With the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons in just a few weeks, excitement for the game has reached a fever pitch. New and long-time fans alike are ready to dive into their next adventure, but people who aren’t fans of the game scratch their heads in confusion—just what is it about Animal Crossing that people love so much?
Animal Crossing is about living the ideal life. Sure, you work to pay off a debt to Tom Nook, but that’s just flavor text to drive players into the heart of the game. You wake up, talk to your friends, search for buried treasure, fish, hunt bugs, and maybe redecorate your house a bit. New friends come and go as your village grows. There are no monsters to fend off, no world to save. You simply live with no concerns in a happy little village. The days settle into a comfortable routine, guided by a single principle: to exist.
It’s not just Animal Crossing, either. The popularity of games like Harvest Moon, Stardew Valley, Rune Factory, and even Minecraft show a desire among gamers to play something that isn’t competitive or time-intensive. Many people want a game without fail states, where there is no game-over screen or mocking voice to taunt their shortcomings. In a world fraught with stress and responsibility, blasting alien scum in the face might blow off steam—but farming your first strawberries is where true relaxation is born.
A United Nations study from 2016 estimated that over half of the world’s population lived in an urban area, with even more living in suburban areas. Small, picturesque villages are for television shows and vacations. No one actually lives in a small village anymore. There’s a certain romantic appeal to the idea that draws people to it. When you’re stressed about making the rent payment on time or you have a pressing deadline, wouldn’t it be nicer to live in a place where all of your neighbors knew your name? Where even the weird, eccentric guy who at the end of the street was accepted? That’s what these games provide—a quiet life in a small village. More Stars Hollow, less Agatha Christie murder mystery.
The idea that gaming can lower your stress levels isn’t just hearsay, either—it’s backed by scientific study. In 2017, an article published in Human Factors demonstrated that casual game play during a work day helped reduce stress and improve mood. The study had three control groups. One sat quietly during a five minute break, the second played a game called Sushi Cat, and a third took part in a guided relaxation activity. Although the participants of the guided relaxation felt a reduction in stress, only those that played a video game reported actually feeling better after the five-minute break was up.
In a Reddit discussion about Farming Simulator 15, the user Lemberty stated, “After playing it for a couple of hours though, it’s surprising how relaxing and rewarding it is. It’s not hard, you can’t lose or die or anything and it’s a perfect wind down after work. You get on, do a bit of ploughing or logging, make some money and work your way up to your next tractor or machine. You feel like you actually grow your farm as you move up and it’s just great to jump in for a couple of hours.”
Games like Animal Crossing and Harvest Moon let you see growth as it happens. You can see the new piece of furniture you bought from Tom Nook sitting in your living room or a field full of crops. And you know that in just a few in-game days, those crops will bloom and you can harvest them to eat, make a delicious meal with, gift to your friends, or even sell. It might seem strange to say that games about living life are so appealing when real life isn’t much different, but it’s a step into another world—a world where that looming medical bill doesn’t exist and the only item on your to-do list is to sit around the campfire on Friday night and listen to K.K. Slider’s new song.