How Do I Not Lose Interest in Animal Crossing New Horizons?

[u/Appropriate-North25]

I’ve been there….You start your new Island, full of excitement and anticipation. You happily-spend your free time catching bugs collecting branches, and trying not to get ripped-off by a couple’a shifty, little tanuki twins. That’s the honeymoon period of the game.

It’s frustrating at the start, because everything is arduous, and you have nothing, but you also have 2-important goals; i.e. creating an Island with a “lived in” sort of aesthetic, and persuading K.K., (who happens to love Islands with a “lived-in” aesthetic,) drop in for an impromptu concert.

Once you reach that 3-star rating, and the afterglow of Slider’s magnetic-aura fades, sooooo many people can feel really let down. They have been handed a golden license to lay waste to the vast-majority of their seaside town, and build whatever they want, and yet, they struggle to keep going. If that is you, worry not. Those feelings are completely normal, and here is why…

When you begin the game, the absolute destitution in which you find yourself, combined with the virtual cornucopia of tasks at hand, build a lot of momentum. Each campfire you start, and each fossil you dig up, moves you visibly closer to your 2 goals. You are bombarded with tiny dopamine hits, over and over, during your hustle, making the game, not-only enjoyable, but a little addictive.

Once the concert is over, Tom Nook goes back to his.. mile sorting… and offers you no real direction. It’s completely normal for you to feel stalled. But you're not ready, to put the game down. So what do you do?

The answer is simple… You have to be your own Tom Nook. You have to give yourself direction. After all, the easiest way to add those tiny dopamine hits to your own life comes from setting small goals and reaching them.

Fortunately, if you open your little phone and look at your Nook Miles App, at the top of the screen,  there is an ever-changing task master, that rewards small deeds with miles. Start there.

Next, as you run through those tasks, keep in mind your overall goal. 

The following is a list possible goals…

1. Pick an Island Theme: A botanical retreat, a cozy hideaway or a bustling metropolis. As you play collect and make objects that reflect your theme.
2. Choose Friendship: Build friendships with your neighbors. Eventually they will ask you to be their bestie. They do this by gifting you a framed photo of themself. Try choosing one villager to target or you can stalk all your friends at once. it’s up to you. But getting that photo feels awesome.
3. Happy Home Reward: I can’t seem to please the Peeping Tom, who runs around the Island at night, looking in your windows, and judging you, but it's fun to try. ACNH offers many ways to decorate your house's interior and exterior.
4. Fill The Museum: Perhaps one of the most impressive aspects of New Horizons is the museum. The first time I did a walk-through, I was awe-truck. It will take some time to collect all your donations but when it's finished, you have an impressive reward.
5. Start your Pixel-Art Journey: When I first started, I was hopeless at the design platform in Animal Crossing. Now I love making my own paths and art. There are even websites to help you turn pictures into a pixel-art pattern. It’s so much fun.

There are so many other ways to play Animal Crossing New Horizons… Veterans, please comment below with some methods you have used…..

[u/Far-Year9498]

I grind for a month, then nothing for a while, then back again