A fascinating study of what made Nintendos cutesy life sim so popular during the COVID pandemic. The author brings in his own familys experiences, adding a touching personal element to the analysis. -- Keith Stuart * The Guardian * "The book highlights the games profound role in fostering community when physical connection was impossible. For Wardrip-Fruin, who identifies as disabled, the game opened up new avenues for parenting. 'I was able to do things like play tag, hide and seek, and other games like that that my son had never been able to play with me because Im just not able enough,' he said. 'It was really rewarding for him and for me.' . . . As the world prepares for the next version of Animal Crossing in 2026, Wardrip-Fruins book highlights the powerful, yet sometimes manipulative, psychological mechanisms within our own digital habits." -- Jeanette Bent * The 831 * An exploration of how and why the game resonated so deeply with people during the pandemic, reflecting on themes of comfort, ability/disability, safe capitalism, and more. * UC Santa Cruz News * A book that gets to the heart of what play, progression, and fun mean. Within the context of a single game in a singular time, Wardrip-Fruin shows us the two-way nature of a games world: just as we can enter it, it can enter ours. The book is a pleasure to read as a game designer, a parent, and a gamer. -- Rod Humble, game designer In Wardrip-Fruins hands, Animal Crossing: New Horizons becomes a fascinating lens on how games simulate ecosystems of community and mutual careincluding how complicated those things become with economics intersecting. Its also a unique memoir of the early COVID-19 pandemic, where mass isolation and the loss of communal spaces saw ACNH become a crucial third space for millions. This book adeptly captures a crucial time and place for game design in history. -- Leigh Alexander, writer, narrative designer for video games, and author of "Breathing Machine: A Memoir of Computers" Wardrip-Fruin has a great eye for identifying undercurrents in games and digital media. . . . As [ he] reminds us, games are rarely just games. Theyre usually games about something, they bring the real world into the game. * Game Developer, on "How Pac-Man Eats" * A significant contribution to game studies and game design. * Game Studies, on "How Pac-Man Eats" *
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