Animal Crossing allows users to implement custom patterns in-game. Source: Twitter
The Animal Crossing series is a popular topic on social media since its release on March 20. Animal Crossing: New Horizons has broken sales records worldwide as COVID-19 keeps people at home. Even Mainland China is discussing the game on social media.
The Nintendo Switch officially launched in China in December 2019 with only one video game available at first. The video game must be purchased though the Chinese e-shop and online multiplayer is unavailable, Mashable SE reports.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is not officially available in Mainland China and must be imported and played on an imported system with imported controllers. The Chinese Government has only recently removed the video game from e-commerce websites in country for it's online multiplayer functionality, Eurogamer reports. Official sale numbers are not available, though presumably, tens of thousands of copies are floating around China.
Only a fraction of the Nintendo Switch library is officially available in the country. Many of the video games being enjoyed by Chinese audiences, such as Animal Crossing or Call of Duty, must be imported in order to be played through e-commerce websites similar to Ebay. A hashtag for the new game has been viewed over 800 million times on Weibo, Sixth Tone reports. The hashtag was briefly banned following the game's removal from e-commerce sites. Posts Weibo do not stray too far from those shared on American social media sites, from sharing tips to memes with friends or followers.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons features the ability to share player-made designs which often end up on social media. These designs are mostly made into pixel art, Abacus reports. Players took to Weibo to share symbols of the Chinese Communist Party, such as a portrait of Mao Zedong, images calling for Hong Kong's freedom, or taunting messages in light of the pandemic. Players also create shareable designs that relate to pop culture in China. This feature is available in many countries worldwide, though the content shared on Weibo caters most to Asian players.
Players must exercise extreme caution when discussing a topic that is not yet approved in China. Animal Crossing: New Horizons, as played without online functionality, has an ESRB rating of “E,” being suitable for younger players.
WeChat and Weibo have been used to advertise in-game services for real world money by more manipulative players. This goes against Nintendo's terms of service. Daniel Ahmad, who covers video games in Asia, tweeted about a player who implemented QR codes leading to their Alipay or WeChat Pay on their island. These apps allow users to send the QR code owner real world money upon scan. A social media user desperate enough may think it is acceptable to give real money to a stranger in exchange for items in-game.
A Chinese Animal Crossing player has set up a store on their Island where other players can buy custom designed in game items from them.
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) March 29, 2020
They added their WeChat Pay and AliPay QR codes as a custom design in the game so people can send them real world money for the items. lol pic.twitter.com/eCeRDZ1O9v
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is experiencing a wave of popularity in China and the United States. This popularity on social media comes even as the game is not yet available in China and is being accessed through more costly, imported products. The content being shared by Chinese players may not make sense to American audiences but it is being shared in the same way.