We journey together to a sunny island. Like the best holiday ever
– Gamer Jenny Drayton, 61
Jenny Drayton, 61, had enjoyed playing video games for years but had failed in her efforts to get non-gamer husband, Terry, 74, to share her enthusiasm.
That changed, however, around six months ago, when she stumbled across a game they could both enjoy and have been playing it together ever since: the gentle and colourful Animal Crossing: New Horizons for the Nintendo Switch.
The game, which became a worldwide craze during lockdown, allows the player to develop a desert island into a bustling tropical paradise populated by friendly anthropomorphic animals to interact and trade with.
Jenny said: “I received a Nintendo Switch as a gift with Animal Crossing already
installed. I was a little suspicious at first because I thought, ‘It’s just a little children’s game’. But as soon as I realised how nice this game was, I loved it.
“You feel like you are on your own personal desert island with the sun shining and everything you could ever want – it’s lovely.”
Terry had treated himself to a new TV and set it up so Jenny could play the game on its big screen. But while he would normally read a newspaper or browse the internet on his ipad while his wife gamed, he found himself being more and more drawn into Jenny’s new
tropical world and eventually joined in, with the Rosyth couple making decisions about the governing of their virtual island paradise together.
“Terry has cancer, he’s all right – he’s a fighter – but over lockdown we had to take extra care not to bring any Covid into the house.
“We played it most during that time, and it felt like we were doing something together.
“Instead of cutting each other off, or living in our own separate screens, it wasn’t like that.
“It took us along a lovely journey – playing it feels like you are on your best holiday ever.”