Needs a Title
Everyone was frantically searching for something, anything, that will help pass the “two weeks” we spent at home, isolating ourselves from others. Many of us felt the need for activities to fill the days. Some have turned to hobbies they’ve always meant to try, or they have decided to tackle that project they’ve been putting off for months, or they have even started online classes to learn a new skill or language. Others have been savagely searching the internet to purchase a Nintendo Switch so they can play the new Animal Crossing game that has been all over the place for the past few months to pass the time along.
Regardless of what people did, it’s clear that everyone was looking for ways to stay busy and entertained during the time of isolation we faced. With so many people stuck at home, it’s no wonder that the Nintendo Switch has become such a hot commodity. It offers a way to escape reality and immerse oneself in a completely different world, even if only for a little while. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is no exception to this.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a video game that was developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch console. It is the fifth main series title in the Animal Crossing series and was released worldwide in March of 2020. The game takes place on a deserted island and allows players to build and decorate their own homes, fish, catch bugs, and interact with various animal characters. The game has received critical acclaim for its relaxing gameplay and charming graphics, making it a popular choice for gamers of all ages.
What makes this game so fascinating? What is it about living on an abandoned island with unique, anthropomorphic animals that is so intriguing due to its open-ended nature?
One of the main appeals of Animal Crossing: New Horizons is its ability to offer some sense of normalcy during a time that is anything but normal. The game allows players to create their own virtual, fantasy world and escape from the stress and anxiety of what we experienced the pandemic at its beginning.
In addition, the open-ended nature of the game allows for a unique and personalized experience for each player. From designing and decorating their own homes to creating their own fashion and interacting with a variety of characters, players have the freedom to create their own story within the game. Overall, Animal Crossing: New Horizons offers a much-needed escape from reality and a chance to be creative and express oneself in a safe and enjoyable way. It’s no wonder that the game has become such a sensation during these challenging times.
Let’s take a closer look at Animal Crossing and what makes it so captivating. The game begins with the player arriving on a deserted island with few villagers, each with their own personality. To start, you must improve the island’s appearance to gain a good approval rating. Once achieved, the rest of the game is up to you. You can create a metropolis-style town, a quaint cottage village, or fill the island with unique, zany objects and only have rabbit villagers without upgrading facilities. The possibilities are endless.
Beyond the creative aspect, Animal Crossing: New Horizons also offers a sense of community. The game allows players to visit other players’ islands, trade items, and interact with each other’s villagers. This social aspect has been particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic, as players are able to connect with others and form friendships in a safe and virtual environment. The one thing we craved the most during the lockdown was social interaction, and this video game – a video game! – gave us the chance to have the feeling of being with friends all over the world. Birthdays, graduations, proms, and even weddings were celebrated within the world of Animal Crossing.
Within many players, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has given them a sense of autonomy. In Andrew Z.H. Yee and Jeremy R.H. Sng’s article, Animal Crossing and COVID-19: A Qualitative Study Examining How Video Games Satisfy Basic Psychological Needs During the Pandemic, they claim, “Participants recounted that ACNH offered a feeling of escape and distraction from the restrictions and stresses of the pandemic and day-to-day life, provided a platform with the freedom to artistically express oneself, and enabled them to set and fulfill their own goals.” During the pandemic, many people have experienced significant changes in their daily routines and lifestyles. With the sudden shift to remote work and social distancing, many individuals found themselves struggling to adapt to the new normal. Especially so suddenly!
In the midst of this interesting time, the game provided players with a much-needed sense of escape from the stresses of the world we were all experiencing. Whether it was through exploring a virtual world or engaging in a lively multiplayer battle by making a make-shift wrestling ring and shoving the other players out of the “ring.” The game allowed players to forget their worries and immerse themselves in a new and exciting environment. In short, the game offered a valuable source of entertainment and connection during a challenging period in human history.
