So Simple But Addicting???
- Thread starter shendere
- Start date
I'm on it way too much, probably, but honestly it's been so therapeutic for me lately. Because it's so simple and basic and mundane, it just sort of keeps me calm and keeps a lot of my anxiety at bay. It gives me a creative outlet, too, since I can work on my town and make it just how I want it!
mayorofparadise
Senior Member
Sane here! There's so much to do from visiting the island, dream suite, watering flowers to hitting villagers with the toy hammer :') I love the different music at each hour!
RebeccaShay
Hyrule's Princess
I find myself more addicted to being in the acnl fandom rather than being addicted to the game itself now.
Ever since I discovered this forum I have been more and more hopelessly addicted to Animal Crossing. I had the original GameCube version way back when, but I became so addicted to it that my mom wouldn't let me have CF or WW, lmao. Now that I'm an adult, I can do what I want 
hehehe
hehehe
KaydeeKrunk
The Late Great Turt
To me that's the whole reason to play, it's peaceful, the most stressful thing is Resetti and the island tours! But I love that I can just go on and do my little "chores" around my town and relax while I play. It's the whole reason I spend so much time on it.
PlasmaPower
I'm watching you nerds
That sounds like any mobile F2P game ever.
This game is my only escape from my problems. I'm waiting for surgery and I wonder what will happen to my town instead of worrying about my health lol.
Why it's so addictive? Maybe because you have control over things you don't in real life. They should add more small jobs like the barista one in NL. I enjoy that a lot.
Why it's so addictive? Maybe because you have control over things you don't in real life. They should add more small jobs like the barista one in NL. I enjoy that a lot.
I'm a game design student and I find this game very addictive as well.
The reasons I can see are:
- The player is given a lot of space to relax. Pressure is hardly put on the player, only when they want to (minigame). Even the loans, which would feel like such a problem irl, are not an issue within the game.
- It is a great creative outlet! Players can design patterns, their interior, their village appearance using the PWPs.
- The game is very lighthearted and cute themed. Aside from that, the graphics are pleasant and colorful. It is simply perfect for all ages.
- The ownership over the village makes the player want to come back over and over again. The amount of agency really makes it addictive.
- The community is huge. This makes the player really feel as a part of something bigger, giving meaning to the efforts he/she puts into the game.
- It does not require longer playsessions. Players can simply come back to it when they want to for a short amount of time to relax. After that they can quickly get back to their lives without consequences in the game (mostly).
That brings me to some things that I do not get design wise...
- Why does the player have so little control over the villagers (Which one, where they live)? I can understand that they want the villagers to feel as if they are their own thing, but it really breaks the player agency and feels like a bit of a cheat to the player. It creates unnecessary negative situations, however it also creates some stories to share.
- People that do like to play for longer sessions are sometimes left out... sometimes I wish, you could simply pay some bells to make things go a bit quicker... like buildings and expansions etc. Sure, I relax by looking around and talking to the villagers, but it feels like I accomplished so little at the end of the day... the forums do help with motivation though
I'm sure there is more to say about the game design-wise, but that's it for me! Cheers!
The reasons I can see are:
- The player is given a lot of space to relax. Pressure is hardly put on the player, only when they want to (minigame). Even the loans, which would feel like such a problem irl, are not an issue within the game.
- It is a great creative outlet! Players can design patterns, their interior, their village appearance using the PWPs.
- The game is very lighthearted and cute themed. Aside from that, the graphics are pleasant and colorful. It is simply perfect for all ages.
- The ownership over the village makes the player want to come back over and over again. The amount of agency really makes it addictive.
- The community is huge. This makes the player really feel as a part of something bigger, giving meaning to the efforts he/she puts into the game.
- It does not require longer playsessions. Players can simply come back to it when they want to for a short amount of time to relax. After that they can quickly get back to their lives without consequences in the game (mostly).
That brings me to some things that I do not get design wise...
- Why does the player have so little control over the villagers (Which one, where they live)? I can understand that they want the villagers to feel as if they are their own thing, but it really breaks the player agency and feels like a bit of a cheat to the player. It creates unnecessary negative situations, however it also creates some stories to share.
- People that do like to play for longer sessions are sometimes left out... sometimes I wish, you could simply pay some bells to make things go a bit quicker... like buildings and expansions etc. Sure, I relax by looking around and talking to the villagers, but it feels like I accomplished so little at the end of the day... the forums do help with motivation though
I'm sure there is more to say about the game design-wise, but that's it for me! Cheers!
What Nintendo should have done to solve this moving mechanic once and for all would be for the mayor to be prompted by Isabelle to decide where the move spots would be located, since the previous games in the series all had move spots pre-determined. I'm surprised they didn't allow the mayors to do that knowing how much people make patterns specifically for their towns. At least you can get villagers back now without having to cycle through all 300+! The music also adds to the peacefulness of the game. Some of the most memorable soundtracks come from Animal Crossing. KK has a following even! The open world, combined with the real time clock are often times pointed to why this game is so addicting. Your little world is literally running 24/7/365 whether you're there or not- original idea for the first. The near total control of the game is the perfect escape to a virtual world. You can choose your own life, how you set it up, what you do or don't do, and have consequences both positive and negative (though they toned down the negative quite a bit). You combine all these real world aspects, along with real world holidays (Christmas, Easter, etc), you're going to get many people to play and play and play this game to design their own house, their own clothes, their own town, they even can create their own set of villagers by determining who they want, and buy/trade for them even! You talk about total control for a sandbox game! You have rules that are just like in the real world too- shops open/close at certain times, you can only redo your hair, or have your fortune read once a day. It's total freedom in that game though, do at your own pace, and in your own little world. You sprinkle on the fact that you can play with 3 others online (or local if you're in the same room), and this game is probably going to literally be the most addictive game ever made. So far, it stands as my only game to pass the 1,000 hour played mark on the 3DS, and 2DS, and won't be long before it passes 1,000 on the LL as my Japanese town has been getting more and more playtime. TOTALLY worth spending 3,000+ hours of my life playing though!!
eeveelovee
🔮 Pokémon Master 🔮
It is a very soothing, therapeutic game and different from most of the games i play, which include platforms and rpgs. Animal crossing is such a unique game than all the other ones i play because with each waking day, there is something different to do! New items in the stores, new grown flowers, weekly events and other little things that change from day to day. I get excited to wake up each day to see what new leaf has in store for me 
patriceflanders
Senior Member
for me the game is mostly about the villagers... "love" them all (how stupid is that ?!)
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