Animal Crossing: New Horizons might be a game about performing menial tasks to take one’s mind off the rigors of real life, but some are turning the Switch exclusive into a real job. A few people in China have actually opened Animal Crossing: New Horizons “housekeeping” businesses, where they help other players maintain their island or perform basic tasks.
Niko Partners Analyst Daniel Ahmad shared some screenshots of these Animal Crossing: New Horizons job postings. While the game is reportedly being blocked in China, there are still plenty of gamers with copies out there. And those people might be interested in focusing on the more direct goals in the game, rather than picking fruit every couple of days.
Among the tasks that are listed in these job postings are weed removal, tree removal, flower watering, and general maintenance. The price for the listing fluctuates depending on the currency and the services. One listing offers a single task for 5 Yen, while another is charging 500 Yuan. There are also package deals that include total island care for 60 Yen.
While some Animal Crossing: New Horizons players might find the daily routine of removing weeds and general island upkeep relaxing – especially right now – there are those who would rather focus on the more important goals like collecting rare fish, digging up fossils, or trying to pay off their home loans to Tom Nook. And if they want to give a little bit to money to someone else to take care of those chores then more power to them.
At the same time, with the current concerns about Switch security, it may not be the best idea to give someone access to your Nintendo Switch account. While someone might seem generous at first, they could very easily sabotage another player’s island and take the money and run.
The concept of having someone else play a game for you is not new by any means, but in the context of Animal Crossing it is rather funny. Essentially, these services are working like gardeners or housekeepers would, but only in a virtual sense. Their reward, however, is real money.
As Ahmad points out, most of the people offering these services are only doing it for fun and not attempting to earn a living wage off Animal Crossing. Still, with today’s circumstances, a little extra money can go a long way for plenty of people.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now for Nintendo Switch.