The National Videogame Museum, based in Sheffield, England, is asking Animal Crossing: New Horizons fans to share their experiences playing the game during the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest installment in the mainline Animal Crossing franchise released earlier this spring as social distancing guidelines were becoming stricter around the world. Since its March release, the game has become remarkably popular, especially as players have been socially isolated. As of now, it’s winter in the game, and there are ornaments to collect and Snowboys to build. Ornaments, snowflakes, and Large Snowflakes, the latter of which are earned by building perfect Snowboys, can be used to craft festive DIY items.
Isabelle, the beloved yellow Shih Tzu who debuted in 2013’s Animal Crossing: New Leaf, also had a birthday recently. However, Nintendo didn’t prepare an in-game event to celebrate her birthday. This left fans outraged, as villagers always have in-game events whereas non-villager characters don’t. But this didn’t prevent players from celebrating Isabelle’s birthday themselves. Some fans created artwork or hosted a celebration in Town Hall.
Recognizing the ubiquity of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, The National Videogame Museum is requesting players to share their experiences with the game during COVID-19. A form is available on the museum’s website where participants enter information such as their name, email address, and the file they would like to share. Respondents may include their location or country if they wish, too. The National Videogame Museum is accepting diary entries, written experiences, a video tour or screenshots of players’ islands, a video or audio file of players describing their experiences (alone or with friends), original artwork, screenshots of an Animal Crossing group chat, and more.
Despite the fact that Animal Crossing: New Horizons released just this year, it’s an impressive feat that it’s already gaining recognition in the form of a museum exhibition. It doesn’t seem that the museum is excluding any form of submission, either, so it’s inclusive to anyone who wants to submit. This ensures that the museum will receive a wide range of stories and experiences, and it will certainly make for a far more intriguing exhibit. There’s some incredible fan art out there, as well, and it absolutely deserves to be shown off in a museum. Luckily, it’s doubtful that Crazy Redd will be making any counterfeit submissions.
It’s unclear how long The National Videogame Museum will be accepting these files, but the fact that it’s currently undisclosed likely means that players have a while to share their experiences. Animal Crossing: New Horizons feels like a permanent artifact that everyone will remember about social isolation and the pandemic, and it’s certain that the game’s museum curator Blathers would be so proud to see his game being memorialized in a fun exhibit.
