When and why do you play AC.

[michealsmells]

So I've found that I go through spurts of playing the game. I may not play it for a month or more at a time and then suddenly play it every single day. If some of you haven't seen me 'round here before, since the day I joined I've been active every day. Constantly posting, constantly chatting. Then a few weeks ago I just kinda stopped. Let it be known that a few weeks ago was the best I've ever been feeling in my life. Depression got karate chopped out the door and anxiety got flung into a volcano. So... it wasn't that which caused it, or was it?
I played AC the most and interacted the most when I was feeling like garbage because the game is an escape. The game is fun. It's relaxing. It helps with anxiety. Maybe... I stopped needing that escape so I stopped and now that I've been feelin' a bit down lately I'm finally back?

I rambled way longer than intended but tbh when do I not.

 

[Khaelis]

I'm kinda the same. I enjoy the game, but I often just have months at a time where I just don't play. I'm trying to remember that, though.

As for when and why I play, I'll often play when I wake up for an hour or two, then again in the evening as well as whenever I get the urge to play it. As for why I play it, it helps relax me so my anxiety doesn't get the best of me, and it has things I can do that enjoy or can't do in real life, such as landscaping as it is a hobby of mine and social interaction is extremely difficult for me in real life.

 

[Pumpkin Rosie]

I made a big break from the game when I had to deal with some thing in my life back then.
Now that I have some free time, I start to play the game now more often. I have often
those moments where I lost interest in a game and just make a break from it, until I
start to play it again after a while.

I mostly play NL in the afternoon or evening for an hour, sometimes for a few hours.
It's the right game for me when I just want to chill a little bit.

 

[Ghostkid]

I paly it for...5 hours a day it seems lol and i just play it because its a solid title.

 

[Mairen]

I play animal crossing for relaxing. It's not the kind of game that requires a lot of intense concentration for (except when hunting those tarantulas and scorpions!). I find it a nice escape to a calm place when life gets too hectic for me. I enjoy playing for an hour or so every day.

 

[John Wick]

I'm getting sick of it.
The inane questions.
Absurd requests.

Never "Hi Jon Snow. How are you?"

Just "How about you head on out and get me a cherry!"

Me: No.

Them: "You don't care that I'm hungry?"

Or

"You're really letting me down!"

Or

"Don't be so heartless".

I got this game to help with my depression, and lately, it's pushing me in to a pit of it.

 

[calamitybot]

I play in the evenings when I get home from school, usually for multiple hours while I also watch tv or something on youtube.

 

[MapleSilver]

I'll have times where I play it for hours every day (like right now) and then I just kind of stop for a while. I'll still play just to check who is moving but I'll stop as soon as the mover pings me.

As of why, I like how it always feels like I'm getting something done. Every day my town gets just a little bit better. It's useful for when real life is feeling especially stagnant.

 

[SpookyMemes]

From September to late November, I played every day. that's how I finished my fossil collection so fast lmao

now I probably only play like once or twice a week, I've experimented with how long I can go without playing until Isabelle tells me "Mayor where were you we missed you!" because in my old town that just made me want to play less.

today is merengue' birthday and I'd never miss a villagers birthday so I'm going to play today but I just don't feel like it.... lol

oh and I play ACNL because it's fun and i like town building games

 

[carissa.caitlin]

i play for way too long everyday, usually about five hours if i have school, which is most days. i enjoy it so much because the villagers are so interesting to learn more about and build friendships with. the game is also how i met a buncha really amazing people and i enjoy their company, so i try to play as often as possible when they?re online.

another reason i love the game so much is because, like harvest moon, they do a great job of distracting me from all the stress outside of the games, and give me something calming and cute to focus on. it really helps me to get rid of loneliness and stress and really anything that?s been bothering me !!

 

[Minto]

I'm the same way. I'll play for weeks, hours on end and then I'll stop playing for a few weeks. It really depends on how I'm feeling. I do usually use it as an anxiety reliever though.

 

[rollerC]

I don’t really play it anymore. I just don’t feel like I have the time, and I feel like there are better ways for me to relax than to play AC:NL mostly because it encourages this habit I have of having an idea to do something and trying really hard to hold on to it while I’m also doing something else at the same time—unhealthy for me. So I just open it to design paths and close it when I’m done.

 

[stitchmaker]

I still play every day but cut back to one hour in my main town. I find the game relaxing and sometimes go over the hour.
During the summer I do open my other towns to complete things. Right now I'm busy with Ultra Sun/Moon.

 

[AndroGhostX]

When? Normally when I wake up I'll get on and do the chores needed in my town. Or if I have a trade to do. But I'm normally not on for long unless I am landscaping in the town.

Why? I do get depressed if I play too much because I feel like I am not doing much in my life at that point, but I enjoy how NL allows me to be creative ^.^ I don't know of any other game where I can really be creative and express things easily like I can do in NL. I don't really use NL to play on wifi like I used WW for. Idk why but I just don't feel like going out to towns and being sociable with others and hanging out and playing or talking in NL. Would rather have people enjoy my creativity in my towns~

 

[jae.]

I work a physically demanding job so it's nice to come home and play while I veg until bedtime. I usually just go to the island and catch fish and bugs. I do most of my landscaping, planning, and such over the weekend. The only thing I don't like about this is I have a long commute, so I have to wait until evening to see what each new day brings in terms of campers, hybrids, move-ins, pings, etc... My villagers are pretty good about pinging me when they want to move instead of leaving it a secret, but as I get more and more dreamies, I'm only going to get more and more paranoid.

As for why I play AC, like I - and a lot of others - said, it's just a very relaxing game. I don't have to think too hard about it, and it doesn't require much energy. Even when I miss sharks/beetles, I'm usually over it pretty quickly, and that's the most frustrating thing to regularly happen tbh.

 

[Loriii]

I only usually play once a week to check my villagers if they're still living there lol. Though it's still nice (and relaxing) to walk around checking the houses and the PWPs that I've built whenever I have time.

 

[LaBelleFleur]

I started playing New Leaf again recently because real life has been a bit overwhelming lately, and Animal Crossing is a nice, relaxing escape. Plus, it’s easy to whip out on the train or during school breaks to talk to my villagers for a minute or two.

 

[mountaintear]

I agree with everyone that it is relaxing and I?ve learned a lot by playing in Spanish. I?m playing a lot right now because I am moving to Cambodia and I know that I will not have as much time to play for 6 months because I?ll be busy exploring
AC, Harvest Moon, and The Sims are my favorite game franchises and basically the only games I?ve ever played in depth.

 

[ILikeFroakies]

I pretty much play whenever I feel like it. Whenever I want to sit down an relax for a bit I'll play. I may end up leaving it for a month or two or play for an hour most days in the week. At the moment I'm coming back from a 1 month break and have really enjoyed getting back into the game

 

[WarpDogsVG]

All the time, and to relax or escape from life for just a bit