You know, this idea just randomly popped into my head after playing a little more Animal Crossing. Ever heard of it?
This is an adorable, relaxing, zen kind of game. I would argue it's a precursor of all your app games with town building but I argue that it's more than that. (Well, Animal Crossing's new app game is out but my phone keeps getting little storage more and more. I need an Ipad or something again. Not just an iPhone. In fact, I'm getting pissed off at my phone.) But this game is all about doing everyday things in life but in a more calming way. You pay a mortgage for a house and can make additions while also getting reviewed on the Feng Shui aspects, (unlike in Real Life, Feng Shui actually works in this game), make friends with all the adorable Animal Villagers, and, primarily in New Leaf, make your town prettier.
All that sounds pretty nice right? Now let's focus on the economics. However, I'll be focused on Animal Crossing New Leaf''s economics as I've never played any of the other Animal Crossing games. This is my first one. As I said earlier, you actually get to pay for a mortgage by paying Tom Nook, a Tanuki (yes his name is a joke on the species he is) Raccoon who has a dealing with the Housing Market of Animal Crossing. Considering, there is no real known nation other than what we know about all other towns that are similar to our own and that Tom Nook directly works for each one. He sells all kinds of additions from a basement and second floor to 4 main rooms and a secret storehouse. But he also attracts the player with facades, gates, frames, mailboxes, and doors. All the essentials needed to showcase our home to anyone interested in coming to our towns.
Now there are other stores in town too. We have Timmy and Tommy's (Tom's Twin Nephews) shop Nooklings, which upgrades to an Emporium shop of 3 stories with an upscale shoppers place on the top. So as well as helping Tom's endeavors, we also help with his shop and expand when we buy more and more from his sales. Also, there is a local clothing shop with a small selection of shirts, pants, dresses, and hats/accessories to showcase ourselves. And later on, we can add to the store a QR reader to have any new designs for clothes and make our own designs to advertise as well. Also, I can't forget the opening of other stores and services like Kicks (the owner sells shoes and socks), Shampoodle (makeup and hairstyle changes), Garden Center (plants and trees), The Roost (a coffee shop), a Dream Suite (A Tapir lets us visit dream versions of other towns if we don't have the right friends), Club LOL (a DJ Dance Club), Re-Tail (A Goodwill look-a-like where you can sell old items to other town citizens and the two alpaca owners and also repaint other items) and Katrina's Fortune Shop (the fortunes actually work). So we have a small town economy grown into a suburban-style town. This is important to notice because most of these shops happen only if we invest in the Nooklings shop and the Able Sisters Clothing Store. But Club LOL, The Dream Suite, the Roost and Katrina's shop are all only available by suggestions from the towns members.
Let me explain something I forgot to mention. In Animal Crossing New Leaf, we become the mayor of our new town. So we have all the power invested in us. We primarily have to make sure our town is satisfactory to our denizens and also make our town as distinct from others as possible. We have the choice to make all sorts of public works projects and add new places to our town. But there is one important aspect of this. We have to get all funds voluntarily. I. E. No taxation. It's kind of interesting to note that even though this was primarily a way to get us as the player to invest in our towns, it's done by making it sound like we all want to support it if we can rather than use force. Unlike most cities where public works projects would be taxed upon the citizens, we can volunteer donations to support new ideas whether being petitions for a club or support a new hot spring and traffic light or a mini-campsite.
Also, there is one other thing to notice about this major role. We have access to four ordinances. There are a Night Owl and Early Bird Ordinance which both affect what times the residents of your town wake up early and go to sleep. The Beautiful Town Ordinance to focus on keeping your town clean. And finally, and this is important A Bell Boom Ordinance. This one effects you by making the Re-Tail store by back two premium items (if this ordinance isn't activated, they will buy one premium item) for a higher price. Also, all sales go up by 20% but all buybacks are up 20%. An inflation consequence but made for those wanting to make large amounts of money for projects and their house.
So in other words, it seems like Animal Crossing is making an unintentional commentary and support for mostly laissez-faire economics. (The ordinances really count as the only laws and since it's a feel-good simulator and no one commits crimes or even has a notion of sin and crime [though there is a police station but its primary use is to notice any new people coming to town like Redd the Fox, Katrina, and other special animals for a new gameplay showcase each day] so laws are very relaxed) And you have the chance to sell all sorts of items to make the most money and reinvest it into the town. And you can have people visit all over to do barters, trades, and sales on the individual scale too. And the economic world is so relaxed as well to build it up and watch it grow over time. It's privatized predominantly and the government's main feature is just one regulation (the ordinances) and voluntary public works projects (though I sure wish my townspeople actually donated a little money to each project; I'm always stuck donating to finish these works. I know that's the point of the game but come on. A little help goes a long way).
Of course, this is more Complementary evidence due to the scale of the world we experience in Animal Crossing and that the main themes of the game focusing more on returning to the country, community, friendship, and environmentalism with the focus on keeping the town clean and the natural environment clean and thriving. But it's quite interesting noticing the impact of the game on others. However, the commentary part I want to focus on is the aspect of the consumerism in this game.
You have to invest a lot of heavy consumerism in this game. And thus you can make it seem like you can compete with everyone else by making your town the best: Have all the wallpaper, donate all items to the museum, have all fashions and such, making your town the pretties. It makes it an over-consumption market rather than a balance of consumption and production due to emphasizing the human want of consumption, i.e. buy stuff for stuff's sake rather than buying for survival. But this should be noticed due to how there is a plethora of items to buy from the stores, especially the fully upgraded Nooklings store called T&T Emporium. Also, there is Joan the Boar and her Stock Market Turnip sales. Buy Low, Sell High and use that money to buy more items.
But even doing that isn't the full point of the game to play it fast. It's a very relaxed and welcoming game meant to attract casual gamers and those who want a game to relax with rather than being over competitive. But I think it's funny how this game reflects modern life so well. Making friends, paying the mortgage, and building more into one's income. But it's done in such a relaxing and zen manner it means to make us feel accomplished. I've heard many people who say this and other similar games like Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon which focus on making farms but also developing relationships with people. (Play Stardew Valley, it has some great moments of character development through the scenes are very small.) This is especially important. A game that has made people cope with the world's difficulties in a cathartic and meaningful experience. Casual for everyone to play but positive and empowering to give a reflection on our life. (People with mental health issues and some acquaintances I know love the relaxing atmosphere and calm demeanor to help them in their everyday lives.)
So I want to leave on this positive note of happiness and to give this game a try if you like simulator games with adorable animals.
Authors Note: I couldn't find too many articles or videos dealing with this subject. This is the only one I could find which helped in the influence. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeFbdzbvNjM) But I'm sure there is commentary I might've missed. What do you guys think of AC: NL and the possible economic theory. This is primarily complimentary and supplementary evidence so It's interpretive. (It's not that I don't want to believe in my hypothesis but because the economics was a way to add entertainment value over real meaning in the game, that is my main argument for this is primarily interpretive over actual objective value.) I wanted to add this to make people understand this article on the evidence I've seen and so my audience can honestly see that this article is primarily noticing a possible coincidence. But I hope it provides entertainment for you all and maybe gets you interested in this game. As for my argument for the empowerment of AC: NL, check out Jirard the Completionist's Defend It video on AC: NL (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynC5ST87RB8) to see a much more eloquent argument.
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