Is Animal Crossing a Great Game

Recently, I came across Marissa Balti’s book, Animal Crossing: a Great Game. It was written for young readers (Children that don’t require illustrations to help them follow a story). Aren’t we all kids at heart?Truthfully, it’s a quick read for an adult. Yet, Animal Crossing: a Great Game reminded me of a history book.

The table of contents provides a clear map of the Animal Crossing franchise with asides sprinkled throughout the book. The glossary helps readers unfamiliar with Animal Crossing jargon. The index decreases the need to thumb through the book for a specific piece of information.

However, it is not a history book. Marissa Balti did not provide a bibliography. Nor did she cite/paraphrase information. Again, adult readers are not the target audience. She recommended books and articles at the end of the book. Since Animal Crossing: a Great Game directs readers to more sources, a historian could use the book as a tertiary source. It’s a good source for images too.

Marissa Balti shared a variety of in-game photos of the Animal Crossing franchise.. Most of the photos featured in the book are of Animal Crossing : New Horizon and Pocket Camp. To be fair, these games are the main focus of the book. Plus, the reader can see how far series has come.

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In my opinion, the book is ideal for Animal Crossing fans. It is nice to see a non-guide book out about the game. Plus, it would be a useful resource for a unit study. New Horizen played a big role during quarantine, to include, the games social media presence.

Fair warning, Marissa Balti’s book does not feature content about the November 5th release. The community had mixed signals about how Nintendo handled free content and downloadable content (DLC). To clarify, DLC is additional payed content.

The book was published August 1, 2021. Sadly, the fandom’s reaction to the early update was not documented by Marissa Balti. Who knows, maybe we will get a sequel or updated edition of Animal Crossing a Great Game. The book is available in hardcover and paperback at B&N and indie bookstore.