During the coronavirus pandemic, almost all businesses are going through a huge and unprecedented recession. However, there’s one industry going against the tide and become one of the few bright spots in global business during the turbulence-and that is the gaming industry, which is a perfect anecdote for a life indoors.
In my feature, I will dig into the most trending Nintendo Switch console Game during the global quarantine: Animal Crossing New Horizons. According to Google Trends, the search of this game in Australia soared even before the release date and the popularity ratings still remain high and stable.
Animal Crossing not only offers “a peaceful paradise of your own making” but also the opportunity to make big real-world money, that may give Nintendo the right to sue you. The interviewee I have contacted will reveal the behind-the-scenes deals and tell us how he has used the loophole to get profit from this game in my feature.
What is Animal Crossing New Horizons?
The game reflects real-life time zone and the gameplay is actually quite simple. It throws players to an uninhabited island where they can design everything by themselves. Every day new elements like infrastructures, gifts, crafting recipes or even new neighbors (NPCs) will be introduced to players. Eventually the originally empty island will become a village full of islanders.
Structure?
I will start with the quotes from my interviewee as his means of making money and the total amount he has earned from Animal Crossing to date is a hook to readers.
Secondly, I will introduce the gameplay and the amazing popularity during the pandemic briefly by using hypertextual elements such as links, videos or screenshots (download/selling number and social media engagement number in some well-known platforms).
Thirdly, I will write in detail about how the interviewee succeeded leveraging the systems and loopholes of the game to make money including what program he had created to accelerate the game procedure and how his team operates every day (Yes, he recruited a team…) and so on. Most specific quotes will be displayed in this part.
After that, I will reveal the fact that my interviewee is just one of the
thousands of beneficiaries of this games. The huge turnover on Ebay or other online trading platform indicate the booming market behind this game.
Before ending the feature with my interviewee’s quote to provoke readers’ thought, I will also discover Nintendo’s end user license agreement and point out the potential risk of this act.
The whole structure can be summarized as below:
Target Audience?
This feature targets younger people (15-30), who are the actual gamers. They should be informed of this hidden rule behind the game they are obsessed with and be reminded that it may be risky to participate in this intentionally or unintentionally.
Desired publication?
I would like to see this piece published on the gaming section of news.com.au /Sydney Morning Herald or the exclusive section for this game on IGN. The first two publications have a wide readership in Australia and may reach more audience, including the big fans of this game. In terms of IGN, it’s the world-famous video game media website, where the readers are more likely to have interests in Animal Crossing related issues.
Hi Qian,
I am looking forward to reading your final piece since I am also an Animal Crossing addict. The topic you have picked is relevant and interesting. In regards to your proposal, I believe your SEO title could be tweaked to be stronger by using a keyword that is relevant to our day such as Coronavirus?
I would recommend trying to implement more statistics and research as to why people are attracted to this game especially during this pandemic.
For the headlines, I would recommend enlarging them to catch the reader’s attention since a lot of readers first skim before reading. The graph is great, my only comment is to make it larger since the text is too small. The multimedia forms you have chosen are good and I would recommend expanding on it some more (perhaps showing a day in the life of an Animal Crossing player).
Looking forward to your final piece!
Hi, Qian
Animal crossing is undoubtedly one of the most popular games recently. it is a timely piece of news, the interesting and popular topic can attract more readers. Here I want to say that I am also a loyal player of animal crossing. So your theme is very attractive to fans like me.
In addition, I really like your structure. Especially, it is wise to attract readers by making money. The money will always capture the curiosity of readers. In addition, hyperlinks are used to supplement gameplay and popular data, which can provide readers with more materials. Finally, I want to provide an idea to improve the interactivity for this news. Because this game is popular now, fans of animal crossing will want to exchange ideas in a timely manner, so you can set a comment bar below the news to make it more convenient for readers.
I looking forward to reading your final news.
Hi, Qian.
I think the topic you choose is trendy. During the quarantine period of COVID-19, Animal Crossing New Horizons has indeed become a perfect entertainment method. I believe this topic will attract many readers.
Besides, I think your multimedia is very rich. You used an adorable picture at the beginning. I think the loyal players of this game and readers who have not played this game will be attracted! You used a video to explain what is Animal Crossing New Horizons, which is very vivid!
I can’t agree more with Leena’s suggestion, and I also think you should provide an area for readers to comment on the news, which will facilitate communication between players and non-players.
Overall I think your article will be fascinating, I want to read your article soon!