Gerome was looking forward to seeing the cherry blossoms in D.C. with his younger sister. The 22-year-old college student moved to Maryland from the Philippines two years ago. After missing the blooms in D.C. last spring, he was excited to make a trip to the Tidal Basin.
But in recent weeks, as the spread of coronavirus brought daily life in the District to a standstill, and local officials urged residents to stay at home, Gerome, who asked to only be identified by his first name, realized he and his sister’s plans might fall through.
Around the same time, he downloaded the video game Animal Crossing: New Horizons, to play with his older sister, who lives in Australia. In the game, users create and live on their own islands, completing tasks and interacting with anthropomorphized animals. Players can also visit each others’ islands and send postcards back and forth.
In a pleasant surprise, he found a patch of cherry blossom trees in the game. “It was fun,” Gerome says. “At least somehow it can compensate for me not being able to go to D.C. to view the real cherry blossoms.”
D.C.’s annual National Cherry Blossom Festival, which was scheduled to take place from March 20 until April 12, cancelled all of its in-person events due to COVID-19 in lieu of a virtual festival.
The trees reached peak bloom in late March. While the festival launched a BloomCam to see the trees without leaving the house, some people headed to the Tidal Basin anyway, causing D.C. to restrict access to the area.
But some locals are avoiding the Tidal Basin and still getting their fix. Vicariously walking among the cherry blossoms via their Animal Crossing avatars can be just as fun, they say. In the game, cherry blossom trees bloom once a year, and players in the Northern Hemisphere can see them April 1 until April 10, and bring seasonal crafts and activities for players.
Javi Villatoro, a digital marketing specialist who lives in Montgomery County, says he and his family typically go see the cherry blossoms together every year. “We try to basically plan a day around it,” he says. But as businesses and schools in the area shut down over the past few weeks he’s been trying to stay inside as much as possible.
He had never played Animal Crossing before, but after hearing friends talk about it, he decided to download New Horizons. Even in their digital form, the sight of the familiar trees comforted him.
“When I see them, it’s sort of calming,” Villatoro says. For the 21 year old, that’s how playing the game feels in general. “There’s really no looming threat or antagonist in this game,” he says. “It’s really just meant for you to enjoy yourself and go at your own pace.”
New Horizons, the latest installment in the Nintendo series, has become go-to entertainment during quarantine. The game dropped on March 20, just as many U.S. cities began to shut down—and the day D.C.’s cherry blossom festival was supposed to begin.
The low-stress user experience and ability to socialize have made it a popular game for quarantine. At least one couple got married in the game in place of the real-life ceremony that was cancelled, the Washington Post reports.
Lucy, a 16-year-old high school student in Maryland, who also asked to be identified only by her first name, downloaded the game after a friend urged her to. “And I said, ‘Why not?’ cause I had time,” she says.
She and her family would typically go see the blossoms together in D.C., but weren’t able to this year. Lucy didn’t expect to see the trees in the game. When she first spotted them, “it made me happy.” She’s been wandering among them as her character, and even growing her own in a garden in the game.
Gerome says he hopes he and his sister can go see the real cherry blossoms next year. But for now, the virtual substitute will do. “For me, it’s a great escape still,” he says.
