This week we tackle the Animal Crossing series, with a particular focus on its latest entry: New Horizons. We discuss its peculiar "communication" genre label and try to pin down what common stories will emerge from the game's many activities. We also discuss the movie adaptation and some popular fan theories!

If you're an Animal Crossing fan or just wondering what story we could possibly be pulling from this series, this episode is for you!

Check back each week for a new discussion of a video game story! Catch us on Instagram and Twitter @playervsplot, send your questions and comments to [email protected], and check out our website at http://playervsplot.com !

Time Stamps

• 00:00:00: Intro, release history of the series
• 00:12:30: Main concept of Animal Crossing, discussing the "communication" genre
• 00:25:30: What's the player character supposed to be?
• 00:34:45: Animal villagers, their role in the game, and their personality types
• 01:23:00: Exploring common narrative threads in an Animal Crossing experience
• 01:32:45: The Animal Crossing movie adaptation
• 01:47:15: Development of the original Animal Crossing
• 01:52:50: Fan theories
• 02:09:00: Further Reading