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Animal Crossing Summer Update!!!


I like many people have become obsessed with Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I've been a fan of the early versions of the game, but this one (probably due to quarantine) has been particularly fun. As a graduate student I can definitely say that I spend way more time on my island get away than I should considering the amount of work I have to do, but sometimes you need to take a break.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the game, here is a quick summary from my community norms project:

"Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a game developed by Nintendo, for the Nintendo Switch gaming console. It was released on March 20, 2020 and has been wildly popular, including several celebrities and politicians like Elijah Wood, Chrissy Teigen, Guy Fieri, Stephen Fry, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Nintendolife.com; Gilbert, 2020). The game has been so popular, particularly with the Coronavirus sweeping the planet, that the Nintendo Switch has been on backorder for a couple months (Barbosa, 2020). The game is set on a deserted island the time of day and seasons match real life. There are many natural resources to collect and build tools and furniture that you use to customize your character, your home, and the landscape with. You can also go hunting for insects, go fishing, or interact with the island residents, do some gardening, or hunt for fossils (Nintendo.com).  Game play is simple and fun, the visuals are cute, and the ability to display your creativity is endless."

Here is a link to the official page:


On July 3rd, the game released a Summer update that added new elements to the game. It introduced swimming and diving to the game play and with this activity there are 40 new creatures to find, collect, and/or donate to the museum. There are some new recipes, the return of a character from earlier games, and new interactions with established characters. It adds new life to a game that after 4 months of consistent play might be feeling a little stale (to some, not me)!

PS. I think there will be another summer update in August which is also exciting!!!

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