So I have this thing about Animal Crossing. I love it. I really do. It’s a wonderful thirty minute to one hour daily time suck.
And yet.
I started playing the newest game about ten days after release day. I wanted a physical copy (I have a thing about that), and Target was slightly delayed in shipping it. Which was fine. I planned instead.
I named my island Aincrad, after the floating island in Sword Art Online. I found people who were already uploading designs onto the gallery of Kirito’s outfit, which is what I wanted to wear.
I figured out with characters I wanted as islanders (and failed all around). I planned my character’s design, what clothing I would hunt for, what hair would I try and find. I researched the turnip exchange. I planned to take an axe to the trash bird Gulliver (it’s an Animal Crossing Pocket Camp joke).
And when I got my game, I jumped in head long. For the first month, I don’t think I missed a day of at least checking in. I got my neighbors. I collected items. I made stupid mistakes like selling all my resources early on to the Nooklings.
After about a month, I slowed down, missed a day here and there. By now, I’d left my job, and didn’t have anyone in person to talk to about it. I started to dislike the name, for the simple reason of, “I could’ve been more creative.”
[Real talk, people named their island Corona and Pandemic and Quarantine and Wuhan and almost every other little thing that could even remotely relate to this. So, I wasn’t that badly off.]
I took part in the summer events. I finally got the ability to terraform my island, and start moving things around, because I sucked at where I placed everything. I started filling up the museum.
And then August hit, and I forgot all about the game.
Nothing was really happening IRL to make me forget. But the drive was gone. I just… didn’t care. It has nothing to do with the game itself, it’s still fun and a wonderful time suck, I just… fell off.
Until mid November.
So, the day was a normal day. I was working on a fanfic. And suddenly, I wanted to play Animal Crossing. I’ve been playing ACPC on my phone, but that wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted my island.
So I booted up the game… and I was immediately annoyed. I’d left my island in a very large state of disrepair. Half the houses had been moved, but they weren’t even, and it bothered me. I was trying to make a little town with a road and everything, but I miscounted how far back to go, and now you couldn’t see the road. I’d spent so much time planning my orchard, and I went to it only to discover that I’d, once again, messed up my planning.
I wasn’t happy.
I went on Twitter and ranted for a while about it. Then I got a bright idea.
Nuke it.
Start again.
But should I?
I sat on this for a bit, before biting the bullet. Yes. I did.
So Aincrad Island is no more. My character, my house, my horribly designed island has vanished into the pit of data where all things delete. And I started anew.
My character is still named Liz. I almost went Remy, but at the last minute, I just kept it as planned. My island is now called AllAndMore, because of my new life obsession (please don’t let me regret this in July 2021 or whatever). I’m back to the barebones, and I’m currently being harassed into having a clown for a neighbor.
But you know what? I haven’t completely messed up in the turnip market yet, and that’s what matters. Because money.
Anyway, yes, I’m insane. After seven months of careful playing, and marking up my guidebook that I bought, I hit the reset button. And I won’t have it any other way.
Let me know if you want to see my island once I’m done. Because it could happen… in like two months. After the new year, at least.
Until next time!