No one can claim to have been happy during the lockdown, when we were unable to be with our loved ones. Who could be? Personally, I was deeply upset by the situation. The release of this game, so conveniently released, too, brought a sense of excitement within fans of the franchise. It brought curiosity to those needing something to do. Kelsey Guenther’s article, Can Animal Crossing make you happier?, She discusses how Animal Crossing can give people a sense of accomplishment. A video game can, in fact, do this! I am telling you that by donating fifteen different specimens to a developing museum is an accomplishment. No matter how ridiculous it sounds.
Guenther claims, “Even though these accomplishments are happening in a virtual world, this goal-attainment can still positively impact mental health. Specifically, by producing positive feelings, these games improve life-satisfaction and enhance players’ general well-being. In addition, accomplishments in video games occur regularly, are often very achievable and have immediate rewards, whereas accomplishment in real-life can often be infrequent, difficult to achieve, and might go unnoticed.”
There may be numerous occasions where you put so much effort into something and anticipate receiving so much appreciation for it. You don’t feel too hot, though, when you don’t receive it. Villagers, Special Characters, and even the game itself congratulates you on these achievements inside the game’s rules. The “Nook Miles” you earn by completing tasks are an in-game currency. You spoke to the seagull that washed up on your beach and helped him find his Communicator? You get rewarded with Nook Miles. You planted all five types of fruit trees on your island? You get rewarded with more Nook Miles. You spoke to all the villagers on your island, cleaned up the weeds and planted flowers, and crafted and placed furniture outside to make your island look somewhat appealing? You can receive more Nook Miles. You may buy a variety of in-game things with these Nook Miles as compensation for the service of playing the game. Just by turning on your Nintendo Switch and enjoying another day of Animal Crossing, you are continually showered with rewards. As you play more, you’ll begin to take pride in how far you’ve come in the game.
References
Guenther, K. (2020, October 31). Can Animal Crossing make you happier? ScIU. https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/2020/10/31/can-acnh-make-you-happier/
Yee, A. (2022, April 1). Animal Crossing and COVID-19: A Qualitative Study Examining How Video Games Satisfy Basic Psychological Needs During the Pandemic (J. Sng, Ed.) [Review of Animal Crossing and COVID-19: A Qualitative Study Examining How Video Games Satisfy Basic Psychological Needs During the Pandemic]. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.800683/full
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Counterintuitive Spring 2023 
I would like feedback if I was able to successfully propose the argument in question. I do need to make an addition to my current hypothesis, as I found myself writing more than just social interactions. I am unsure if my definition argument is more of a introduction to a topic, or if it is a definition (to a degree).
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Those are good questions, G00dSoup. If it turns out your essay is a good ANYTHING, I’m always pleased. If it’s ALSO a good Definition Essay, that’s a bonus. In the course of a semester, and over 3000 words, what we’re mostly striving for is good Persuasive Argument, in whichever 1000-word segment it may occur.
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P1. Everyone was frantically searching for something, anything, that will help pass the “two weeks” we spent at home, isolating ourselves from others. Many of us felt the need for activities to fill the days. Some have turned to hobbies they’ve always meant to try, or they have decided to tackle that project they’ve been putting off for months, or they have even started online classes to learn a new skill or language. Others have been savagely searching the internet to purchase a Nintendo Switch so they can play the new Animal Crossing game that has been all over the place for the past few months to pass the time along.
—Grammar, verb tense, and pronoun problems will wait for your next draft. Be sure to re-submit following revisions for a “copy edit.”
—Your “two weeks” in quotation marks seems to indicate that we were misled about how long we’d be isolating from COVID. It doesn’t work here, because we have no context for understanding your joke. There’s no mention at all in your first paragraph of the pandemic.
—Overall, I appreciate the Introductory gambit. It portrays a big population desperate to find diversion (better yet, social interaction) during a troubled time of separation and anxiety. You could mention any of those terms to good effect.
P2. Regardless of what people did, it’s clear that everyone was looking for ways to stay busy and entertained during the time of isolation we faced. With so many people stuck at home, it’s no wonder that the Nintendo Switch has become such a hot commodity. It offers a way to escape reality and immerse oneself in a completely different world, even if only for a little while. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is no exception to this.
—Your first sentence is entirely repetitive of the claim made in P1.
