How does your real life interfere with your playing ACNL?

Well right now, my real life doesn't interfere much. I have plenty of time to play ACNL and go about my day. However, when I'm at school I'm way too stressed to put aside time for the game. Hopefully I'll have time to talk to my villagers this fall - I've finally managed to build my dream town of all cats, so I don't want to lose any.

I remember thinking that ACNL would be such a stress reliever, but it turns out I just hate doing anything "productive" while I'm stressed. I'd rather lie around and sulk to relieve stress than do anything worth while. So I'm trying to do as much this summer as I can so I can just walk around and enjoy my town once I head back to school.

I also time travel so that I can walk around at 12-1 pm in the game when I actually get home from school at around 6-7 pm. I hate walking around in the dark.

I know OP added a clarification, but if you honestly think your real life interferes with your playing ACNL (or anything, for that matter), you should probably get help.

That being said, I really wish ACNL would adjust the days for actual holidays in-game, since they usually can't actually call the ones with religious roots by their actual name, anyway (Christmas and Easter, for instance). So for instance, with Toy Day, I would prefer it if they had it the weekend before Christmas, for instance, rather than Christmas Day. That way, players would be able to take part in both rather than having to choose between celebrating Christmas IRL and Toy Day in ACNL.

I hate my life so ACNL is my portal to love and affection for my brain so I escape all the time 24/7

Since I have to do some stuff at school I now have the Night Owl town
I wake up at 9 and come back at 6 pm, so I have very little time to actually play

I'm pretty flexible with balancing acnl and harvest moon, and college. haha, but even if I don't have time to play acnl for more than 30 minutes, I just check in to make sure weeds are pulled.

I don't think Nenya (OP) is talking about playing too much. I don't think they meant a video game addiction to AC... rather just how the town takes time, real life takes the me, trades take time, Holidays take time.

In this fast paced world we live in we all have choices to make on the limited 24 hours a day we have.

Add Animal Crossing into those choices and AC definitely takes time. All the AC games are not fast paced. It's part of the charm but it can be frustrating at times. Especially landscaping.

Good grief, see what I mean? Real life has been interfering AGAIN! I had to go shopping, and look what happens! I have this in my subscriptions but had no idea there were so many replies. When I start a thread I like to "like" each one that responds...so, please, everyone, consider your post "liked" because I really do like every one. I just read through them all. What an interesting variation of replies! Thank you...I hope to see more.

Tongue-in-cheek: intended to be understood as a joke, although often seeming serious. Cambridge English Dictionary

ACNL does not interfere with my real life, nor does my real life interfere with my playing ACNL. I'm perfectly happy with the balance between my real life and my gaming life. It is my only game, btw. There is no way I can express how much having this game (for a little over a year now) has actually enhanced my real life. I am a happier person...ask my family (husband, two daughters, grandson). Um, please don't talk to my sisters, though, they do NOT understand.

Playing rejuvenates me for real life, and I need that. Interpersonal relationships take lots of time and energy...time I have, energy-not so much as I would like.

I'm very thankful for this forum, too, which I just joined last November. So many generous, thoughtful, witty, dedicated, creative, helpful, sharing folks on here. Ain't it great?

HHoney said:

I don't think Nenya (OP) is talking about playing too much. I don't think they meant a video game addiction to AC... rather just how the town takes time, real life takes the me, trades take time, Holidays take time.

In this fast paced world we live in we all have choices to make on the limited 24 hours a day we have.

Add Animal Crossing into those choices and AC definitely takes time. All the AC games are not fast paced. It's part of the charm but it can be frustrating at times. Especially landscaping.

Click to expand...

This is it exactly. Not to be overly serious or anything, but ACNL requires patience that no other game I've played has required. It would be nice if it were like the Sims and you could just decorate your entire house and yard in one sitting. But unless you TT extensively you have to wait days and days to add rooms, to be able to use the QR machine, for the shop to carry the items you were looking for, or for a user here to sell them to you.

I'm thinking of creating two other characters because I have some ambitious house ideas but like... I bet that's going to be a long and sometimes frustrating process. I don't trust myself not to mess something up if I TT that much

And tbh at the moment most of my ACNL-interfering-with-real-life business is keeping a lookout for furniture I want... once that's out of the way, playing the game normally actually is kind of relaxing.

I've stopped all contact with my villagers, excluding the day I know they'll ping to move, and it's given me so many more free hours. Even to watch a movie, instead of being bombarded with the mindless, endless demands for fruit.

I'm also enjoying it a lot more.

Since I only play Animal Crossing when I have free time it doesn't really interfere at all, I just base my playing around whether or not I'm busy with other things. I think the only thing would would interfere with me playing ACNL is if I decide to play something else haha, right now Breath of the Wild is the only game that has my attention

Well, I have to work, so that takes anywhere from 6 to 10 hours out of my daily acnl time, so that sucks how dare you, job.

Well, I don't really have a life, so...not at all, lol.

i have terrible debt management skills

People are always talking to me! Interrupting trades, ruining my shark catching mojo, complaining that I "spend too much time on your computer.","you need to shower eventually", "you have better things to do", "are you still playing that game?" and "go outside"
Little, irritating things like that. I HAVE the WINDOW open! What more do you people want?!
I manage 3 towns!
Sheesh.
Lol
But seriously...

well im a mom of a 7 year old so obviously she comes first but i have missed many scheduled times to visit neighbors houses/neighbors visiting my house because im busy momming at the time :/