1: Zhu, L. (2020, September 9). The psychology behind video games during COVID-19 pandemic: A case study of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Wiley Online Library. Retrieved February 5, 2023, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/hbe2.221

Background: With the risk of engaging in escapism, Animal Crossing: New Horizons offers players a dreamworld where they may momentarily escape the harsh realities. In contrast, the New Horizons environment develops into the ideal social platform for maintaining social engagement with people in order to combat loneliness. The article distinguishes whether the game is a “dreamland” or just a temporary form of escapism.

How I Used It: I used this article to explain that there are more ways for social interaction than just communicating with players online. There are in-game villagers waiting to become friends with the player. Zhu also explains how playing online with other players has its benefits. Zhu explained how many meaningful events that were canceled because of the pandemic were celebrated in the world of Animal Crossing. It brought people a sense of normalcy when we lived in an era when everything wasn’t.

2: Guenther, K. (2020, October 31). Can Animal Crossing make you happier? Conversations in Science at Indiana University. Retrieved February 5, 2023, from https://blogs.iu.edu/sciu/2020/10/31/can-acnh-make-you-happier/

Background: Research suggests that playing video games contributes to positive emotions. Some of these benefits may be attributed to the stress-relieving abilities that video games have. In order for players to be able to shift their focus away from stress they are experiencing in their everyday, offline life, they need to immerse themselves in a fictional world.

How I Used It: The article displays the social benefits of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Many people can join their friends on their islands to play games, celebrate meaningful events, trade items, or to just have fun with their friends, new or old.

3: Fishman, A. (2023). Video Games Are Social Spaces: How Video Games Help People Connect. JCFS. Retrieved March 26, 2023, from https://www.jcfs.org/response/blog/video-games-are-social-spaces-how-video-games-help-people-connect

Background: There is evidence to suggest that video games can be a safe place to experiment with social interactions for vulnerable people. These include people with autism spectrum disorders, insecure attachment styles, depressive symptoms, and social anxiety. Video games and other online spaces are “safe’ for these individuals because they allow people to communicate when they want to.

How I Used It: I discussed more in detail (while citing Fishman) with discussing individuals communicating with friends through video games towards the game Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is, in fact, a safe space for players. Not only can it provide a relaxing experience playing the game, but it is also safe in general with easy ways to opt out from communicating with people online.

4: Cummings, J., Butler, B., & Kraut, R. (2002, July 1). The quality of online social relationships. ACM Digital Library. Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://dl-acm-org.ezproxy.rowan.edu/doi/10.1145/514236.514242

Background: Offline social relationships are more valuable. However, online relationships can be less valuable. As a matter of fact, their net benefit is consistent with whether they help or replace offline social relationships. The article has surveys have stated that online social interaction is the most important use of the Internet.

How I Used It: During the pandemic, I can assume that these survey results probably changed with more people becoming more dependent on online social interaction. I used this article to bring attention to the how social interaction

5: Animal Crossing-A New Social Media? Cornell Univeristy Blogs. (2020, September 29). Retrieved April 11, 2023, from https://blogs.cornell.edu/info2040/2020/09/29/animal-crossing-a-new-social-media/

Background: The article discusses the online features in Animal Crossing: New Horizons and how they are used within the game. Many events, that were cancelled because of the pandemic. The article goes into explaining how the online mechanics are used and how to visit other players’ islands (through DoDo codes, as an example).

How I Used It: I used the article to address that Animal Crossing: New Horizons is simply another form of social media. You can add or remove friends, you can send messages whenever you’d like to friends, and the added feature (that most social media platforms do not have) to play games together. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is technically another form of social media, but many won’t consider that because it isn’t like Instagram or Snapchat

6: Basu, T. (2020, April 16). Why games like Animal Crossing are the new social media of the coronavirus era. MIT Technology Review. Retrieved April 11, 2023, from https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/04/16/999944/coronavirus-animal-crossing-video-games-social-media/

Background: The article discusses what Animal Crossing is as a whole and how people have turned to it when the pandemic struck because it was what everyone was doing as a form to cope with the harsh realities of what we were experiencing in the world.