—Again, you’re missing the stronger argument that Animal Crossing offers more than mere “staying busy and entertained.” You mention “isolation” but without crediting AC for ameliorating that separation anxiety.
P3. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a video game that was developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch console. It is the fifth main series title in the Animal Crossing series and was released worldwide in March of 2020. The game takes place on a deserted island and allows players to build and decorate their own homes, fish, catch bugs, and interact with various animal characters. The game has received critical acclaim for its relaxing gameplay and charming graphics, making it a popular choice for gamers of all ages.
—Boring and needless. What’s the value of the game’s history to your argument?
—Is it that at a time when the world seemed dangerous and unpredictable, the game offered peace and reason?
P4. What makes this game so fascinating? What is it about living on an abandoned island with unique, anthropomorphic animals that is so intriguing due to its open-ended nature?
—NEVER Rhetorical Questions. Instead of asking, you should have answered this question in P3.
P5. One of the main appeals of Animal Crossing: New Horizons is its ability to offer some sense of normalcy during a time that is anything but normal. The game allows players to create their own virtual, fantasy world and escape from the stress and anxiety of what we experienced the pandemic at its beginning.
—There you go.
—Emphasize its predictability, its calming effect, but if you wait to emphasize its socialization aspect, you’ll be needlessly delaying your strongest argument for the game’s popularity during a time of social isolation.
P6. In addition, the open-ended nature of the game allows for a unique and personalized experience for each player. From designing and decorating their own homes to creating their own fashion and interacting with a variety of characters, players have the freedom to create their own story within the game. Overall, Animal Crossing: New Horizons offers a much-needed escape from reality and a chance to be creative and express oneself in a safe and enjoyable way. It’s no wonder that the game has become such a sensation during these challenging times.
—You need a name for whatever it is you’re Defining here, G00dSoup.
—Yes, it’s an alternate reality. But is alternate necessarily better?
—Yes, it offers freedom. What makes freedom so important during a time of isolation, enforced mandates, employment insecurity?
—It is too much to consider this “other” universe a Panacea (a universal cure for all illness and ailment)?
—That’s the opposite of a Pandemic (global infectious disease), right?
—Remedies aren’t usually contagious, but what if harmony and cooperation were contagious? What would we call that? And would Animal Crossing qualify? Take an imaginative risk to drive home the point.
P7. Let’s take a closer look at Animal Crossing and what makes it so captivating. The game begins with the player arriving on a deserted island with few villagers, each with their own personality. To start, you must improve the island’s appearance to gain a good approval rating. Once achieved, the rest of the game is up to you. You can create a metropolis-style town, a quaint cottage village, or fill the island with unique, zany objects and only have rabbit villagers without upgrading facilities. The possibilities are endless.
—Who cares, except in how this endless creative vista differs from the cramped, fearful lives of those trapped at home afraid of deadly contagion from chance encounters with strangers PLUS the inability to even be in the same room with loved ones?
P8. Beyond the creative aspect, Animal Crossing: New Horizons also offers a sense of community. The game allows players to visit other players’ islands, trade items, and interact with each other’s villagers. This social aspect has been particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic, as players are able to connect with others and form friendships in a safe and virtual environment. The one thing we craved the most during the lockdown was social interaction, and this video game – a video game! – gave us the chance to have the feeling of being with friends all over the world. Birthdays, graduations, proms, and even weddings were celebrated within the world of Animal Crossing.
—This would be a terrific first draft of your INTRODUCTION.
—I can’t stress enough how important it is to grab your readers by the lapels in the first few sentences and get them onboard with your thesis.
P9. Within many players, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has given them a sense of autonomy. In Andrew Z.H. Yee and Jeremy R.H. Sng’s article, [“]Animal Crossing and COVID-19: A Qualitative Study Examining How Video Games Satisfy Basic Psychological Needs During the Pandemic,[“] they claim, “Participants recounted that ACNH offered a feeling of escape and distraction from the restrictions and stresses of the pandemic and day-to-day life, provided a platform with the freedom to artistically express oneself, and enabled them to set and fulfill their own goals.” During the pandemic, many people have experienced significant changes in their daily routines and lifestyles. With the sudden shift to remote work and social distancing, many individuals found themselves struggling to adapt to the new normal. Especially so suddenly!
