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Elijah Wood is the model Animal Crossing player

Elijah can have little a fruit, as a treat

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Elijah Wood asking an Animal Crossing player for some fruit Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via directedbyrian/Twitter
Nicole Carpenter is a senior reporter specializing in investigative features about labor issues in the game industry, as well as the business and culture of games.

Every day, Animal Crossing: New Horizons players are opening up their islands to strangers. I’ve seen people on social media opening up their island for visitors when stargazing Celeste is in town, or when a meteor shower promises lots of star fragments. Sometimes, people post Dodo Codes when a villager is making a highly sought after DIY recipe — say, the Ironwood Kitchenette. Most often, it’s for Animal Crossing’s Stalk Market: People are looking to buy low and sell high to make huge profits on turnips, and sometimes, your own island prices won’t cut it.

And so, people open up their towns to strangers. People on the internet flock to unknown islands and line up in front of Daisy Mae or at Nook’s Cranny. The only problem is ... some people are terrible. Though there are protections in place to keep strangers from razing your island to the ground — only best friends can use tools, for instance — there are ways to be a jerk on other people’s islands. That’s why some people are limiting access to visitors via fences or hiring bouncers to keep visitors in check.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Take a cue from actor Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings, Sin City). Don’t be a jerk — ask before you pluck fruit. Indeed, Wood is the model Animal Crossing player and we can all learn a few things from him. On Thursday, an Animal Crossing: New Horizons player named jessa (@directedbyrian on Twitter) opened up their island for visitors, touting a sell price of 599 bells. According to jessa, Wood DMed for a Dodo code and visited the island to get rid of his ’nips.

As it turns out, it was the best possible scenario for this situation. Not only does it make a viral tweet, but it provides us all with a role model. Be good like Wood. Here are some tips. (And if you need more tips on how to be a good visitor we have a guide for that, too.)

  1. Compliment the host
  2. Pose for pictures and make memories
  3. Ask before you pick fruit or flowers
  4. Shout out Knives Out and Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson

As an example of even more good behavior, it’s considerate to fave someone’s tweets about you and your visit when you’re a celebrity.

There’s only one thing I’m unsure about: Elijah, did you leave a tip? After all, one does not simply walk into Nook’s Cranny. We’ve reached out for confirmation.


Animal Crossing: New Horizons

  • $60

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is “a much-needed escape from everything,” according to our review.

  • $60 at Amazon

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