My Own Personal Island

I have been discussing the things I am grateful for in 2020. I am grateful for friends and family, art and writing, changing the way I ate. Another thing I am thankful for is video games.

Growing up, I mocked my little brother for playing video games. Occasionally I’d play MLB with him, but other than that, I teased him.

It was not until I began dating a rock star in high school that I saw the value of video games. My first boyfriend, now husband, Jamie, knew that I loved board games, so he introduced me to Mario Party. He then introduced me to Sims and many other video games!

Sure, I’m not a serious gamer, but in the spring of 2020, I had a lot of time on my hands. A new game had been released, one my husband loved throughout the years. It is a game many know about, especially after last year. The game was Animal Crossing New Horizons.

To say I loved this game is an understatement. The time I would have been working was spent coping, and the way I coped was this video game.

I put over 700 hours into this game over the past year, enjoying everything the game had to offer. I loved the tedious hours of cultivating my island, catching bugs and fish, digging up fossils, buying clothes, and creating relationships.

When I say relationships, I don’t mean people, either. I laugh to myself because the only people on my friends’ list are my cousin, my husband, his friend, and one of my friends. No, the relationships I made were fictional, in the form of villagers. There have been some villagers to leave our island, but now I think we have the perfect crew!

My favorite villager is Bianca, who, coincidentally, was the first one I met. She called me her bestie, and from that day on, she has been my best friend on the island!

I wanted to post pictures I took throughout this past year. The island has changed so much, and the pictures don’t do it justice. I love to remember the different ways our island was and enjoy the way it is now.

In my own home, I am always changing furniture. So much so that my husband never knows where anything will be. It only makes sense that the island is constantly changing as well.

These pictures show but a brief glimpse into my experience, but I hope they show you what playing Animal Crossing meant to me this year. It provided me an escape, a hideaway from life’s worries, and filled my time with goals instead of sorrow.

I have less time for Animal Crossing now, but I try to get on once a week. The truth is, it was a crutch for me. I needed it, but now I do not. Now I am working on this blog, completing projects, writing books, creating art, and spending time with loved ones. Animal Crossing will always hold a special place in my heart. I will always play it, in one shape or another. But now, I do not need it to survive. There was a time I did need it to survive, and it helped me through that time. Now I look back and enjoy the memories, looking forward to what is to come.

Here are photos of my experience over the past year. It is my husband’s island, and he is in some of the pictures. We even got married in the game!

You will see tons of Bianca and me and will notice my hair changed from brown to blue. When I realized I could have blue hair, my favorite color in the world, I did it! The only exception was when I dressed like Chucky for Halloween..lol.

I hope you enjoy looking through these photos, and if you get a chance, I posted my dream island code for you to visit yourself.

I have had such an amazing time playing this game this past year, and I honestly feel bad for my youthful self mocking my little brother. Sometimes we need an escape. Sometimes we need an island all to ourselves. In my case, that island was found in Animal Crossing, and that island helped me survive the disaster of a year that was 2020.

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Do you play Animal Crossing? What has your experience been like? Don’t forget to comment or reach out to me on:

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