What do you do to keep playing?

[Corrie]

What keeps you motivated to keep playing, if you still do?

For me, my island is still not finished so I focus on designing small areas here and there. I recently built a small fair on my beach with balloons and rides!
I also have been using the furniture in my storage to try and clean it out a bit. It feels good to clear out space.

 

[JKDOS]

I recently added another player to my island and am just working on paying off their loans and decorating their house.

 

[WaileaNoRei]

I do periodically change up parts of my island. Some stuff is so set at this point it would feel almost unnatural to change it, but the rest I redesign when the urge strikes. I also try and switch my villagers up - at least some of them. island hopping for new villagers is one of my favorite parts of the game and having new villagers gives me something to look forward to. I’ve gotten too attached to some of the villagers I have now, so it is a little difficult- but I think it is worth it to give me that feeling of newness. Just resisting the feeling generally of my island being ‘done’ vs ‘incomplete’ makes a big difference.

I don’t see it as a project that has to follow one particular thematic ‘rule’ or reach an arbitrary ‘finish line’. And so I can keep playing (or not - with no guilty feelings) forever.

Also…started playing my second switch island again. It’s a lot of work designing from the ground up though - so very very slow going. But I found a new villager I love and that was really nice (Charlise)

 

[Elodie]

I still need to complete all my collections! I have most of the fish, bugs, and deep sea creatures plus all of the fossils.

 

[Xara]

i don’t play consistently or as often as i used to, but i still play every once in a while. sometimes i’ll go through stages where i’m obsessed with the game again, and all i want to do is play.

wanting to complete my catalog and all nook mile achievements, obtain every diy, and meet as many new villagers as possible and earn their photo/poster keeps me playing. i also haven’t finished the hhp dlc or decorating my island yet, so those are other reasons for me to keep playing as well, though i haven’t focused on either in a while. been too busy trying to catch up in-game, since i’m still in august due to how many breaks i’ve taken haha.

it’s not very exciting, and it can be discouraging on days where i don’t obtain anything new or earn any photos, but i’m a completionist and these things are guaranteed to keep me playing until i’m done. i’ve still got some ways to go, so i imagine i’ll keep playing for a while, even if it’s not always consistently. :’)

 

[Imbri]

I continue to change decorations around on my island and in my house. I'm also still working on completing the catalog and museum (looking at you, Redd). Just making little tweaks is enough to keep me interested in what my island is doing.

 

[azurill]

I set goals for myself. Trying to complete all the nook mile achievements. Decorating for different seasons. Changing up my villagers to see different ones. I’m about to restart my second island so that will keep me busy .

 

[tbro13]

Seasonal decorations, events (looking forward to Turkey Day!), and finishing up my art collection for the museum currently.

 

[Sara?]

Seasonal decorations, events (looking forward to Turkey Day!), and finishing up my art collection for the museum currently.

Absolutely same here

 

[Romaki]

I start new islands. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. But I'm a player who needs tangible goals. Unlock everything, get all of the achievements and decorate every inch of the island. I never 100% completed an island of mine, but I usually get bored once I finish the entire museum.

I find the DLC is also a good motivator to boot the game up. I wish the game gave you more of an incentive to experience seasonal and special events again. Like add more items to the game. I don't know the innerworkings of their AC teams, but I feel like the Pocket Camp items could be reasonably be converted and release for New Horizons in monthly batches or so. Connect it to Pocket Camp to give people a reason to play that game as well, it's an app so it keeps on getting profit from the same userbase. The game just feels so dead, I think new items would help a lot.

 

[Pyoopi]

I'm not playing as nearly as much before. However, when I do return to it, I was redesigning my current permanent villager homes and designing them vacation homes in HHP. The primary focus is for my island journal which helps motivate me as I can add my own creative twists in there.
I also have one area on my island left to build up but for now been using it to test out custom designs or TBT events. I'm also still looking for my forever villagers.

 

[Gem of Paradise]

I have yet to get a five star rating ️️️️ And I’m really trying to get villagers photos so I can cycle in some new villagers. Still need to finish my museum and collect all K.K. Songs. Also working on getting diy’s and recipes. And trying to also get every single villager a vacation home on happy home paradise planing island. So all of those things keep me busy and going on NH.

 

[zissou]

I don’t really care about any of the in-game metrics for success, like Nook Miles achievements, museum collections, star ratings, etc.

What keeps me playing are bursts of inspiration to decorate + terraform my village, especially as the seasons change. It’s a weird compulsion and I have no idea how I’ll feel when I finish, as I’ve never had a “finished” village in any AC game. However, I have a lot of ideas right now and the trial and error to see what fits with my vision is really fun!

 

[Croconaw]

I just forced myself to keep playing for the longest time. The villagers always kept me coming back. I’d hate to have them wonder where I’m at. It’s sad to know they think you’re ignoring them.

 

[neptoons]

I still come back when I feel like decorating a certain part of my island. usually I give up after like half an hour....lmao
i wish nintendo would update the game more frequently. would bring me back more often!

 

[xxcodexx]

i work on my island Very Slowly. it keeps me interested because one item might look better than the previous one SO i change everything up once ive found The Item that i Really like. theres LOTS of empty spots on my island just waiting for the right piece of art or gullivarrr items, or ones from the special events or residential seasonals. i also have one specific spot on my island for a random villager so when a villager does move into it, i work their friendship, get their photo and then wait for them to move out for the next one to come

 

[maria110]

I time travel a lot. I've also reset islands many many times, although right now, I'm very invested in the maps I have so I might not do that again for awhile. I would like to complete the museum on my main island but there are about 20 bugs, fish, and sea creatures eluding me and if I see one more acorn barnacle or bass, I'll cry.

 

[LuchaSloth]

I didn't play for a long time. Right now, the festive season is what has drawn me back in. - I'm making big changes to my village and trying to get things properly set up for Christmas. Might do some time traveling later to get more of the recipes I need. Every year I wait until December 15th for the festive season, and then the whole thing goes by without me acquiring so much as a festive tree. Really aiming to change that this year.

 

[Torts McGorts]

Aiming for getting as many villager and NPC photos that I can. Also, playing HHP, completing item collections, and changing up my island (even tho I hate terraforming ).

I restarted once about a year and a half ago. No plans to do that again any time soon, but it’s not ruled out.

 

[mouthrat]

I start new islands. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. But I'm a player who needs tangible goals. Unlock everything, get all of the achievements and decorate every inch of the island. I never 100% completed an island of mine, but I usually get bored once I finish the entire museum.

I find the DLC is also a good motivator to boot the game up. I wish the game gave you more of an incentive to experience seasonal and special events again. Like add more items to the game. I don't know the innerworkings of their AC teams, but I feel like the Pocket Camp items could be reasonably be converted and release for New Horizons in monthly batches or so. Connect it to Pocket Camp to give people a reason to play that game as well, it's an app so it keeps on getting profit from the same userbase. The game just feels so dead, I think new items would help a lot.

to be fair, the game has been done with major updates for a long time now, so we can't expect new stuff as frequently as we used to. however, i definitely see your point, and considering how we won't get another game (if another is even coming) for a few years at least, we should have some new stuff here and there to tie us over.