They are part of a deeper understanding of our sense of self, and our relationships with others.Īnimal Crossing: New Horizons has the player take control of the newest villager on an island which must be built up and turned into a thriving paradise. Our avatars are more than just a character used to play various online games.
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These identities, created and developed through online games like Animal Crossing, could then play a role in establishing relationships both in online and offline communities based on how we represent ourselves. By creating and developing their villager, it will be argued that users are also able to play with their own personal identities outside of the game, showing how one’s avatar can be used as a point of introspection. The extensive customization found in New Horizons provides a place for its players to experiment with their online identities. While it’s fun for players to dress their villagers up in different outfits alone, exploring avatar customization can also lead to reflexive experimentation and opens up a deeper understanding of the player’s sense of self. The purpose of this essay is to explore the flexible features, options, and practices of a player’s villager, or avatar, in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, to understand how one could represent themselves in a virtual world and its (possible) impact on the one’s real-world identity. While it is possible that the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to both the sales and conversation metrics of Animal Crossing, I argue that the importance of this game comes from Animal Crossing’s deep customization which allows for reflection on one’s self-image. The customization and easy-going nature of New Horizons are why The New York Times calls it “The Game of the Coronavirus Moment” (Khan, 2020). Since its release, it has become one of the most talked-about games, with Twitter data suggesting that “conversation volume since launch has grown over 1,000 percent and the number of people tweeting about the game has grown over 400 percent” (Khan, 2020). Joe Todd can be found on Twitter or LinkedInĪnimal Crossing: New Horizons, released on March 20, 2020, has had the most successful initial release for a Nintendo Switch game, selling over 13.41 million copies (Carpenter, 2020). You can read more about Joe in this story for the Recreation and Leisure studies website.
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Joe is a Little Mac main in Smash, and has an Xbox logo tattooed on his body. He is interested in studying online socialization through video games, and how that impacts and affects one’s offline life. Joe Todd is a PhD Student in Recreation and Leisure Studies at the University of Waterloo.
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