Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, engagements are being canceled left and right to protect public health. Many are finding it difficult to cope with this newfound isolation and are desperate to maintain social contact. Some resourceful individuals are seeking out new and creative ways to stay connected though games. One clever couple, after having to cancel their wedding, decided to hold it online in Animal Crossing: New Horizons instead.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is quickly becoming one of the most popular games for people to connect in while social distancing. After all, what is a better escape from being locked up inside than fishing on a tropical island with friends? While some players are content to trade fruit and relax, others are finding more elaborate ways to spend their time together, like recreating scenes from movies.
Reddit user ashmush has taken advantage of the game's ability to connect in a unique way. Ashmush's fiance and friends surprised them with an ocean-side ceremony, complete with a path of hearts lined with flowers and torches. The couple's initials are even displayed on the path where the ceremony took place. Ashmush's fiance planned the event in secret with their friends to cheer ashumush up, as they were feeling down about missing out on milestones like their wedding and medical school graduation. The fiance logged onto Reddit later to clarify that he didn't even have the game's path making tool unlocked, and spent 2 hours creating the heart-decorated path by hand.
My fiance and I had to cancel our upcoming wedding due to Covid-19, so our best friends gave us a surprise animal crossing wedding instead from AnimalCrossing
While the process of setting up the ceremony was time-consuming, the villagers and Tom Nook probably contributed to the noble cause. With Tom Nook's new, lax policies on loans, and the game's quick accessibility to items and decorations, setting up themed hangouts in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is easier than ever.
Players don't need to commit to a marriage to say connected in the game. The possibilities for passing time in the game are endless. Players can host their own beach parties or murder mystery dinners, or they can get together and build an island-wide garden. Even if schedules don't line up, sending letters and gifts to friends while they're away is a perfect way to remind them they're not alone.
No matter how players choose to stay connected, maintaining online social contact during these turbulent times can be life-saving. Even if people find themselves isolated from friends, family, and love ones, so many games are providing opportunities for people to connect. Sometimes, that means graduating in Minecraft, sometimes, that means getting married in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and sometimes, it just means picking up a game with friends.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is out now, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.