This article was posted on May 16th. I discovered it by accident, but now it's got me thinking.
It goes on to talk about players who are deleting their islands, and specifically, one woman named Christina Lau.
"Christina Lau spent well over 200 hours working on her Animal Crossing: New Horizons island. She rebuilt majestic mountain ranges again and again. She made her island a New York-style city, then a pastel-colored cotton candy garden. She time-traveled for maximum efficiency, crafted hundreds of fish bait so she could catch rare fish like the elusive Stringfish, and paid off all of her loans with millions of Bells to spare.
But she still wasn’t happy. One night, she was struggling to get a cliff to round off just right. After 10 minutes, she told Polygon, she started to “uncontrollably bawl.” So she decided to reset her game and start all over again."
The article explains the premise of Animal Crossing. It brings up social media and its effect on players of the game, such as Kaitlyn Molinas, who states,
“My ideas that I tried never felt cute, especially compared to images I’d see on Twitter, and it made the game very stressful to play, and see people talking about constantly online,” she told Polygon. “I ended up feeling like wanting to go back and play New Leaf, as that game was just, always chill, due in part to not being able to tear everything up and decorate whatever.”
The conversation switches to the pressures of trying to 'meet expectations' and the stress of both joining the conversation and showing off your island. The article ends on a note of being kind to yourself- and that restarting can be a way of self-care.
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I would like to know about other people's opinions on this subject. What do you think?
Some people take this game too seriously and I think pandemic and social media ruined it for a lot of newcomers to the series.
I'm in my mid-20s but I have also been weening off social media since college so I don't feel this social competition that someone who uses social media a lot feels.
After 10 minutes, she told Polygon, she started to “uncontrollably bawl.” So she decided to reset her game and start all over again."
awh this makes me sad ;; I feel like people need to stop comparing their islands/designs to other peoples, because it can potentially cause reactions like this :[
it seems like the terraforming aspect of this game has its pros and cons
I saw this article! It was a bit surprising that people would get frustrated and just reset. I have noticed that people are willing to do anything to get their island to look nice (buying items, hacking, hiring people, etc) and I can't really understand the competition and pressure. AC:NH is supposed to be a fun and chill game, not constant frustration and resetting. I do agree with @Sharksheep though, maybe a few other things annoyed them and was the last straw. I don't really care what my island looks like as long as I like it, which I do. It's quite small and pretty bad compared to others, but I don't really feel pressured to make my island as good as the five star ones online.
sometimes i think i have no chill with this game in certain aspects, but after reading snippets from the article you posted, i've realized it's not so bad it's honestly just a game but everyone will have different takes on everything. if something stresses you to the point of sudden emotional distress like the person in the article...then maybe it's time to put it down for a while and find something else to do...lol.
i always see posts (even here on the forum) from players asking for opinions on things that i personally think would be much more enjoyable if they're able to just make the decision for themselves (like whether or not to keep a villager, to keep a certain theme for their island, etc) rather than depending on a second or third party opinion. since by that point, you stop playing the game for yourself and the way i see it, that defeats the idea of game enjoyment. then again, easier said than done that's perfectly understandable.
so the point here is, you can use sns to take inspiration and maybe use for motivational purposes but if you start seeing things as a competitive lens/a way to downplay your personal achievements (with acnh..) then it is also time to step away from that.
My immediate response is to laugh and say it's just a video game. But when I take a step back and think about it, I get extremely emotional before, during, and after Ohio State football games. I experience every single emotion in one sitting, from anticipation, to anxiety, nervousness, glee, sadness, and everything in between. I'm sure all of us have that one thing; perhaps AC:NH is that one thing for the subjects of the article.
sometimes I get upset because I put a lot of pressure on myself to make my island look really good like the islands on the internet. it sucks because I should be my #1 supporter. i’m just never really satisfied ig
I’m glad that I don’t care about social media because so many people nowadays look to internet strangers on twitter/instagram/whatever for validation instead of being happy with their own creations and doing their own thing. I honestly feel for people who get so caught up in the social media spectacle and rely on internet points to boost their self-esteem. Deleting twitter has done wonders for my personal mental health and I’d recommend doing so to anyone who is on the fence about whether they should. In regards to AC, my opinion is that as long as you’re happy with your island, you shouldn’t care what anybody else thinks because your own happiness is what’s most important.
I read that article awhile back, I remember it being really interesting. I agree that some people are WAY too hard on themselves with ACNH... but, then, I also wonder if ACNH is really the only area they're being hard on themselves in. I'm not saying that with judgment, mind you- I'm hard on myself as a writer and, though it took me a long time to figure out, I tend to be much too hard on myself as a person, too. What I'm getting at is- I think there are people who are hard on themselves over their islands, and sharing their stuff online and comparing can be part of what frustrates them, but I also think there's a good chance people who do that are hard on themselves in general, and ACNH is just another way it can come out. Same with social media- some people use it in ways that hurt their mental health and them personally, others use it in ways that make them feel better and more connected to the world. Neither is good or bad. It's how you use it.
