Applying Animal Crossing to Real Life

Apart from my studies and various hobbies, the one thing I like to do the most is play video games. However, I have not been playing as much due to one small factor--Animal Crossing.

Animal Crossing is a cutesy game that involves making a character in the image of the person playing (well if you use your Mii as your character). Once the character is made, the game begins by renting houses, making money, and meeting neighbors. It is the video game version of the board game Life, except that in Animal Crossing, the neighbors are all animals. Hence the name, Animal Crossing.

When I first purchased this game, I thought it would be a silly game, but as soon as I started to play things just started to get worse.

I was always playing the game trying to figure out what to buy next, what to do next, going into the city to visit fellow friends, refurnishing my house, getting money from my parents, shopping, fishing, catching bugs to make extra money, having a flea market sale, and the usual activities of everyday life (I also had a job!).

Each day there was something new and sometimes they even had tournaments on specific dates. Eventually I started marking my calendar to know when the next tournament would be, and when I was not able to make it (real life stopped me) my insides would scream out of sadness.

Well needless to say I had to stop the obsession and slowly I did by not playing my Wii console. Sure I had a few withdrawals, and spent a lot of money going out, but the worst was over.

Or so I thought...

One afternoon as I was getting out of my class, I started to notice a few bugs flying around, as I looked at the bugs, I began to think that I needed to catch them with my net to sell them for money. Only problem was that I had no net, and there was no animal to sell these bugs to. For a second there I thought I was in animal crossing, and so before it got any worse I went into the library.Later that day, however, as I was making my way to the shuttle, I noticed a cute little squirrel starring at me, and so I thought that the squirrel wanted to talk to me. As soon as I took a step closer to the squirrel, it ran away. I was startled by the sudden movement, but ended up feeling idiotic for trying to talk to a squirrel. Squirrels do not talk, and so I started to realize what was happening...I started to have Animal Crossing withdrawals (In Animal Crossing, when an animal wants to talk to you, they stare you down, and an exclamation mark appears on top of their head).
I wanted to play, but I did not want to get obsessed. I do not want to grow old playing the game and later regretting not living my real life.

So far I have ignored the withdrawals, but it is eventually getting to me. Well at least I won't have the vicious mole coming after me (as long as you save the game Mr. Resetti the mole will not appear to scream at you...I think).

Hopefully I saved the game.

Hanny the coffee bean