What do you play Animal Crossing for?

[smonikkims]

Curious question - what is it about Animal Crossing that makes you want to keep playing it? Is there any one particular aspect of the franchise that makes it perfect for you?

 

[Mayor Jack]

In games I have always found the parts where you get to customise your outfit or a house or something the most fun. When I came across ACNL and saw that you could make an entire town AND it was the main thing to do I was instantly intrigued. I got a 3DS with New Leaf for Christmas 2015 and am still playing the same town today. I had no idea that in three years time I would have joined a forum for the game! So that's why I play it. Because of all the customisation.

 

[Snowesque]

Wanting to complete everything there is to do!
I have fun changing my character/house to fit the seasons as well.

 

[calamitybot]

Like Snowesque said, I'm a bit of a completionist. I know realistically I can never "finish" the game without mods, but I still yearn to collect as much as I can in-game, whether it be villagers, bells, catalogue items, or badges.

 

[ILikeFroakies]

It's just a very relaxing video game for me. WHenever I'm stressed or sad or anything, it's very calming. Plus I enjoy being able to design a town and have control of it

 

[arturia]

i just like seeing my villagers and growing flowers

 

[chesty]

Amazing and relaxing game, with lots of things to do, and endless replayability. I love it, and I play when I have some spare time. I wish I had discovered this game earlier (started playing it last year)

 

[dizzy bone]

I like the decorating and landscaping aspect of it. There’s one or two villagers I like but for the most part I like to chose villagers based on their house exteriors so it will go nicely with my town. I’m not really a completionist so that part of the game doesn’t appeal to me. I’ve never actually finished my catalogue or museum exhibits before. I always take long breaks from ACNL but I find myself coming back to it if I have an idea for a new room or town theme concept.

 

[Dormire]

W O R L D B U I L D I N G I N F U R R Y T O W N
It's a joke but I'm serious. I have two retired Military officers and one novelist staying in a town filled with animals and being their gophers. It's hilarious. Also making OCs is one of my hobbies.

 

[goro]

as someone with ptsd and anxiety, the whole game is just super relaxing for me and helps me wind down. i also love the customization and designs, and it helps me bond with friends as well

 

[SnakeEater]

I like the music.

 

[Hyrule_Crossing]

Talking to villagers and doing, stuff. Lol

 

[Toot]

It's a fun game. I bought New Leaf because it was my first AC game after the Gamecube version I had when I was a child.

Mostly it was a nostalgia thing.

 

[luantoine12]

I think that's a very interesting question and I like how most of the answers above differ from each other.

There are so many factors that I cannot list them all on why it makes me keep playing. I am no longer playing New Leaf but I have played it for a very very long time. It is a type of MMORPG, in this case instead of grinding levels, we grind for collecting whether it's fishes, bells, fruits, anything. I love how we can do pretty much anything with our town and seeing it evolving is what makes me playing. It's like in a way taking care of your baby and see it growing. If I were to select one particular aspect (very difficult) but I would definitely say its vibe, it's so relaxing and music plays a big role in it.

 

[Lyraa]

I really enjoy relaxing games, especially if the music is relaxing too. I enjoy the aspect of building up your own town and decorating your house the way you want it, finding villagers to match your town's theme and finding new favourite villagers too. As someone with anxiety, and not a lot of friends, I enjoy just doing my dailies and talking to villagers, they always have something nice or even funny to say, idk this game makes me so happy, I've just found so much comfort in it. Animal Crossing is just something I regularly escape to, it's not tedious, there's no set time limit to unlock certain things so you don't have to rush or compete with others. I guess this series means a lot to me lol

 

[Kiwi]

Mostly for relaxation I'd say, but really I like Animal Crossing for many reason. It's just such a chill game, and I like being creative with designing my town and then getting to stroll through it, admiring my work, taking in the atmosphere I've created. ^^

Back in the day of the Gamecube I just loved having this little world to relax in, one that changed a little every day and actually matched the real time.

And then when I got my first DS and Wild World, I first delved into the world of online multiplayer. We actually got wlan at our house the summer I started playing ACWW, and one of the very first websites I visited was a small Animal Crossing board where I made tons of friends, some of which I actually met irl later on. I remember that time so fondly... I played ACWW online every weekend, especially in the evening 'til late at night. Just visiting friends or random people from the board and hoping to trade for some cool items. (I also remember visiting a hacked town once with coconut palm trees planted everywhere and houses arranged in a way that shouldn't be possible, that was so fascinating! Back then I had no idea save editors etc existed. ^^)

Sadly I couldn't use the multiplayer feature in New Leaf as much as I would have wanted to for a long time. Playing online with others again was the main reason I was so, so hyped for NL before it came out. But our wlan connection at home seriously sucked at the time and I always disconnected whenever I tried to visit someone's town. To be honest that's one of the reasons I lost interest in NL surprisingly quickly... until I moved out and fell in love with it again, especially with the update that kind of reminded me of the game (though I still don't play as much online as I used to with Wild World)!

Right now I'm really excited for AC Switch next year, and I hope I will finally be able to have those nice multiplayer experiences again, on top of having fun designing a nice village!

 

[Alex10]

Like many others, I love how relaxing the game is! You can really just turn it on, not think much and kind of escape for a bit! It?s also nice to have a bit of a routine and have lots of small little achievements!

 

[charlie.sunset]

Customization. Absolutely. I love being able to design an entire town, my outfits, my house and having tons of items to choose from. Many games offer complete customization, The Sims to give an example, but they're less "laid back" and fun imho.
Another AC activity I enjoy is catching fish and bugs, I love the fact that you can look for them only during specific seasons.

 

[cheerleader]

i'm completely hooked on relaxing life sims, like ac, stardew valley, harvest moon etc. wish there were more games out there like this lol they're so calming to my nerves. i love playing video games but i also deal with really bad anxiety so it's nice to have something relevant to my interests that's also beneficial to my mental health

ac is especially appealing because it has nice music, cute animals, pretty aesthetics and is just overall really pleasant and adorable

 

[Kalle]

As this YouTuber said: "To have fun and chill the **** out."