This week we were tasked with finding artists in a multiplayer game and displaying this work in our blog. I decided to explore the topic of “showcasing personality in a 2-D world” as I searched the Animal Crossing world. chose this topic for a few reasons. One reason was that today more and more we are interacting in two-dimensional spaces Especially with COVID-19 keeping us indoors, we communicate more through screens, but that isn’t a new idea to many. Some people have met their best friends through a mutual game, like Minecraft. the game of the pandemic today is Animal Crossing, having been released just before the breakout of the pandemic and bringing people nostalgic memories.
Another reason for this topic was to show hoe creative people are when it comes to expressing their values, personality, and views in a game about cute animal neighbors like Animal Crossing. Animal Crossing allows players a certain amount of creative outlets. Whether that be how they decorate their house, how they dress, or how they terraform the land, Animal Crossing brings a world for creativity.
My first artist was my significant other, Skyler. The above photos showcase Skyler’s house in Animal Crossing and his outfit. In his work, we see part of his personality emerge. From little details in a game we can see what kind of person he is in real life. For example, the dehumidifier and incense in the house on the left side suggest he enjoys scents from those items in real life, which I can attest to being true. From the “Eat the Rich” shirt, we see a bit about his views on some issues. “Eat the Rich” is an abbreviation from Jean-Jacques Rousseau: “Quand les pauvres n’auront plus rien à manger, ils mangeront les riches !”, or in English translated to: “When the poor have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich!” This shows Skyler’s politicl stance on the divide between rich and poor in the United States. As a player in most games, this may not be able to be expressed, but in Animal Crossing, the customization allows him to showcase this side in a game.
This second artist is my friend Kyle, a fan of none other than Gordon Ramsey, hence the character. The first photo here showcases his kitchen with the Norman Rockwell self portrait canvas above the stove, which he made himself. The actual portrait is there too for reference. The second in-game photo shows a sign he made for his bamboo district where he grows bamboo on his island. Both of these photos show the interests and personality of Kyle. Even the character shows his love of Gordon Ramsey and his hobby of cooking. The sign for the district shows his planning quality that allows his to keep his island organized. In a game like Animal Crossing, being able to create and change your own island is an options that allows players to create unique environments.
This last artist is my friend Nathan. Here we are showcasing his jailhouse room in his home and a painting he made in game of the DSA symbol. The first image shows a bit of Nathan’s humorous side. In a game, there’s normally not an option to create a jail in your home where you locked up a bear, but here we are. In the second image, we see his rendition of the DSA, or Democratic Socialist of America, symbol. This type of freedom in a game even allows players to show their political stance. Players have an outlet to express themselves, and that is why Animal Crossing is a great outlet for “showcasing personality in a 2-D world.”
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