What would we do without video games? In this time of social isolation, gaming can be a great way to pass the time, and bring people together as well. It all depends on how you want to spend your time. The grownup here has been playing Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York on the Nintendo Switch, and has had a good time with it. The Princess, on the other hand, has been knee-deep in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. And she’s digging it.
Andy Burns: Hey kid!
The Princess: Hi.
Andy Burns: So how have you been passing the time on your Nintendo Switch?
The Princess: Animal Crossing: New Horizons!
Andy Burns: So I know nothing about Animal Crossing.
The Princess: Neither did I until now.
Andy Burns: Ok, so explain it to me, please. If you were going to describe Animal Crossing: New Horizons in one sentence to someone like me, who doesn’t get it, how would you describe it:
The Princess: It’s a game where you’re a human exploring a world of random animals. There are animals called Nooks. They are the main characters of the game. You get to pick a character and you get to play as that character.
Andy Burns: But what sort of playing??
The Princess: It’s like an adventure game. My character lives on an island, and you do island things like collecting fruit. You make things that will be helpful on the island.
Andy Burns: What kind of animal is your character?
The Princess: A human!
Andy Burns: Hold on – so you’re telling me you play as a human, and the characters you encounter are animals?
The Princess: Yes! Animals like penguins, sheep, mice, and dogs.
Andy Burns: Do you build your own homes?
The Princess: Yes. My home has a Nintendo Switch, two beds, a radio and a lantern.
Andy Burns: That sounds very comfy. Is it?
The Princess: Yup. Also, a cool thing about Animal Crossing: New Horizons is that the time matches up with your time. Say its 1 pm in our world, it will be 1 pm in Animal Crossing.
Andy Burns: So that means when its nighttime here, its night time in the game?
The Princess: Yeah!
Andy Burns: Tell me something. Do you know what the point of the game is?
The Princess: Not really, because I’ve never played an Animal Crossing game before. It’s fun to explore.
Andy Burns: Do you think you need to have played other games in the series to enjoy this?
The Princess: Nope!
Andy Burns: So what’s your favourite part of creating a world in this game?
The Princess: It may seem odd but I like the controls. They’re easy to get the hang of and you can memorize which button to press if you’re doing something. A is to select what you want to grab. Y you can pick things up with.
Andy Burns: So the controls make sense?
The Princess: Exactly!
Andy Burns: Kids and adults really seem into Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Why do you think that is?
The Princess: Because it’s easy to get the hang of. The graphics are cute, that helps.
Andy Burns: Ok. I feel like I should try this game myself. What do you think?
The Princess: Sure!
A lot of adults I know are into Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and seeing as we all have some time on our hands, I think I’m going to delve into it as well.
