I want to go back to that introduction. That was definitely a true story, and on New Years 2017 I found myself alone in my bedroom. You know what I was doing? I was celebrating the holiday with my neighbors in my town, “Carolina.”

Now I’m sure there are people who will stop reading right here. “You seriously spent your New Year’s with a bunch of fake video game characters? Are you five years old?” I get that. And I’m sure that Nintendo didn’t intend for people to replace actually participating in things like New Year’s Eve with playing their game. Hopefully my explanation makes sense.

What people need to understand about Animal Crossing is that it accomplishes something that I have yet to find in any other game I’ve ever played: a sense of community. And as someone with bipolar disorder and a plethora of mental health issues, that sense of belonging has helped me more than nearly anything else.

Now there are plenty of games with generous world building, similar day/night mechanics, and building relationships with NPCs (looking at you Stardew Valley). So what does Animal Crossing do differently to establish this sense of community?

I think it comes down to three things:

1. It gives you a squad

When you play Animal Crossing, you’ve got one of the greatest support systems money can buy. Talk to anyone, and they have something nice to say. “Hey, nice shirt you’ve got on today!” “Good morning, wanna come hang out?”

Well, not always something nice to say… (credit to u/JusticeForWaluigiS5 on reddit)

Now maybe they’re nice because most of the game revolves around doing them favors… but you know that’s not the point. I mean if you’re good enough friends with a villager, sometimes they’ll even come over your house unannounced just walking in like “Hey what’s up I’m just gonna chill here so yeah nice place you’ve got here.”

For all you popular people out there, this must seem ridiculous. But I promise you, this feature is so cathartic when you don’t have as many friends or when you’re just not feeling like being a social person. Animal Crossing always has your back. Pop the game in, turn it on, and BAM! You’ve got yourself friends to talk to and share fun experiences with.

2. It gives you purpose

A lot of people suffer from depression and so this should sound familiar. But for those that don’t, there are times when it’s hard to accomplish anything. Sometimes it’s hard to get up out of bed, forget about being productive or meeting deadlines. Animal Crossing counters this by giving you simple, menial tasks to do throughout the day. Sounds fun right? Well, surprisingly it is. You see, doing things for others is a surefire way to feel better about yourself. It feels good to step back and say that you made someone else’s day better, and that’s what Animal Crossing is all about. Help someone catch a fish, furnish their house, whatever it is. It’s not about that random useless item you get in return. Hearing your neighbor say how thankful they are for you making their life easier, that’s something that leaves an impression when times are hard. That’s the sort of thing that motivates you and keeps you working toward feeling better.

3. It takes you away

Yes, Animal Crossing takes you away. To where you might ask? Well that’s up to you. It can take you to a serene tropical island or a quiet park bench. A lively (but usually empty) night club or a relaxing coffee shop. The choice is yours. One of my favorite parts about Animal Crossing is that no matter what is going on in my life, I can turn on the game and take my mind somewhere else. This is arguably what makes the series so special to its fans. Plenty of games are designed to create a world that makes you feel like you’re in a completely different place. Look at games like Xenoblade Chronicles and Breath of the Wild (I just finished XC1 and XC2 recently by the way, and yes they are incredible). Both amazing games for sure. They both create massive, immersive and interactive worlds that thrust the player into the unknown and make them feel like the character is a part of a living, breathing environment.

The difference, however, is the way the player interacts with said world. What makes Animal Crossing so great, surprisingly, is that the player does almost nothing in the game they wouldn’t do in real life. Now that may sound weird, but think about it. In games like Zelda, you’re a hero. You fight bad guys, you get stronger by solving puzzles and upgrading your weapons, and you fight unbelievable enemies on your path to glory. In Animal Crossing, you pull weeds. You send mail. You pay a mortgage. When you enter this world, you’re taken away but in a different sense. Instead of experiencing a new world in a new way, you’re experiencing it in the way you normally would in the first place.

What this does is gives you a life outside of the one you currently lead: A life that while mundane, is always full of compliments and laughter and smiles. Is that always ideal? Of course not. Life is all about the ups and the downs and how we learn from our experiences. But you know what? Sometimes we need our squad to tell us we look nice today. Sometimes we need to deliver some mail to make us feel better about ourselves. There is not a single game out there that mimics this as well as Animal Crossing, save for maybe something like Farming Simulator or something (that’s for another time though).