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John Shiell and Ashleigh Price-Bell had big plans for their wedding day. The couple, both primary school teachers in Melbourne, Australia, were ready to say their “I two” at their destination wedding, scheduled for early April. But like many couples around the world, they had to postpone due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We were quite distressed,” said Shiell. “We were holding out … but we ended up having to postpone the wedding by a single digit on the wedding day.”
Related: Many people don’t put love on hold during COVID-19
But the wedding continued. Not in Australia, but on a virtual island.
Friends and fans of Shiell’s, which broadcasts on Twitch and other platforms like @ Metalfear4, organized a virtual wedding ceremony for the couple in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the latest installment in a beloved Nintendo video game series.
“It was incredible,” said Shiell.
As the coronavirus continues to alter the lives of people around the world, many play pretend play to live experiences and routines disrupted by the pandemic, and by a sense of normality and connection.
“We have become a planet of anxiety sufferers. And I think a lot of people are discovering that the game is just a place where they can let themselves be absorbed for just a little while, where fear outside the window doesn’t count just a little bit. “
“We have become a planet of anxiety sufferers,” said John Walker, a video game writer in Bristol, southwest England. “And I think a lot of people are finding that the game is just a place where they can just let themselves be absorbed for a while, where fear outside the window doesn’t count just a little bit.”
Since its release in March, the game has been very popular worldwide, including in the US. USA, where it is already one of the best sellers of the year.
In the game, the player, represented by a human avatar, lives on an island among friendly (and really adorable) animal neighbors. The objective of the game is to create the island of your dreams. And to take care of it.
Related: Mourning in the midst of a pandemic
The game allows players to visit each other’s islands, which is particularly attractive during these times of travel restrictions and social estrangement, Walker said. The game has had another benefit for Walker, who recently wrote about how it helped him homeschool his 5-year-old son.
Some have turned to gambling for escapism, others for activism. And then there are those who use the game to stay connected with friends and romantic couples who are far away.
Briana Uskali, who lives in Florida with her two children, loves waking up to find gifts in her mailbox at her husband’s game, who is in the Air Force and stationed in South Korea.
“I woke up today, and there [were] two things from him in my mailbox and one of them was a skirt. So I put it on. I still have it in the game right now. “
“When I get up in the morning and turn on the game to open my mailbox, I will have … different things from him … like items of clothing that he knows I would like,” Uskali said. . “I woke up today, and there [were] two things from him in my mailbox and one of them was a skirt. So I put it on. I still have it in the game right now. “
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Others turn to gambling to process difficult moments in their lives.
Karen Morgan of Glasgow, Scotland recently lost a family member to COVID-19.
“We won’t be able to have a funeral for my grandfather, but … I’ve been working in a memorial park in my [Animal Crossing] island.”
“We won’t be able to have a funeral for my grandfather, but … I’ve been working in a memorial park in my [Animal Crossing] island, “he said.
Related: How the coronavirus is changing the way Muslims celebrate Ramadan
In a forum where players can exchange items, Morgan went in search of gravestones, which is a game item, but not all players have it. He connected with a Florida woman who had some in his possession.
Morgan got one for his grandfather and one for his father, who died in February. She decorated the monument with flowers and game elements that reminded her of her family members.
She will make a true monument when this is all over, she says. But for now, he’s fine crying in his little virtual world.
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