How I Used It: While the article did not make my final research paper, I used the article to express the point that people have connected socially through this game. Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ joy is going to other players’ islands (wherever they may be in real life) and having fun together. Since the pandemic disabled us from seeing people on a daily basis, New Horizons filled this void.

7: Lewis, J. E., Trojovsky, M., & Jameson, M. M. (2021, March 30). New Social Horizons: Anxiety, Isolation, and Animal Crossing During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Frontiers. Retrieved February 5, 2023, from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frvir.2021.627350/full

Background: Because humans are fundamentally social, extended intervals without social connection may be harmful to both mental and physical health. Many studies investigating how technology affects social isolation in older persons have indicated that using technology during times of social isolation reduces feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and depression. The nature of a potential association between gaming and emotions of loneliness and anxiety was examined using a survey model. The measurements used were a blend of survey questions that have undergone empirical validation and ones that were designed specifically for this study.

How I Used It: This article was not used into my final research paper. However, this article not only discusses the games ways of reducing the feeling of having a lack of social interaction, but also anxiety and depression, which can be possible outcomes of certain people who experienced a lack of social interaction. I want to use the outcomes of this study to compare the different people’s responses to the game and how it affected their mental state during the pandemic.

8: Comerford, C. (2020). COCONUTS, CUSTOM-PLAY, & COVID-19: SOCIAL ISOLATION, SERIOUS LEISURE,AND PERSONAS IN ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW HORIZONS. Persona Studies, 06(02). https://doi.org/https://search.informit.org/doi/epdf/10.3316/informit.963753190548669

Background: This paper discusses Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ (ACNH) release during the COVID-19 pandemic. It draws upon responses from nearly 2000 players to frame how the game acts as a platform for routine substitution and social connectivity in a disconnected physical world. A combination of the game’s elements, including its comforting aesthetic, participatory community, financial mechanics, and goal-setting, promotes the player’s construction of their sense of self.

How I Used It: While this source did not make it into my final paper, I want to dive deeper into each feature of the game and see what features helped users with their mental state. I feel there are far more features than just the social aspect of this game that can create a calming atmosphere for players to delve into.

9: Yee, A. Z. H., & Sng, J. R. H. (2022, April 1). Animal Crossing and COVID-19: A Qualitative Study Examining How Video Games Satisfy Basic Psychological Needs During the Pandemic. Frontiers. Retrieved February 5, 2023, from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.800683/full

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the way many people live their lives. The increasing amount of time spent indoors and isolated has been accompanied by an increase in the time people spend playing video games. One such game which soared in popularity during the early stages of the pandemic was Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Findings suggest that playing the game helped satisfy various psychological needs.

How I Used It: I want myself and my readers to understand each intricate aspect of the game and how it may satisfy feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and depression. Animal Crossing: New Horizons main mechanic is its social features. Whether the player chooses to interact with the villagers that reside on their island or they can find players online (via Nookazon) or the online feature that allows players to visit other islands. The game play of Animal Crossing: New Horizons is set up very simply in making new friends online.

10: Zhang, R. (2020, April 13). Socially Connected with “Animal Crossing” During Social Distancing. The Bottom Line. Retrieved February 20, 2023, from https://thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu/2020/04/socially-connected-with-animal-crossing-during-social-distancing

Background: This article discusses the main features of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The game features synchronous time so players can play with each other 24 hours a day, villagers who gift the player items from the game, and designing their own clothes (to name a few).

How I Used It: While this article did not make my final research paper, this article explaining how the time is synced with our real world makes the game more convenient for players. With this feature, players can make an arrangement to play Animal Crossing together online. This is also convenient for players who utilize Nookazon to make transactions with others and to have those newfound faces from the Internet join their islands online.