When quarantine started, I was expecting to be laid back and play video games, and absolutely nothing else. However, my parents really don’t want me to become a pile of meat, so they decided to give me more chores than usual. For example, cooking the rice, preparing lunch, and washing the dishes. Obviously, I had time to spend time for myself and to do homework, but those chores made spending time more rewarding. It also gave me more time to actually talk to my parents, or in my mom’s case, teaching me Viet.

Now how does this relate to Animal Crossing? Well, Animal Crossing implemented a new feature, Nook Miles (Nook Mile Stamps are achievements, Nook Miles are the actual currency). Earning Nook Miles can help you earn more items that you can’t naturally learn or obtain through any stores. However, there is a limited amount of these Nook Mile Stamps. So when you upgrade your house, you get Nook Miles Plus. These are simple missions to help you get Nook Miles, to get those pricy items. Nooks Miles help implement a little bit of work for the player so they have something to do, and something to work for. This relates to me because it’s something like doing the dishes so that my house doesn’t stink.

A big thing in Animal Crossing is talking to villagers and spending time with them. When you become more friendly with villagers, they’re able to sell items, you can gift them, and you’re elligible to do their requests. Being social to villagers is important because you can connect with them and be emotionally attatched to them throughout quarantine. Family is just as important though, they are the only people that can keep our social skills up to date, while not going out. Spending time with family, when you can do chores with them, eating with them, or even checking up on them can help improve your mental health.