For a lot of people, there's been one big benefit of staying at home, and that benefit is Animal Crossing. While the series has been around for quite some time, Animal Crossing: New Horizons for Nintendo Switch has been one of the biggest releases to date. And it came right on time — in the middle of March 2020.
For those unfamiliar with the franchise, it's a lot like if The Sims were a lot cuter and in control of their own island. Your character can meet and interact with popular Animal Crossing animals or just with friends you know in real life who also happen to be playing. For many people, it's a peaceful game. And these days, peace is more important than ever before.
That said, Animal Crossing is a game that literally anyone can enjoy. So many families have been playing it together. And sometimes those interactions may disrupt the peace. For example, one woman, who posted on Reddit under the name of bigfootsharks, didn't know what to do after her 9-year-old daughter messed with her progress. Any fan of the game knows the pain of seeing hard work destroyed.
"My daughter, husband, and I all have houses on an Animal Crossing island that I created," she wrote. "My daughter isn't that good at the game, and she usually just decorates her own house with stuffed animals and random nick-nacks that my husband and I leave."
Unfortunately, her daughter crossed a big boundary: "I woke up this past weekend to find that every tree was cut down on the island, lots of flowers were dug up, outdoor furniture moved around, and randomly dug holes everywhere," she wrote. "I sat down and had a chat with my daughter about respecting other people's efforts and out of anger I took her Switch and said she'd get it back at the end of the week."
"My husband thinks this is unnecessary since it's just a video game, but honestly I feel like it was still disrespectful to [expletive] up my work even though it's not a tangible thing," she continued. "Maybe a week was a bit excessive, but I think there's a lesson my daughter can learn from this about respect."
"I forgot to mention that I did talk with my daughter when we initially bought the game and told her that she can do whatever she wants to her own house and yard but that she needs parental approval to make big changes on the rest of the island," she made sure to clarify. So it seems as if her daughter knew that she was crossing a line. The responses back were, of course, understanding.
"Any 9 year old would understand that chopping down every tree and randomly digging out flowers all over the island is a large change and she should have asked," said Redditor PandaGoingDown. "If she apologizes you might give the switch back. Or, you can focus on doing activities away from the screen."
But she also received a lot of offers from people who were trying to help her fix things. Animal Crossing is more than just a game. For many, it's also a community. "My island is a total mess right now (haven't played regularly for awhile) but I have literally every flower in the game and fruit and I'd also be happy to donate if you want," offered one Redditor.
But it was Redditor BenjaminaPugsington who hit the nail on the head. At her age, the daughter was able to recognize she was doing something wrong. "She's nine, old enough to understand you don't ruin something you are sharing," the commenter wrote. "A week with no switch is an age, and action, appropriate punishment. It even sounds like you had a discussion with her about respecting shared spaces."
It may feel ridiculous to get so upset about a game, but as it's 2020, this is more relevant than ever before. These days, so much of what we do is virtual. Most of us are still working from home, having meetings through Zoom with our coworkers, who may be located all around the world. Putting time into something virtual is the same as putting time into something tangible.
For example, if this mom was creating a big Lego set with her time instead of working on her Animal Crossing island, it's still not OK for her 9-year-old to destroy it — especially if she knew how much it meant to her mom. This is no different. It's a hobby that she put energy into, and the punishment was fitting.
Respect is respect, no matter what. If someone created a gorgeous picture, it's unfair for someone else to take scissors to it and destroy it. With Animal Crossing, many trees and gardens take actual time to grow and prosper. So these issues that her daughter created aren't the easiest to fix.
"There was a post on here a while back about an AH father who completely destroyed his sons Minecraft because the child wouldn't do something or other and I believe it's a similar principle here," said Redditor kezzstar_24. "Yes, it might be 'just a game' but it's still a boundary that was established and then trampled. I'd rather the parent nip it in the bud now than have the child grow into an online menace who destroys games for others."
This is definitely a lesson to learn. Hopefully, her daughter realizes the weight of her actions. It's not just about the game, but it's about crossing boundaries and doing something disrespectful. While electronics are becoming more and more accessible and common, they're still a privilege. And taking something away for a week is fair.
However, the Redditor did get one complaint. And that is, she seemed really dismissive about her daughter playing the game altogether. "It sounds similar to my parents, very dismissive unless you're playing the game 'properly'. It's an assumption but I'm guessing the 9 year old is not allowed to do much in the game itself, in case she messes something up," wrote Pizza_Is_Everything. And they have a point. Animal Crossing isn't a game built around skill.
It's possible the move was more out of revenge. If her daughter knew that her mom didn't think she was "that good" at the game, maybe destroying her island was a way to communicate her frustration. Parents, just remember — games exist to have fun. So if you aren't making it fun for your kids, maybe you should step back and analyze your relationship with the game.
These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
