Catina Villanueva

Professor Gabriella

SOC-01

05 March 2021

Animal Crossing

Animal Crossing is a very popular video game that was invented in 2001 in Japan. The

game teaches you some life skills and how to use your imagination. It is an escape from our real

lives. It helps you become joyful and become connected with your friends and even new people.

As the years went by the game only became more popular. Just last year with the pandemic there

was a new release of the game called Animal Crossing: New Horizon this update made the game

10x’s more popular than what it was in 2001.The popularity took off worldwide in March of

2020. It reached five million sales within just one month.(Article Animal Crossing:New

Horizons) Using functionalist theory by theorist Emile Durkheim and game theory by theorist

John Nash I will analyze how it can make some changes in our society. Functionalist theory is a

complex system whose parts work together. Game theory is the social interaction people have

with one another.

To begin, you start off with nothing. You have no money, only debt that you have to pay

off anyway that you can. The game does not give you any instructions on how you have to pay it

off. All they give you is camping supplies such as a tent. You’re left with nothing but cute little

animals on the land the game puts you on. During my research I came across an article that says

“You won’t feel pressure while playing, and you probably won’t get much of a sense of

competition”(Will Greenwald). I thought this was amazing because most video games that are
popular nowadays are very competitive. It would be nice to play something where you didn’t feel

so much pressure to finish the game or beat the level.

I dug deep into the meaning of this game and why it was such a joy to so many people

around the world. I got things that said it brings joy to my day, it is an escape for me to get away

from everyone, and it is a way to connect with people such as friends. During this pandemic it

became popular because we couldn’t go out and see our friends like we normally would, so this

game helped people to stay connected with people that they missed. To them it was almost like

the real world because the timing there was even the same. If it was 10 p.m here it was also 10

p.m on the game. It is not just for kids, but for us adults as well. We can never be too old to play

video games, maybe it’ll take our minds off things just like it did for other people.

In conclusion I believe that this game is already making a change to our society ever

since there was a new upgrade. If it wasn’t for the new upgrade the game wouldn't be making a

change to society. It has kept people out of trouble, had people stayed connected with each other

when we weren’t allowed to leave our homes, and it helps people learn to make money. Even

though it is a game it can still show you what it is like to earn money and to have to pay off your

debt. Functionalist theory ties into this video game by having everyday survival roles. Animal

crossing: New Horizon is a great way to learn and stay connected with people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3YNL0OWio0