How do you feel about players starting to be mean to their villagers after the latest friendship datamine?

[cheezu]

Maybe it's because I'm a sensitive person but the post I read about someone who was smashing their villager repeatedly with a net for 2 hours kind of rubbed me the wrong way.
Sure, they're not real sentient beings but if you immerse yourself in the game enough, the villagers do really come off as having feelings and all have a role in this little community that we all created.
I'd find it so weird to be cruel to a villager I had previously befriended to the point that I even have their photo displayed at my place.
Sure, I do hope that some of my villagers will leave eventually but hitting them/locking them up behind bars, or gifting them garbage just seems unnecessarily cruel to me.
What I started doing instead is just ignoring the villagers I no longer want to stick around in the hopes that it will lower our friendship. I no longer talk to them (unless they happen to be crafting, have a thought bubble or run up to me) and I no longer gift them wrapped gifts that would be to their liking.
What are your thoughts on this?

 

[meggiewes]

Ever since I started playing AC I thought it was strange that people would be purposely mean to their villagers. I mean, I tried whacking a villager with a net once just to see what would happen, and then I felt a bit guilty about that when they got mad.

 

[-Blue-]

Oh? Is there a list to this new datamine? I thought being rude to villagers never worked like the other games. Has this been changed?

 

[aetherene]

I may not like Renee, but I would feel so bad about hitting her with a net and purposely shoving her to get her friendship points down. I just don't talk to her lol. But yeahhhh, I don't think I could ever be super mean to anyone. I'm still waiting for my amiibo cards and I can Renee out pain free.

 

[Rubombee]

I've personally decided that I was gonna stop being rude. Now I definitely think ignoring is better than hitting/bullying, even though from now on I won't do either anyway. I really wanna be chill with the game, I've got plenty of time to have villagers come and go and I prefer not worrying over trying to "kick out" a specific one.

 

[cheezu]

Oh? Is there a list to this new datamine? I thought being rude to villagers never worked like the other games. Has this been changed?

Yeah, apparently villagers with lower friendship are more likely to want to move.
This should not make much of a difference though if your friendship levels with all villagers are similar though.

 

[Blueskyy]

I was on a narrow strip of path yesterday and tried to go around Kitty but ended up pushing her shortly since I couldn’t fit to go around. I stopped before she got mad and I felt bad about it even though it’s all based on points. I dunno. I personally don’t like to push the villagers around.

 

[Sloom]

yeah it depends for me. if I like the villager I'd rather die than even accidentally hit them with my net once.

but if I hate the villager, being mean to them is one of my favourite hobbies and it cracks me up every time lol. luckily I don't have any horrible villagers on my island anymore but I do have fond memories of abusing almost every villager I had in new leaf in order to trade them to someone. good times

 

[-Blue-]

Yeah, apparently villagers with lower friendship are more likely to want to move.
This should not make much of a difference though if your friendship levels with all villagers are similar though.

I talk to Margie and Flora the most and treat them really well. I got the Nook mile badge for best friendship and those were two of them. They ask to move all the time though and no one else does...

 

[CrankyCupcake]

People can do whatever they want in their game. It's their game, not mine, they call the shots.

In my own game, I never whack my islanders with the net. When I do whack them accidentally because I'm holding a net while trying to greet them, I actually blurt out "Ooh I'm so sorry!" and feel bad for about 5 seconds. I mean, I'm the type to apologize to my toothbrush if I dropped it.

 

[Iris_T]

Not sure if it's the same datamine, but after seeing the last friendship guideline I'm the kindest soul, I gift wrapped coconuts to anything that moves. ❤
(I want photos and unlock my last emotions ok? xD)

 

[Envy]

I've seen people being cruel to villagers since the very beginning and I have always been disgusted by it. I know that's kind of silly because the villagers aren't real or anything, but they do show emotion so it makes me sad.

 

[Delphine]

Yeah, I don't really understand why you'd want to hit a villager with a net to be honest, I can kinda see how that can help with frustration but if there's someone that you don't like on your island, I'd just ignore them and try to keep away from them instead... keep them out of your sight! I've tried to befriend even the villagers that I liked the least just so they'll leave faster or so I can warm up to them, to give them a chance. Sometimes it makes me laugh a lot to see how some people try to imprison their villagers and make their lives a living hell, but if it makes you feel too bad that's okay! After all, all villagers – no matter what their design is – were made and animated in a way that makes them feel 'real' or at least, a little relatable. So even the ugliest villagers seem pitiful when hit with a net. Their little é_è expressions can be heartbreaking :c

 

[Bk1234]

I feel guilty about being mean to Frita. I just really needed her out quick. I think it would've been smarter of the devs to reverse this mechanic, where building friendship increases the chances for villagers to ask to leave.

 

[Chris]

No opinion on it either way. It's not real. It does seem very juvenile to engage in though.

 

[sfelix]

Is there a user-friendly guide? Because the one I've read doesn't make much sense to me with its numbers and equations.

In my experience, it's usually the villagers I seem to have the best friendship score with that always want to move.

 

[Arckaniel]

I honestly don't have the courage to be mean to any of my villagers, regardless if I want them to stay or not... I like all of my villagers, tho I like ones better than the other, I always talk to all of my villagers and give them gifts so that I could get there picture, I started gifting the ones I'd let go off hanging terrarium daily to get their framed photos asap, so that when they have the thought bubble and ask to leave, I will let go of them naturally without having the guilt feeling that I hitted them with my net/gave them trash or ignored them, it'll take quite some time but at least I would let go of them with good memories...

 

[xTech]

Tbh even if it didn't affect moving out chances i'd still hit villagers I want to move out with a net. They should consider it an honour to be hit by my almighty golden net anyway. /s

 

[wolfie1]

I think the latest datamine legitimizes those players' actions in some way lol. I know they are virtual animals, but I feel bad when I have to hit them once to remove the bubble, I don't want to imagine if I had to actively bully them in order for them to move away. I'm not doing that to Avery; plus, I want his final reaction before he moves.

 

[sunkyung]

One of my villagers pinged me and ran up to me and I was holding my net so when I hit A it accidentally hit them and they didn't want to talk to me anymore. I feel guilty about THAT and it wasn't even a villager I liked haha.

I guess people will do what they want, just seems kinda unnecessary to me and maybe weird they're potentially rewarding the bullying behavior.