The GKIS Sensible Parent’s Guide to Animal Crossing

With the release of Animal Crossing for the Nintendo Switch, we have seen a large influx of videos related to the game flooding social media platforms. Nintendo categorizes Animal Crossing as a life simulation game. This genre of video games can best be described as games where the player is in charge of controlling an avatar and dictating the choices it makes in its life. This GKIS Sensible Guide delves into the details of the game to provide you with the information you need to decide if this menagerie of cute animals is right for your kids.

How long has Animal Crossing been around, and how popular is it?

The first iteration of Animal Crossing that was released in North America was introduced in 2001 for the Nintendo GameCube. The game met with critical acclaim and subsequent installments were made. The current installment is titled Animal Crossing: New Horizons and was released in March 2020 for the Nintendo Switch. New Horizons has been well received; it has already become the fastest-selling installment of the franchise. It sold five million digital copies in the month of March, breaking the record for most copies of a console game sold in a single month.[1]

Getting Started on Animal Crossing

Since Animal Crossing: New Horizons is exclusive to the Nintendo Switch, it must either be bought as a physical copy from a retailer or bought on the Nintendo eShop. Once the game has been purchased, start playing! Animal Crossing is rated PEGI-3, which means for players that are 3 years and older. However, Common Sense Media reviews from parents say it’s best for ages 8 years and older and the child reviews say for 6 years and older. Per the guidelines from Dr. Bennett’s book, Screen Time in the Mean Time, parents are the best judge of when their child is ready. As always, it’s prudent to research and play the game first to make your best-informed decision. Today’s GKIS Sensible Guide will help you in that department!

Features of Animal Crossing

Single-Player Mode

The player is taken to a deserted island where he must camp with 2 other campers. The player must then have a house built and build other structures around the island in order to entice other villagers to move in.
While there is no real set goal in the game, the player can decide what he/she wishes to accomplish.
In order to expand the player’s house and other buildings around the island, the player must put himself in debt to a racoon named Tom Nook that oversees the construction projects. One could say he is the villain of the game.
In order to pay off their crippling debt, players can find many ways to make money such as:

- Catch fish to sell.
- Catch bugs to sell.
- Plant fruit trees and then sell the fruit.
- Dig up fossils
- Run errands for islanders

Multiplayer Mode

While there is no dedicated multiplayer mode, there are ways to play with your friends in Animal Crossing. This involves either inviting friends to visit your island or venturing out to their island.
To visit another player’s island, you must have added them to your friends list. This is done by inputting a unique 12-digit friend code. This means that you won’t have random strangers visiting your island.
Once you’re visiting a friend, you can explore and meet the islanders that inhabit the island.
You can visit their shops, museum, house and anything else the island has to offer.
Players can then do all the activities that they enjoy on their island with the company of their friend.

The Benefits of Animal Crossing

The benefits of Animal Crossing are plenty. It teaches kids how to manage money, as they have to pay off their debt and, at the same time, buy new things to wear, furnish their house, or send as gifts. Animal Crossing also allows players to display their creativity, as there are countless ways players can customize the interior of their house and the island itself. Another benefit of Animal Crossing is that it helps kids foster healthy friendships, as they must live in harmony with the other villagers on their island to keep them from moving away.

The Risks of Animal Crossing

Animal Crossing has relatively low risks. There are no real instances of violence in the game, unless being attacked by a swarm of wasps counts as one. Nintendo has also made it so it is very difficult to interact with strangers through the game, though the workaround is to post your friend code on social media or message boards and have strangers add you through that. The chances of a kid having inappropriate interaction with a stranger are much lower than in other games. The greatest risk of Animal Crossing comes from how enthralling the game can become, and, in turn, causing kids to spend extended amounts of time playing. This can begin to cut into a kid’s study time and real-life social interactions.

GetKidsInternetSafe rates Animal Crossing as a green-light app due to the low risks and moderate benefits it provides.

Thanks to CSUCI intern, Jess S herchan for researching island-dwelling animals and co-authoring this article. If you would like to learn how to develop a stronger bond with your kids through gaming, please check out the GKIS article on co-playing!