GAMING IN LOCKDOWN: WHY ARE SO MANY PEOPLE PLAYING ANIMAL CROSSING?

It sold more digital units in its first month of release than any other video game in history. What makes Animal Crossing: New Horizons such a compelling game to play?

- DR PETE ETCHELLS

As far as Nintendo games go, Animal Crossing isn’t perhaps as well-known outside of gamer circles as series such as Super Mario, Pokémon or The Legend Of Zelda. And yet the latest instalment, New Horizons, has become something of a phenomenon in this worrying new world we find ourselves in. If you haven’t already come across it, New Horizons is a life-simulation game, a more easygoing counterpart to earlier titles like The Sims. You start off by purchasing a getaway package to a deserted island, armed only with a tent and a few basic tools to tend to the land. Although there’s a basic storyline to follow, what you do in your newfound escape is up to you. Among other things, you can go bug-hunting, try to catch rare fish, excavate for fossils, design your home, create elaborate gardens, invite friends over for a catch-up, or stare at the night sky, waiting for shooting stars. There’s no endgame, no final boss: this is your own little world, to do with as you please.

In part, this is why New Horizons has been such a runaway success. Launched towards the end of March, it came out at a time when we were all finding ourselves confined to our homes, unable to visit our friends and loved ones, and generally feeling as though we were losing control of our day-to-day lives. Along came