Therapeutic Gameplay In Animal Crossing

In the month of March, the world found itself in a full-blown pandemic. In response to shelter-in-place orders, people turned to the pastime of gaming to help cope with boredom, anguish, and fear. In that same month, Nintendo released their now record-breaking game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Animal Crossing is a social-simulator video game series. Players portray a human character in a village of anthropomorphic animals. As individuals turned to the game for a reprieve, many therapists saw the benefits of incorporating this game into their practice.

More and more therapists are having a greater understanding of how video games can be therapeutic. Though therapeutic play has long been a part of working with clients, especially children and teens, the concept of incorporating video games is still seen as rather radical in many therapeutic spaces. More and more self-identified gaming therapists and geek therapists are raising their voices in support of each other, with the hope of educating their colleagues.

One such group is that of the amazing folks at Let’s Play Therapy Institute. They recently conducted a webinar to help clinicians better understand how to use Animal Crossing: New Horizons with their clients. Presenters co-founder of LPTI Sophia Ansari, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, and founder of Geek Therapy, mental health professional Jose Cardona, delve into the research of video gaming and provide clear direction on how to use the game in a clinical setting. The webinar was recorded for viewers to be able to access if they weren’t able to attend live. The slide handouts and an additional bonus handout are also available for download. Their upcoming webinars will teach about the therapeutic uses of video games Minecraft and Roblox.

The Game Play

Players of Animal Crossing are expected to carry out daily tasks, such as fishing and bug catching, which are open-ended. This nonlinear gameplay syncs up with the internal clock of the Nintendo Switch (the console used to play the game), mirroring the real passage of time. Each game moves players to a new town, and New Horizons sails them away to their own deserted island.

For those who have never played, the beauty of this game is that there is no story that others need to catch up on. There isn’t lore that must be learned, hidden meaning with objects, or accomplishing mastery of previous games to understand this one. Folks can simply jump in and play. This makes falling in love and literally creating your own paradise easy.

The core gameplay loop is rather simple. You move to your own island getaway, where you’re given a basic dwelling (okay a tent) and a moving loan from Tom Nook, which you complete in-game tasks to earn currency. You pay your loans back to upgrade your dwelling, which will qualify you for more loans and more chances to earn currency until you’ve built your paradise.

Highlighting Imagination

Watching, listening, and engaging with clients who have found themselves immersed in their world of Animal Crossing, clinicians will begin to notice many positive clinical experiences gained from the game. First is that of increased hope through imagination.

Though this game sounds rather basic, it’s the ability to increase creativity and imagination amongst its players that explains its skyrocketing popularity. Staying home has caused many to feel stagnant, stifled, and uninspired. In the game, we are able to craft our own world, inspired by our own passions and desires. Players can create themed rooms, such as the arcade room that Jose shows in the webinar. Players can garden, discover new creatures, or learn how to propagate their plants.

This game allows us to uncover how our leadership and organization skills are married with curiosity and exploration. These new avenues allow us to feel hopeful, an emotion that is important for growth in therapy. When someone finds hope, they are able to create. And this game has creativity in abundance.

Real World In The Virtual World

The second therapeutic experience gained from the game is its social aspect, which has allowed clients to regain a sense of normalcy. Therapists will start to notice that this game is a beautiful surrogate for missed opportunities. In the therapy setting, this is an amazing way to allow a client to experience repair and closure.

The loss around social connection and normative rituals due to the pandemic has increased feelings of isolation. Predictability and customs are key to human experience and understanding. Thus, one of the biggest attractions to this game is how it can be used with others in the real world. In addition to island anthropomorphic friends, you can socialize with your real-world friends within the game. You can connect with your peers, by visiting their island, or having them visit yours. This has allowed individuals to create reparative experiences lost due to the pandemic, such as in-game graduations, weddings, and even memorials to loved-ones past.

Humans are social creatures. We thrive on connection. The game allows us the chance to increase our connection with those we care about. We can give visiting friends gifts, use emotions to express our joy, and share memories created in the game. The more we can attempt to engage with our loved ones in a way that is familiar and comforting, the better we feel.

Actual Objectives

The final therapeutic experience is that clinicians can use the game to achieve identified therapy goals. Take time to review your client’s treatment plan and objectives to figure out how gameplay can get them to achieve their goals. Though not every objective may be accomplished through gameplay, there are many that can be.

Is the objective to increase self-affirming statements? The game as a bulletin board that individuals can leave messages on. Have the client write a new affirming statement each week. Is it to normalize fluid gender expression? Have the client choose from a variety of clothes in the game that expresses their feminine, masculine, and/or neutral sides. Is it emotional identification and expression? Have the client choose different character emotions, and have them mimic the expression.

Finding new and creative ways to help a client with their treatment goals is important in therapy. Good therapy isn’t stale or static. Good therapy also means getting client buy-in to fulfill goals. If your client is loving Animal Crossing, use that passion with them to help them realize their treatment.

These are only a few of the benefits I have found from the game, both personally and professionally. My clients have confirmed a sense of calm and wonder after engaging with the game. They report how recognizing these feelings again has allowed them to maintain their mental wellness.

Though there is no research on the effectiveness of Animal Crossing: New Horizons in therapy, it’s obvious how it can be used as a therapeutic tool to help clients. As clinicians find themselves having to work in the digital realm of online therapy, exploring other digital media to use with clients will be beneficial to your practice.

Therapy is a vast field of opportunity. Funny enough, so is Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Have you been playing Animal Cross: New Horizons? What video games do you engage in as a coping skill?

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