One of my favourite things to do is scroll through pictures of the islands people create on Animal Crossing. I think there’s something incredibly enjoyable about seeing where everyone’s imagination takes them. Often, the results are absolutely stunning.
And then there’s my island, which is covered in trees and flowers all planted to make for easy harvesting. It is its own type of beautiful if your definition of beautiful is rows upon rows of resources.
The appearance of your island is largely dependent on what you play Animal Crossing for. When you adore design and cultivating aesthetics, creating an island of beauty that follows the criteria of the game, is a fun challenge that can be completed with relative ease. When you prefer grinding for materials and completing the critterpedia and various objectives, creating a pretty island is pushed aside and, before you know it, your island is maximized for efficiency rather than beauty.
Personally, I fall into the latter category. I wholly enjoy the grind and collection aspects of the game. I can appreciate other’s more pleasing islands, and I think its great. Unfortunately, my design abilities are severely lacking.
My point is, your Animal Crossing island largely reflects the way you play the game, so it’s okay if your island isn’t the prettiest.
More often than not we focus excessively on appearances because we are taught appearance matters and, to be honest, having something pretty is always enjoyable… is it not? However, when it comes to an island in a video game, not having the prettiest island is not the end of the world. Especially when the graphics of the game make basically anything beautiful.
Seriously, the design team outdid themselves.
It’s pretty hard to have an ugly island when every aspect of Animal Crossing is as pretty as it is, but in case you feel like yours is subpar, just remember that it ultimately doesn’t matter.
What matters is that you enjoy yourself and that your island reflects that. It’s a game meant to entertain and provide a creative outlet; you don’t have to cultivate the perfect aesthetic.
I know it’s hard to recognize that we constantly strive to be the best and we always compare ourselves to others, but sometimes we should just let ourselves relax and create. Even if we create monstrosities where it’s almost impossible to see any ground because we fill our islands with trees, and, yes, I am speaking from experience. No, I don’t think I need to elaborate. I just really liked having a lot of trees.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a game you can play in different ways, and you shouldn’t restrict yourself to a specific playstyle just because it’s trendy. Your island doesn’t have to be pretty; it just has to be fun.