—Yep. And this is good material for P2!
—Writers gain NO ADVANTAGE delaying the primary thrust of the argument, G00dSoup. Instead, they lose readers along the way.
—If you worry that you’re SPENDING your best stuff too early . . . well, that’s a new challenge. You might need more good stuff. 🙂
P10: In the midst of this interesting time, the game provided players with a much-needed sense of escape from the stresses of the world we were all experiencing. Whether it was through exploring a virtual world or engaging in a lively multiplayer battle by making a make-shift wrestling ring and shoving the other players out of the “ring.” The game allowed players to forget their worries and immerse themselves in a new and exciting environment. In short, the game offered a valuable source of entertainment and connection during a challenging period in human history.
—I’m going to focus this again.
—Escape from stress, yes, granted, but . . .
—SUCH a liberating feeling to even be IN a ring grappling with another human when we were all instructed to maintain a SAFE SOCIAL DISTANCE.
—Readers with short memories will have forgotten how we walked through streets inside an invisible “safe zone” of 6 FEET around us in every direction. MAKE THEM FEEL IT!
P11. No one can claim to have been happy during the lockdown, when we were unable to be with our loved ones. Who could be? Personally, I was deeply upset by the situation. The release of this game, so conveniently released, too, brought a sense of excitement within fans of the franchise. It brought curiosity to those needing something to do. [In] Kelsey Guenther’s article, “Can Animal Crossing make you happier?,” [s]he discusses how Animal Crossing can give people a sense of accomplishment. A video game can, in fact, do this! I am telling you that [delete by] donating fifteen different specimens to a developing museum is an accomplishment. No matter how ridiculous it sounds.
—The personal touch here is very effective, G00dSoup.
—Better if it came earlier. I won’t get off that point. This is P3 or P4.
—”something to do” is so weak here. Autonomy. Accomplishment. Achievement. Advancement. Those had been put on hold by the pandemic. WAY more essential than “staying busy.”
P12. Guenther claims,
—Quotes of this length need to be “block-quoted.”
P13. There may be numerous occasions where you put so much effort into something and anticipate receiving so much appreciation for it. You don’t feel too hot, though, when you don’t receive it. Villagers, Special Characters, and even the game itself congratulates you on these achievements inside the game’s rules.
—Huh?
—First, get rid of “you” and all associated second-person pronouns.
—Then, clarify what you mean and why you would want to introduce qualifiers so close to the finish line.
—Disappointment at not receiving anticipated recognition? That DOES NOT COMPLY with your theme. And you don’t owe anyone a “fair and balanced” approach here.
The “Nook Miles” you earn by completing tasks are an in-game currency. You spoke to the seagull that washed up on your beach and helped him find his Communicator? You get rewarded with Nook Miles. You planted all five types of fruit trees on your island? You get rewarded with more Nook Miles. You spoke to all the villagers on your island, cleaned up the weeds and planted flowers, and crafted and placed furniture outside to make your island look somewhat appealing? You can receive more Nook Miles. You may buy a variety of in-game things with these Nook Miles as compensation for the service of playing the game.
—Got it.
—Would have gotten it in half the words.
Just by turning on your Nintendo Switch and enjoying another day of Animal Crossing, you are continually showered with rewards. As you play more, you’ll begin to take pride in how far you’ve come in the game.
—Weak ending.
—You need to “call back” to the benefits of the game VERSUS the deprivations of the COVID era.
—Our first thought on waking might have been, “Oh, crap, I’m still in quarantine,” but with a click of the Nintendo Switch, we were embraced by the colorful and charming world of Animal Crossing where, for merely doing small deeds, we were showered with rewards.
—Right?
I hope this was helpful, G00dSoup. I’m encouraged by what I see. You’ll have to ditch some “warmup” material to get the best out of 1000 words, but your thesis is strong.
Please reply, always, to feedback. It’s the primary value of the course, and I love the conversations, but I tire of them when they become one-sided. Thanks!
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This was very helpful. I will use this advice to rewrite this. Thank you.
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