My Month in Merriton
Since I had so many entries pre-written for October, I spent the time wisely…
I played videogames.
I had stumbled upon Animal Crossing and did a review of it for The Gadgets Page:
I have spent a month playing the game and have learned the following things:
If I send a little letter (no more than four lines) to my friends every day, it makes them happier.
If I say hi to my friends when I pass them, they like me.
If I stop what I’m doing for my friends and treat them as a highest priority, they give me their most prized possession: a picture of themselves.
It’s not a good idea to spend too much time in my house. I miss out on all the good stuff.
Rainbows are freakin’ impressive, even computer generated ones, mostly because they are so rare.
Playing the Stalk Market can pay off big, but it’s just as much work as “real” work.
There is joy in gardening, fishing, talking to friends and moving around furniture. If you think they are just mundane work, this isn’t the game (or life) for you.
There was a moment when I realized that these “rules” for Animal Crossing are pretty good rules for life. If I sent a four line email to each of my friends every day, I would have so many “real” friends that I wouldn’t need all of these imaginary friends in my Nintendo DS. Funny thing is, in some respects, I like these imaginary friends a lot. I grieve when they move away. I beg them to stay. I give them little gifts that I think they will like by tucking them into my letters to them.
My month in Merriton has been a happy and productive month both in the “real” world and the videogame. I can’t wait until it starts snowing so I can make a snowman. Maybe it will talk to me!