Has Animal Crossing benefited your mental health/taught you any life lessons?

[Hazel]

Hi everyone!

I've a little more serious of a thread discussion today and I'd really appreciate your help with it. I am a fourth year animation student and for my thesis I would like to explore Animal Crossing in relation to cognitive/mental health benefits (cognition is "the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses").

Over my time playing this game I have come across people saying Animal Crossing has helped them deal with depression and anxiety problems and I would like to know if any of you have had similar experiences and if you're comfortable would you mind sharing them? As someone with anxiety issues myself it is of great interest to me to explore all kinds of ways of dealing with it. Also have you learnt any life skills from playing the game such as empathy (from looking after your villagers) or responsibility (from paying your loans) etc.

This will not be published, only my tutors will be reading it so you don't have to worry about that. Also feel free to share your experience with any AC game, I will just be focusing the most heavily on New Leaf. Mods if this isn't the right place to post this/goes against any tos please move it/let me know!

Thank you so much!

 

[Candyapple]

Like many other people I suffer from anxiety.
Animal crossing helped a lot, it’s just a cute relaxing game but it also made me realize some things. First, that if we all would learn to appreciate small things that are around us, we would live better. In this game your villagers friend are happy and grateful if you bring them a simple fruit! Sometimes in small things or gestures there is incredible beauty and peace. Having a coffee at the rooster, doing a favor to a friend, looking at the skye to see falling stars. Small things. There is a lot of beauty around us in nature and in everyday moments that sometimes we miss to see.
Sometimes we can make someone smile just with a simple kind gesture.
Every villager in the town always remind you to take care of yourself if you played too much AC and you need to rest.
Or sometimes they will react to a single gift that you give them, that to you means nothing, with happyness and sometimes they will sing too to express their joy!
So definately I learned, or better re leaened to pay attention to small things around you. They can make the difference sometimes and make a bad day into a better one. Too often we forget to observe. Nowadays world is full of technology and everyone is always in a hurry and often mad or stressed.
Take a breath and look at the trees around you, take care of flowers, have a coffee with a friend in peace for once. Treat your friends well. Make them smile. Write more letters! Sometimes remember stuff that made you happy when you were a kid and try to have those innocent happy feelings again.
Animal crossing is teaching this, and I’m sure other people could have a lot more to say too!

 

[jcnorn]

I live with sever depression and anxiety and Animal Crossing has definitely helped me a lot.
One of my biggest anxiety 'issues' is the social part where I can't go outside my apartment and making plans with friends is a big no-no. During those days I can still get social interactions and go 'outside' for a walk among the flowers and trees, maybe even take a walk to the beach, in Animal Crossing. I know it's not real life, but when it's extra hard it helps. I feel less sad about not being able to do it as much, and when I am having a good enough day to go outside I don't feel as anxious about it. Since I've been 'outside' in Animal Crossing and kind of prepared myself for it. If that even makes sense?
The game also has this ability to make you feel like you are seen and you matter. The animals send you random letters where they say how much you mean to them. Yesterday when I talked to Kabuki he showed me the first letter I sent to him and told me how much he treasures it, because it came from me. Being reminded of those things is very important when you are depressed too. You DO matter to these virtual lil animals. They look forward to seeing you boot the game up so they can talk to you. That gives you purpose

 

[Bluebellie]

I definitely helps me relax and lose stress. Especially after work. It’s always nice to log in and just leave declutter my brain a bit.

 

[honeyaura]

I suffered from depression, and anxiety as a kid, and still do. I first got Wild World when my mum told me she had enough to buy me something. It caught my eye in the store, so I picked it out, and brought it home.

I didn't have many friends. Maybe a few peers, but we'd only say hi at school. 90% of my time outside of school was spent hiding in my room. Even if I were brave enough to be social, I was still afraid because of my speech impediment. Other than mum, who was the light of my life, and my babies (kittens), I had no one to talk to.

When I found myself in the back of a taxi talking to turtle (I know now he isn't, but middle-school Tiffany didn't know this lol), talking to me about the weather and why I was moving, I felt more... human. Finally. Like I had some say in something. I've always had my family talk for me because they had to. But this turtle guy wants to know my thoughts about the rain. Sounds trivial now, sure. But I still felt like I was being "heard".

He drops me off in town, and wishes me good luck. I meet a bird in town hall, who is the sweetest thing greeting me. And I meet Tom Nook, who I admit looked like someone who was just after my money (which I guess is still legit, but he's nice enough to be lenient lol), and he asks me to work for him. I was honestly excited for this. I've always wondered what it felt like to work for someone - running errands, making deliveries, planting outside the shop. I felt even more human after this, and felt more comfortable with where I was - my new town.

I made best friends with Savannah, Peanut, and Rodeo. To this day I always make sure they're in my main town because of this. I finally had friends to talk to daily, visiting them, having birthdays with them, writing letters to them, the works. I finally had things to look forward to everyday.

