. The game was designed by artists to be visually appealing but what if I told you fruits, homes, and animals are actually not as cute in the real world. Exactly, life is not always cute so maintaining a positive view in both worlds would be a much desired trait. The optimist wins here defining real versus fiction.
10: Never Satisfied:
You will notice that as you progress in the game. It becomes easy to get addicted. You constantly crave more. You want more bells to buy cool things for your home or you may want more Nook experience points so you can go travel. All of these areas of growth are just another reminder that as humans we are never satisfied with what we have and continue to seek more. It can help us grow or make us learn to never relax in the long run.
11. Pleasing Everyone:
When you start having more villagers on your island, you start talking and building relationships almost each day. You learn what each person likes and dislikes. Surprisingly, some may even give you a nickname! This game taught me a lot about relationships and maintaining them. However, one of the most difficult challenges in the real world with this social aspect is the fact that not all your friends live as close to you as they do in the game. You end up people pleasing as you buy items to help decorate/build homes for your residents and it really is a rewarding feeling in the end. If you have never learned what it feels like to be a manager who ensures his residents are enjoying life then this would be a great game for you. Even though it may seem that Tom Nook is pulling all the strings, the ultimate decision for growth in the end comes from you the player.
12. Time Investment:
A video game wouldn't be a great one without taking time. The best part about this game is that it is in real time meaning that as time goes in the real world you will immediately see progress over time. Of course, the only down side is that we would most likely be spending a good amount of this time indoors but during these times of coronavirus and everyone looking for more ways to spend their time; the game couldn't have been released at a better time! In the end, it's an overall worthwhile use of your time especially if a good number of your friends end up playing the game.
I hope you find something helpful here and enjoy the life you live even more whether it be through this game or the life you live in the real world!
A photo of some online co-op with my friends during CJ's fishing tournament.
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