Also, not gonna lie. I've seen people's islands and island pics that make me feel bad about my island. But... I've also seen pretty much just as many that make me feel BETTER about my island And sometimes it helps to log-off and wander your island and remember what you do like about it.
honestly, i completely get it and not just with Animal Crossing. this kind of feeling has never just been with Animal Crossing. social media has a way of making others always comparing themselves to everyone else. it happens with art, with music, with photography, with anything that involves creativity really. i've felt this way with so many things and it really wears on you. i've had those "uncontrollable bawling" moments so many times.
My thoughts are don't compare things. Build something you're happy with and take it slow. There's always going to be someone who's more creative at certain things no matter what you build, and that's fine. Starting over is also fine as long as you're not doing it because you saw an island that you thought looked better than yours, otherwise you'll never see the end of it. Also I read something there about cliffs and it's good to keep in mind that terraforming is nice but the game doesn't have the same depth as say a current Sims game. It's unavoidable if something doesn't look like the most realistic piece of land ever. Even the islands themselves are almost perfectly square. Do what you can, the way you like and with what you have.
Island landscaping will mostly be an endgame thing for me as I'm having more fun trying to collect all items/complete my catalog.
That article made me kinda sad. I know it’s hard not to compare yourself to others, but it’s just a game. Part of the fun is making your island perfect, if it was easy, there wouldn’t be as much to do! It’s better just to take it slow and acceot that you will probably redo sections at least 3 times (if you’re like me anyways).
Always remember that the instagram islands are usually a result of 500+ hours (it’s not uncommon to see 1000+), heavy TT, item duping, trading, and even hacking if they have the star trees. The only reason my island looks good in select areas is because I trade like crazy lol
perfectionism isn't limited to animal crossing. it's best not to play for likes on Instagram, followers on Twitter, or chasing an aesthetic that makes you emotionally unhappy.
social media just proliferates this problem so if you have an issue, consider seeing a therapist (for perfectionism issues, not trying to sound insulty here) or take a break. from the game and from twitter.
I don't know if it's because I'm not a big social media person or if it's just from playing the series for so long, but I don't get competitive like that at all with AC. Like I love seeing people's work and wish I could be creative like they are, but these games are my safe space. I decorate/design a bit if I feel like it, but I don't spend very much time on that at all. It really is too bad that so many people who are new to the series are feeling so much pressure. This is one of the few games out there that isn't supposed to be competitive or high pressure, ya know?
It’s sad people are putting so much pressure on themselves to create the perfect island. The perfect island is one that makes you happy. I like looking at how creative some people are and have gotten some inspiration from islands I have seen on Twitter. I prefer not to compare my island because I am happy with it. It may not be as decorated as others but that’s ok. I take my time and slowly change my island when I feel like it.
I can understand the notion of you wanting to essentially keep up with the Joneses. I think the game is an advantage for creative thinkers. Especially creative problem solvers.
So you can see others feeling inadequate because they're brain isn't a powerhouse of inventions. We all have different brains and watching someone think outside the box faster makes us feel bad.
Personally for me, I am not affected. I have a different journey where I went through art school so I already fought the feelings of being obsolete and feeling insecure. This game, yes, isn't easy like the previous titles but I just took a break than resetting.
Back to the article, my first thought was, "oh they're just throwing a temper tantrum"
However, artist's will do something similar where we'll delete or destroy our work because we're unhappy with something that no one else sees.
It's almost like you're trying to clear your mind than fuss over whatever detail you obsessed with.
So, it could be something like that? I don't really want to judge someone who felt extreme sadness or frustration even if it seems miniscule or excessive. I feel regardless that this is over a game, at one point we've all been there in life.
I remember reading about this. I couldn't feel for her because it's not a game of competition. This game can get frustrating at times, but to reset it after spending a lot of time on making something? That would frustrate me even more to the point I wouldn't care to bother.
In my opinion, this article isn't about the game, its about social media's impact on this person. She could just as well have had the same reaction from seeing her friends or celebrities snapchat stories, instagram posts, etc. The girl from the article and others who feel similarly need to stop comparing themselves to others and remember that they are their own unique person with their own unique goals.
To be honest... If someone really has such a low self-esteem that they feel the need to spent hours playing a game - even though it´s not fun for them anymore - and also start to "uncontrollably bawl" when something didn´t go as planned, then there might actually be some treatment necessary.
This is not intended as a personal attack. But obviosly there are some huge issues regarding self-esteem and self-worth (and also the problem of beeing easily influenced by others). I am pretty sure, that most people who react like that also might have similar problems in real live. They get all their feeling of self-worth from what others might think of them and don´t see that they are perfect and amazing just the way they are! And that their own opinions and views can be worth so much more than that of all the other people combined.
So I really hope those people get the help they need and deserve.
Beeing emotional for a game is quite normal. But when it becomes something that influeneces your live and your well-beeing that much - something should be done!
it's honestly just a game but everyone will have different takes on everything. if something stresses you to the point of sudden emotional distress like the person in the article...then maybe it's time to put it down for a while and find something else to do...lol.
And sometimes it helps to log-off and wander your island and remember what you do like about it.
