The ability for players to decorate a setting within a video game has a well-trodden history, and it’s something that, over time, has been able to become more potent. Games such asAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsgive the player a world that reacts to their individualistic imaginations; a world that, in turn, their players feel an emotional responsibility towards.Animal Crossingand its industry colleagues have reworked and revised the decorating mechanic to turn it into a surprising, surefire story method.
Of course, not every game is going to allow someone to decorate an island likeAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsor even a house, nor does every game need this feature. But where it’s done well, it’s done well, and it proves just how important such a feature is in everything from acozy gameto a hardcore action-adventure title (and beyond).
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Games Like Animal Crossing Help Players Write Their Own Stories
Armed with character backgrounds for the various villagers and the ability to decorate andterraform the island to their heart’s content inAnimal Crossing: New Horizons,players have been turning an assigned game world into an imaginative sanctum ever since its release. Indeed, all games that allow players to move buildings, garnish personal aesthetics, or manage a cast of community characters allow players to express who they are in a game world. While that may seem like a simple concept, it creates a sense of personal ownership that can’t really be emulated elsewhere. It’s different from real life or even video games, and the sensation is something that many cozy games push on their players. After all, manyAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsplayers will be led to ponder which characters would make for good neighbors or which characters should be kept under a watchful eye.
Even the smallest choices that a player makes during decorating can, arguably, open a window to the player’s inner world. Planting a field of flowers or painting a tattered landmark creates scenes within a player’s mind of what could possibly take place in the newly constructed setting. What’s more, whenAnimal Crossingvillagersor any NPC reacts to what a player makes, that sensation becomes much more triumphant too. It’s almost the same as defeating a major boss, just without the associated violence. The result is simple: players are encouraged to keep decorating and keep creating more things for their town cast to sightsee and do, all under the constant praise that their decisions are impacting the world around them.
Zelda’s Decorations Give Players a Home in a Big, Open World
Beyond simple cozy games likeAnimal Crossing, decorating can also immerse players in a gaming world when it’s something more defined and even a degreedarker tone-wise likeLegend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.Open-world games are filled to the brim with content that encourages a player to constantly explore, but even adventurers who complete every side quest or explore every location may eventually want to “settle down.”
Little abodes for players, within these types of perilous worlds, become adorned with their charming collection of in-game achievements. When the home is offered in a scripted setting or scene, this in turn writes in a sense of origin and belonging for players. It’s that same sensation, if perhaps elevated because the intent of the game isn’t to be cozy. Even a main character that has their own legacy (LikeLegend of Zelda’s Link, even as a silent protagonist) is now able to feel unique to every player; no other Link is going to have the same home as their Link. Players are not just saving a world, but their world.
It is important to note that, just because a game includes decoration options, there’s no guarantee it can evoke these sensations. However, it’s clear that it’s becoming more and more common, and that’s only a good thing for fans.
Animal Crossing: New Horizonsis available now on Nintendo Switch.
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