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Animal Crossing and adult gamers
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Seven years ago North American children were introduced to the fascinating world of Animal Crossing. With Pokémon doing considerably well with the youthful market, Japan decided to continue to share its imaginary worlds with a very eager consumer ruled country. When Animal Crossing hit stores its popularity seemed only to grow as time went on. Though marketing may have given the title a good running start, word of mouth is what helped it climb the charts. It also helped the title enter a world of adult players who took the game to an entirely different level of play.
The premise of Animal Crossing is this: Each player controls a character that moves into town. Sex and appearance are determined by a series of questions answered in the beginning. Once in town the character meets Tom Nook, a kind but greedy raccoon shop owner, who aides in finding lodging for new residence. He hires new arrivals on the spot and sets them off with tasks designed to establish game mechanics. Once the tasks are over, players are free to explore the town and do as they wish. And there is a lot to do in Animal Crossing. Because the game is played in real time, it evolves with changes like the position of the sun, the weather, and seasons. Each part of the time difference will change the options of play in the game. The main goal of Animal Crossing is to completely renovate and pay off the house owned by Tom Nook, but that does not mean it has to end. There are fish to be caught, outfits to be bought and furniture to collect.
Animal Crossing has had a few updates since it hit the scene in 2002. There was a Nintendo DS version that made the game portable and introduced subtle changes to the title, and a Wii Version that has granted updates and sharing of towns across the globe. Though each version has been tweaked to offer a reason for purchase, the main platform has remained the same.
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So how could this game possibly appeal to adult audiences?
One word serves perfectly to answer this question: accomplishment.
In the real world people struggle to secure a decent job, pay rent or mortgage, and settle up debt. In Animal Crossing players do all of these things as well, but in the game it’s much easier. Currency really does fall from trees, fishing is not only a fun past time but a viable career, and the turnip market is way easier to understand than the stock market. A simple search of youtube.com for Animal Crossing will result in videos made by players, well over the age of seven, showing off their towns and accomplishments. There is something incredibly satisfying about finding that last piece of furniture to complete a room, finishing off a dinosaur exhibit, or finally buying the perfect outfit.
Animal Crossing probably isn’t something one brag about to their colleagues at happy hour. It’s not a game that sits proudly on the video game shelf if there are no children present in the home. But all it takes is one passing mention of the game at a party for two players to lock eyes and wander away from the crowd to discuss, in detail, their accomplishments in the game. They share fishing tips, complain about Tom Nook’s store, and exchange town codes so they can visit each other from then on. After the conversation is over they go back to their respective areas and resume in more adult conversation, somewhat comforted by the fact that they are not alone.
Animal Crossing may be made for kids, but its purpose in the adult market is probably more therapeutic that the developers every imagined it could be.
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