New Games Offer Glimmer of Hope

As students and workers take shelter in their homes during quarantine, a new has problem has arisen once they began to settle: boredom. 

However that didn’t last long as Doom Eternal and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, two long awaited games, hit the virtual shelves releasing a wave of gaming mania.

Doom Eternal has taken over the channel’s of Youtube’s most notorious gamers. From playthroughs released by TheRadBrad pulling in 1.5 million views to Markiplier racking up 3.5 million views, Doom Eternal is keeping people occupied.

However, Doom can’t even begin to compare to the storm Animal Crossing: New Horizons started.

Everywhere one looks gamers have hopped onto the bandwagon. If someone hasn’t played it they most likely know an army of people who have. Artists have even taken to posting fanart of their favorite characters online. Notorious gamers who never even thought to play such a game have fallen for its adorable anthropomorphic trap.

“I saw Marzia play this and I was like, that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen, no one is ever gonna play it. But she convinced me to play it and yes I am hooked and yes I love it” said Felix Kjellberg (Pewdiepie), Youtube’s top subscribed self-run channel. 

Let’s Play videos, fanart and even custom DLCs are being uploaded left and right. People have even brought back the trend of covering popular songs by the game’s resident singer KK Slider. It seems as if the world has been overtaken by the swarm of Animal Crossing.

But just what about this game is so alluring to all these players and what has made it into “the at-home therapy” for many players during quarantine?

“I’ve been playing Animal Crossing since around 2010, though I didn’t really get interested in the game until the release of New Horizons this year,” said Ellie Montenegro, Frank Sinatra School of the Arts (FSSA) Class of 2019.

“If not for the game I would most likely be much more stressed than I currently am. When I am lacking motivation I can just take a break and play animal crossing before coming back to what I was doing,” she said.

Other players like the social aspect to the game as well.

“It’s helped me get in contact with friends I didn’t talk to much, and even make new ones. Going to a friend’s island to fish is more therapeutic than you think,” said Reina Muñiz, FSSA Class of 2019. 

“The aesthetic of it is cute and you can even play with friends. I think that’s what attracts people to the series; there’s such a big welcoming community built around Animal Crossing where everyone shares their ideas (and in game resources) that adds depth to the game” she said. 

FSSA senior film major, Amy Jeon had a moment of reflection as the game brought her back to simpler times.

“Animal Crossing was a game played on almost all Nintendo platforms and to see a childhood game being remade releases the inner child in people and brings back fond memories,” she said.

All in all, Animal Crossing seems to have the perfect recipe for a stuck at home game. It has brought the Internet together and managed to serve as a bandaid to these grim times.

So, if you’re in need for a change of pace and a distraction during quarantine buy Animal Crossing or download the mobile version for free.

— by Anadia Jaghai