‘Animal Crossing’ offers digital getaway under lockdown

Gabriele playing Nintendo's ‘Animal Crossing’ at home in Melbourne during the country's enforced Covid-19 coronavirus lockdown. The leisurely world of Nintendo's latest release ‘Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ has struck a chord with gamers around the world, many of them yearning for a virtual escape from the onerous restrictions on movement and social activity brought on to contain the infection. — Photos: AFP

HONG KONG: Millions of people are skirting global coronavirus lockdowns to stroll through public spaces, fly overseas and watch idyllic sunsets... in the virtual world of smash-hit video game Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

The leisurely land of Nintendo's latest release has struck a chord with gamers around the world, many of them yearning for a virtual escape from the onerous restrictions on movement and social activity imposed to contain the infection.