From Escapism to Activism: How Animal Crossing Became a Warm Reflection of 2020

#GlobalPrideCrossing highlights how social movements and brands have come into the game

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As protests against police brutality stretched into Pride Month amid an ongoing pandemic, the confluence has brought about important conversations around intersectionality, racial injustice and the importance of human empathy.

These swirling forces of social change have also worked their way into Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the Nintendo Switch game that launched just as the pandemic reached America. Initially, the game provided a quaint escape from the anxiety of quarantine. But as the pandemic era has dragged on for months, real-world movements and issues have found a home in the tropical pixels of the game.

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