Animal Crossing

One of the most beloved video games of my childhood and my now-hood is Animal Crossing. It came in various iterations on various devices, but the core values and gameplay is about the same.

One aspect of Animal Crossing that I have always loved is the escapism it provides. While real life is packed with stress and responsibility, the responsibilities in-game are minimal and without much consequence. If you want to pay off your mortgage to get a bigger house, you are free to do so, but there is no punishment if you don't. The incentive comes from whatever the player chooses to invest their time in.

Interestingly, the only things that could count as consequence in-game comes from taking things too fast. If you run everywhere, to get places quicker, the lush green grass begins to wear down and give way to the brown ground. Sometimes, you even fall over. If you don't visit your town regularly (the game performs in real-time), villagers may leave and weeds will grow, but they are easily plucked away.

Animal Crossing employs elements of popular Japanese culture, notably the concept of "kawaii". The characters, especially the playable main character, are "cute". They are rounded (especially in earlier games) with large eyes, often appear child-like. What's interesting is the way that "kawaii" deals with good and bad. Even the characters in Animal Crossing who are lazy or mean, are still cute. This is a direct contrast to how we perceive good and evil in the western world, with rounded shapes and big eyes meaning cute, and pointy, sharp edges with dark colours indicating evil.

Ultimately though, I think the main appeal of Animal Crossing is the freedom it allows. The objectives are loose, and the player is free to do as they please - be that plant a million apple trees or just spend all their Bells (in-game currency) on paintings.