Animal Crossing Storytelling

I. STORY (Core Value, Purpose)

Animal Crossing is a video game series that invites us to live according to our free will among cute anthropomorphic animals. As a product of Nintendo, its core mission is to put smiles on faces by “creating new surprises for people across the world to enjoy together." It encourages us to build community with not only in-game characters but also other fellow players. While we may discover many items in Animal Crossing through independent exploration, we may only acquire specialty items such as non-native fruits through conversations and letters. By locking features behind low-stakes interactions, Animal Crossing prompts us to form meaningful connections with others. 

II. TELL (Sensory Logic, Media Touchpoints)

Animal Crossing is best known for its interactive video games (Wild World, City Folk, New Horizons, Happy Home Designer). However, it can also be experienced through activations and consumer goods such as digital assets and physical merchandise. Through various forms of media, it encourages us to pay attention to our natural world and follow our curiosity. Nintendo of America partners with local aquariums throughout the United States (SEA LIFE, Birch Aquarium, Seattle Aquarium) to display informational placards from the Animal Crossing game series and host character-themed activities. Additionally, they collaborate with brands such as Lego and Build-A-Bear to recreate the do-it-yourself (DIY) experience from the game through buildable toys. Animal Crossing creates spaces for connection, exploration, experimentation at multiple transmedia touchpoints. 

III. ING (Interaction, System Feedback)

The passage of time in the Animal Crossing games mirrors the passage of time in reality. Because the in-game clock synchronizes with our actual time zone, any constructions, expansions, renovations, and relocations that we initiate require days rather than seconds to complete. And true to life, the shops open and close at reasonable hours. 

Nothing feels abrupt in the world. The scenery shifts with the seasons in real time. Sakura trees bloom in the Spring, while fireworks bloom in the Summer. The ground is dotted with mushrooms in the Autumn but blanketed in snow in the Winter. Even though the games follow an extremely linear timeline, it does not tell a narrative with a clear beginning and end. We can pass time by drinking coffee at the local coffee shop, enjoying live music in the plaza, or learning art history at the museum. This type of gradual gameplay encourages us to find contentment and meaning in the mundane. We can engage in seemingly inconsequential conversations and follow arbitrary customs but have fun anyway. Through Animal Crossing’s plotless database storytelling and our individual game experience, we learn to practice mindfulness and build our own adventure.

Animal Crossing reinforces these learnings through activities that require not only time but also patience.There is a joy to growing flowers, cultivating crops, crafting tools, furnishing rooms, and creating custom designs. There is an excitement to catching a fish or a bug that appears during only specific times of the year. Our progress is gradual and incremental yet rewarding. While a version of the stock market and mortgage debt exists in Animal Crossing, the gaming experience is mostly meditative. 

In fact, the game penalizes us whenever we move in a rush. When we run, we trample flowers and scare bugs away. When we pull our fishing line in too soon, we fail to catch fish. And when we do not examine artwork before purchasing it, we more often than not pay a high price for a forged copy.

IV. TENSION

Animal Crossing tells an idyllic, frictionless story about slow living. There are no heroes or villains. The most antagonistic aspect of the game is perhaps its insistence on puns. We develop an appreciation for our neighbors, local businesses, nature, and human creativity across art, architecture, and design. Whether this appreciation can extend beyond a carefully constructed story remains debatable. 

A common practice among players is time traveling, which involves bypassing the in-game clock and manipulating the natural progression of time. It allows players to expedite timelines, circumvent tedious processes, and take a shortcut to their goals. Time travelling can condense a month long project to an hour long project. Community-driven forums, item catalogs, and global marketplaces also afford players quick convenience by establishing an infrastructure for instant discovery and fast exchanges.

This continual optimization for efficiency challenges the ethos of Animal Crossing, creating a disparity in the story told and reality lived. While this form of participatory culture disrupts the established pace of Animal Crossing, it also ultimately upholds the original tenet of the game in provinding players opportunities to connect with one another.