Have you ever played Animal Crossing? As a result, have you felt better? If the answer is yes, welcome! You are not alone.
Words like “anxiety” or “depression” are more common nowadays. The pandemic situation has raised concerns around mental health issues. Inevitably, it has invited people to become more aware of this topic. In the middle of this new spotlight, video games emerged as an ally for society. It is an entertaining way that helped many to fight the stress, fear, frustration, and sadness of these times. It was an option for a lot of people to escape from the hard reality that we had to live. Video games became not only a more profitable business but also a tool suggested by the experts.
Video games, a safe exit
During the worst days of COVID-19 restrictions, the video game industry generated more than $ 170 billion in 2020 (via the analysis firm Newzoo). In fact, that was the higher figure registered since Newzoo started to analyze the video game market in 2012. The World Health Organization (WHO) started to support video games as a way of workout on their social media.
Following that, they recommended playing “active video games” at least for 30 minutes. Later, the WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom also proposed playing video games to “take care of our mental health”.
And here it came Animal Crossing: New Horizons
March 2020 was the month where COVID-19 turned into a global problem. As a result, countries around the world started to raise restrictions to cut off the spread of the virus. We were forced to stay at home in the so-called lockdowns. Consequently, we needed to find ways of distracting ourselves… and it was precisely at that moment where Nintendo released the new installment of their beloved Animal Crossing franchise.
We are talking about Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which is available exclusively on Nintendo Switch. It was a clear success. Furthermore, it became the most sold game of the series. As a result of its good launch timing, it has registered more than 34 million copies sold. It’s the second bestselling Nintendo Switch Game (the first one is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with more than 38 million.
The timing of the success
Animal Crossing: New Horizons was a huge success for two reasons. On one hand, it was a new Animal Crossing game. On the other hand, it was going to be released on a successful platform Nintendo Switch. However, the perfect timing of its launch was also a key factor to keep in mind. Picture this: people locked in their houses, without being able to see their beloved ones, having to spend all day at home. And suddenly, they have in their hands a door to a colorful world. A door that allows them to travel to a desert island that they have to build as their new home. It was exactly what people needed in these times: an exit door. The best part of all of this? The game is also an instrument to fight anxiety.
We are going to shed light on this so keep reading!
Anxiety, who the hell are you?
It’s true. Anxiety has emerged as a word more common in our society and our conversations. What is exactly? Dr. Jen Gunter in the above video describes it like a “brain’s threat-detection system”. It’s a survival response to our environment, and it has been a protection from potential dangers like tigers, bears, or whatever that wanted to eat us in the cavern ages. Nowadays, these menaces have evolved into our imagination, thoughts, and fears. The best way to fight against this new enemy inside our mind? Don’t leave your thoughts to control your feelings.
“What do we say to the God of Anxiety? Not today”
One of the most popular techniques to relieve our brain is mindfulness. People that practice mindfulness, which is a kind of meditation, learn how to focus their attention using their breath. Eventually, people that practice mindfulness will learn how to be an observer of their thoughts, instead of suffering because of them. You learn how to say to your brain things like “Ah, dude, here you are again trying to make me feel like shit. What do we say to the God of Anxiety? Not today.” You learn to recognize what is just your imagination, which creates potential risk scenarios that aren’t true, from reality.
Just breath
Animal Crossing: New Horizons started to act like a little mindfulness technique for our brain. Players focus their attention on the easy tasks that they have to reach in the game (collect shells, dig up fossils, sell fruits…), and it can be helpful for lifting up their mood. As Pablo Algaba, author of the book La aldea feliz. Un viaje a través de Animal Crossing, affirmed that “Animal Crossing is a franchise designed to be played slowly, rejecting the fast-paced, but not the surprising part, and forgetting any competitive tension in favor of oceans of calm.” In other words? Exactly what we needed in the middle of a pandemic.
“If you play four hours a day of Animal Crossing, you’re a much happier human being”
The University of Oxford, for instance, illustrated this point by elaborating a study published last year (via The Guardian). In their research, one of the first that supports that certain kinds of video games are good for our mental health, they found that relaxing games such as Animal Crossing are stress reliefs. This means that these types of games help players to deal with this tension. (firework.com) Andrew Przybylski, the lead researcher on the project, said that the study “shows that if you play four hours a day of Animal Crossing, you’re a much happier human being.”
Creativity is a medicine
New Horizons provides us with a safe place. An island where we are in charge (like we have to do with our thoughts) and don’t exist pressures of any kind. We can turn off the world, focus for a couple of hours on these little tasks and gain some peace of mind. These quests also improve our creativity, which is a key factor to deal with our fears too. As therapists like Douglas Kidd (via The Sintaxis) pointed out, Animal Crossing provides “positivity, stability and also the important quality of self-expression”. At the end of the day, these aspects take care of our “psychological recovery”.
So, we can say that Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been not just a good way of entertaining our mind, but also our particular medicine to deal with hard times.
Top 5 relaxing games for you
Finally, at BreezyScroll we wanted to list for you a few games that can help you all to find that desired peace of mind. They are immersive experiences that make you flow into their proposal, allowing you to forget about everything that worries you. Narrative, fun, and interesting enough to catch your attention enough to allow us to fly to other worlds. Below you can find the list, the availability, and a little official description for them all:
Journey
Platforms: PS3, PS4, PC
Description: “Explore the ancient, mysterious world of Journey as you soar above ruins and glide across sands to discover its secrets.”
Stardew Valley
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android
Description: “You’ve inherited your grandfather’s old farm plot in Stardew Valley. Armed with hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you set out to begin your new life.”
Firewatch
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Description: “Firewatch is a mystery set in the Wyoming wilderness, where your only emotional lifeline is the person on the other end of a handheld radio.”
GRIS
Platforms: PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, iOS
Description: “Gris is a hopeful young girl lost in her own world, dealing with a painful experience in her life. Her journey through sorrow is manifested in her dress, which grants new abilities to better navigate her faded reality.”
Potion Craft
Platform: PC
Description: “An alchemist simulator where you physically interact with your tools and ingredients to brew potions”.