Forget baseball. In a pandemic, “Animal Crossing” is the true national pastime. Life is simple in the latest version of Nintendo’s popular video-game franchise.
Players assume a cutesy avatar and move to a tropical island, which they’re tasked with building up while making nice with their neighbors.
There are no levels or bad guys or battles — just polite social interactions, shopping decisions and chores suggested by the island proprietor, Tom Nook. “It’s this adorable, idealized version of a life that you completely control and design — like ‘The Sims’ but without any drama,” says player Austin Voigt, who lives in Minneapolis and writes gaming how-to guides for NintendoLife.com. “You can’t die in the game.