I remember bringing my DS to school and I'd play it as much as I was allowed. I was picked on a lot before, but this gave them more ammo for some reason. But I refused to stop playing, because it was my Solace.

 

[wALEX]

Yes it has benefited my mental health because i'm a very solitary person and i live with so much stress.. when i play ACNL i can relaxing that's so cool
I play every morning!

 

[LadyDestani]

I suffer from mild depression, which I am thankfully able to control without the use of medication. One of my methods for controlling it is having an escape, a place where my mind can retreat temporarily to get away from the pressures and stress I face on a daily basis. I've used, and still do use, many things as my escape: reading, writing, any creative hobby, gaming, etc.

Animal Crossing has helped my mental health because it is the perfect escape. It is very nearly my ideal world, so being able to spend a couple of hours in the game allows me to come back to the real world refreshed and the promise of that escape each night helps me make it through the day, even when things get tough.

 

[gothgf]

oof yeah I struggle alot with depression, severe social anxiety, and a few other things. playing animal crossing helps alot bc it works as an escape for me. making my villagers happy makes me feel appreciated, less alone, and like I actually have some friends.. bc I struggle with that alot due to my anxiety even when I'm unable to play I still think of my little town and villagers, they mean alot to me and have helped me through so many bad days.

 

[Mr_Persona]

ACNL makes me sad and everyday I'm bored and sad and when I play the game nothing works.
but I do make some friends on acnl, so I guess that kinda helps but they're not active anymore on the game so its not really helping me from being not depress everyday.

 

[AlyssaAC]

I too am suffering from anxiety and possibly a little bit of depression. I never really did much about it until now, but yes, Animal Crossing has been my favorite game for a really long time and has helped me get through the years ever since my anxiety popped up when I first went into high school several years back.

 

[HistoryH22]

I definitely helps me relax and lose stress. Especially after work. It’s always nice to log in and just leave declutter my brain a bit.

Same with me. This is the perfect game to just sit back, relax, and destress to. No negativity. Just calm and positive fun. It's been one of my go-to games lately with graduate school.

 

[XxNicolexX]

It has taught me different types of fossils, fish, and bugs and all that but it has not fully helped my mental health. Yea it is a good distraction to go to when u play to help with depression and anxiety and all that but it does not fully make mine better. I have a bad case of anxiety so playing animal crossing is more relaxing to help a little but not rlly tbh.

 

[tae]

yeah it did. it got me through a lot of really dark depressive episodes over the years.
definitely dont play much anymore but thats okay.

 

[Stella-Io]

ACNL helps calm me down if I got in a fight or I'm mad with someone, helps me relax when I get home from work, de-stress and zen out. After maybe 10 mins I'm pretty relaxed and not mad anymore.

 

[fiirefly-crossing]

For sure, it's benefited me immensely. I suffer with severe clinical depression and anxiety attacks, and i find that the night time music is extra soothing and calming for me when i'm feeling gross on the inside. New Leaf gives me purpose that i don't feel like i have in the real world. It's nice that villagers depend on you to help them with tasks and delivering packages. And i know they are programmed to be friends with us, but you actually have to make the effort in order to obtain a higher level of friendship with them which makes it feel more personal.

A year ago i spent my birthday alone in a German hotel, sobbing that nobody remembered my birthday. But i powered up my DS and my lovely villagers all wished me a happy birthday and it made me feel so much better.

 

[Hazel]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences! Please keep them coming!

I'm so glad it provides a sense of solace and comfort for most of you, it's so heartwarming to read, and for those whom it doesn't keep hanging on in there, I'm sure you'll find something to help deal with and maybe even heal your mental health if you haven't already. You're all doing great, remember to keep looking after yourselves.

Just a disclaimer, I'm not saying Animal Crossing is a method of healing mental health issues but I am exploring if it can be used to help deal with it.

 

[Mythic Diamond]

Yeah I struggle with severe social anxiety and acnl has helped me alot. It helps me to relax and lose stress. I like being able to talk to my villagers and make them happy.

 

[-Blue-]

I just like NL and AC cause it's a chill game. I sometimes like games like Smash and other times I like Animal Crossing. It's more fun to just wind down with a calm game though. Too many toxic manbabies on games like Smash, but everyone here is friendly and cool.

 

[Alienfish]

Idk if it's been for me like relaxing or coping cause I tend to take it a bit too much competitively sometimes and being a perfectionist about my town. But yeah I sure learnt stuff about the creatures which is always nice C:

 

[PrincessAurora]

Yes to both! ACNL is my go-to chillout game. I don't think any other game is as relaxing for me. The music is just so peaceful and the interactions with the villagers are so wholesome. As for learning something, I'd say it really teaches you how to enjoy every day. There's always something new to look foward to. c: