New Horizons
We’re still in the middle of this global pandemic, and even though we’ll be social distancing for the next month or so, I’m beginning to plan my birthday party for early May. I’m thinking I’ll invite 7 of my closest friends over. We’ll go fishing in the morning, hunt for bugs and do some gardening in the afternoon, visit the local shops and museum and finally, finish up the day at a gathering with neighbors for some conversation and group photos. And yes, we will be staying safe and following ordinances because it will all be happening digitally… in Animal Crossing.
If you’re already completely annoyed by seeing your Instagram and Facebook feeds fill up with cute-as-hell animal characters, lavishly decorated living rooms and gardens, and memes about a raccoon named Tom Nook, you’re not alone. Animal Crossing is THE thing-to-do of the season and something almost everyone is talking about according to the Houston Chronicle.
“Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the social simulation game for the Nintendo Switch, has become a phenomenon, both breaking sales figures and drawing attention from the larger world for being the perfect antidote to social isolation. It has broken records for Switch sales and singlehandedly caused a shortage of systems. During a time of social isolation, this game has provided an alternative to normal life — weddings, birthday parties, even COVID-19-era procedures are all being recreated in this cartoonish-looking but socially-realistic game. That a game facilitating virtual connections with your friends is wildly popular right now isn’t a surprise. What could be better than a game that allows you to fish, chat and catch bugs with other people, while sporting the cutest custom-made outfits you can find?”
What I like about this game is that it mirrors real life: I have a home, but I had to save up enough bells (money) to pay the mortgage. I can go shopping at the local market or I can go visit the museum and learn about bugs and fish from the curator. I can even craft furniture or decorations to customize my home. But it’s oddly comforting: I can talk to my neighbors and give them gifts, and my friends can come visit for a tour of my town. Or, I can just walk on the beach and watch the waves come in. So yes, it’s popular and yes, it's relaxing, but there's more under those perfectly manicured, pixel lawns. Clear out your pockets, craft your shovels and put on your new boots from the Able Sisters because we’re going to dig a little deeper.
Because of COVID-19 our work and home lives have been completely uprooted and flipped on their heads. Now is the time for innovation, and Animal Crossing is allowing people and companies to create connection in new and unique ways. One of the less important, but still intriguing, features of the game is the Custom Design app on your character's Nook (mobile) phone. Here is where you're able to design custom graphics and patterns which you can apply to clothes or floor tiles. It may seem impractical, but if you didn't notice the image in blog header, my villager is currently wearing the latest Black Sheep Agency t-shirt release. And there’s more:
A weeks ago, the lifestyle brand 100 Thieves took notice of this feature and recently unveiled digital copies of every piece of clothing it's released since 2018. A new era of guerilla marketing?
The art world is also taking notice too. If you're curious, you can read this impeccable and slightly risqué (possibly not safe for work... but if you're not AT work, does it matter?) Artforum blog post written by Evan Garza, Former Director of Rice Public Art at Rice University. Recently, Evan lead a gallery tour on his own island, Gay Gardens, and then hopped a few flights on Dodo Airlines to visit artists around the world who had installed their own artworks and recreations. My favorite of the bunch being the restaging of Marina Abramović’s The Artist is Present by Shing Yin Khor.
You can also read this article about the Animal Crossing soundtrack, written by Washington Post’s Classical Music Critic, Michael Andor Brodeur (who also happens to be Evan’s husband—Animal Crossing power couple?)
Did a trip to see your friends, or your birthday or wedding get cancelled? Why not surprise friends and family and host an event on your own private island?
Are your Zoom meetings getting a little passé? Are you growing tired of seeing your coworkers in the same setting (or worse, sitting in outer space or on the beach in one of those preloaded Zoom digital backgrounds)? Why not point your camera at the TV and host your meeting from your village like I did on Monday:
(I even invited my coworker Analicia to help lead the meeting.)
If I haven't convinced you to stop what you're doing right now to hunt down a Nintendo Switch, maybe this just isn't your thing. But if you want to join me in my town of Håbo, I'll be gazing up at a perfect, starry sky hoping to make a wish on a shooting star.
Interested in sporting some Black Sheep gear in your town? Email us to get the code.