It's been a little over a week since the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and the game has already taken both the gaming community and the internet by storm. There have been multiple memes and in-game creations that have brought the Animal Crossing community together for the first time in years. Now, the blossoming community of players has begun to make an impact in real life.
The Museum of English Rural Life, or MERL as it's commonly abbreviated, is a museum located in Berkshire, England. The museum is dedicated to preserving the history of farming in the English countryside. The museum has since closed its doors in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the museum and its employees have continued to be active on social media and have given Animal Crossing players something fun and meaningful to do.
The museum has asked Animal Crossing players to produce their own in-game smocks and send them to the official Twitter page of The Museum of English Rural Life. The smocks that the museum likes the most will be featured in an online gallery. This almost perfectly parallels Blathers' in-game museum.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the newest game in the Animal Crossing series. Since it was first announced back in 2018, members of the gaming community have been incredibly excited for it. Now that it's here it has caught the attention of so many new fans, including the infamous actor and film director, Tommy Wiseau.
This is an absolutely ingenious move on the part of The Museum of English Rural Life. Not only has the museum given players a fun challenge to accomplish, but also a means of keeping everyone connected and positive during the outbreak of COVID-19. Players have already created some amazing custom clothing and this smock challenge will give players so much more to do.
It's been a rough time for so many people in recent weeks. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted so many different facets of life and has led to the cancellation of so many important gaming events and other various social gatherings. At some point, life will go on as it was before, but in the meantime, it's nice to know that organizations like MERL are giving people something to do that's fun and enjoyable in the wake of everything that has happened.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now for the Nintendo Switch.