By now almost everyone who owns a Nintendo Switch has heard about Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The game came out at the perfect time- when the world was socially distant, jobs became remote, and people felt more isolated than ever. My copy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons came from Nintendo, and after a few sessions of me playing, my kids wanted to create their own characters and pretty much took over the game. My kids range in age from 5-11, and all three enjoy playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons so much, we have to schedule their playtimes so everyone gets a chance. I recently asked my kids what their favorite thing about Animal Crossing: New Horizons and here are their collective top 5:
5 Top Favorite Things About Animal Crossing: New Horizons
“I get to pretend I’m someone else“
My two older girls (8, 11) both liked that they can experience being someone else for a short while. They can explore character traits and outfits, as well as determine their interactions with other characters in the game.
“I can style my own house”
All 3 of my kids love having full autonomy over their own homes. They can decorate each room and add their own flare. They can change their wallpaper and flooring as much as they want, and even change their surroundings based on their mood.
“I can pretend to be outside even on rainy days”
What kid doesn’t like throwing on their rain boots and splashing around in puddles!? The first time my kids experienced rain in the game, they immediately knew they had to buy some rain boots, a rain jacket, and use an umbrella. They loved the ability to accessorize as well as “hang out” outdoors during inclement weather. Something they weren’t able to do before!
“I learn about nature!”
I personally love this feature too! My son (5) has taken his experiences from Animal Cross: New Horizons and applied them to real life. When we take nature walks or have picnics in the park (in real life) my son will point to a tree and ask if he can shake it to give us supplies. He becomes fascinated by bugs and tells me what they are called and that he learned about it from Animal Crossing. We even saw real pond skaters at the pond and the kids knew immediately what they were and spewed some facts they read from their owl friend in the game. Not many games can boast their educational aspect, but Animal Crossing offers a more “real life” experience than any other age-appropriate game.
“I can explore other islands!”
While on the topic of pretend play, there’s a lot of opportunity for pretend play in ACNH. Getting on a plane and exploring a mystery island is one of our favorite things to do because you never know where you’re going to end up!
I hope you enjoyed our top 5 favorite things about ACNH! You can get your copy from Target, Amazon, or the Nintendo e shop!