I never thought of myself as a gamer before the coronavirus pandemic, but my intense draw to this game over the last couple of months has changed how I think about myself and how I spend my time. Now, instead of the sweet lull of ocean sounds, I fall asleep listening to Animal Crossing ASMR ; I wake up dreaming up new ways to terraform my island. I’m both astounded and appalled by the new person I have become in quarantine — but I think I love her. My real-life roots have grown out, but my character’s hair has been four colours in four days. I haven’t worn jeans in almost two months, but my character just got three new pairs and can’t stop showing them off. My virtual plants never die, I live in a log cabin, my toast is always perfectly crisp. It almost feels like the before times.