Animal Crossing – Colorful island fun with animals
Genre: Simulation | Release: 20.03.2020 | Platform: Nintendo Switch | Developer: Nintendo | USK: none | Model: Buy-To-Play (59.99 € in Nintendo-Shop)
What kind of game is this? Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the latest installment of Nintendo’s simulation game series. You arrive on a deserted island, plant trees and plants, harvest fruits, and go fishing.
You can also build a house, customize your character, and even create your own designs.
By the way, the game doesn’t have a specific goal. It’s simply about building things and interacting with cute animals on the island.
At what age is it recommended? Animal Crossing is so cute and non-violent that it has no USK rating. However, it should not be played before the age of 6.
In addition, the game requires some reading skills. So play it together with your children if they cannot read (well) yet. Thus, the game is ideally suited for ages 8 or 10 when children can easily play it alone.
Why is the game good for children? Here’s a game for your children that is colorful and completely harmless. There is virtually no violence, aside from the possibility of hitting with a net.
More importantly, the game involves completing numerous tasks on the island, exploring, building, and engaging with cute animals.
All of this can also be done together with other players, and the game even simulates the time of day and the seasons. Depending on the time, something different is always happening, and there is always something new to discover.
What should parents still pay attention to? Since the game goes on endlessly and has no defined goal, it could frustrate children who want a clear target. Also, the essentially great change of day and seasons can frustrate a child who lacks patience and might have to wait a long time for a certain event because it only happens at night in summer, but it is currently winter in the game.
If your players are online by themselves, it’s crucial to pay attention to who they spend time with online.
Since the game can go on endlessly, you should also set clear playing times so that your children don’t come up with arguments like “I still have to finish this task.”
