"I guess I've always felt like my Animal Crossing streams are fun and fresh each day simply because I genuinely love playing it," he says.
The update and DLC has only added to that. Toph has two islands, three characters, and regularly engages the community with island visits and "dreamie hunts" to keep viewers entertained.
Toph hasn't stopped playing the game since its release, though he admits "it's definitely a game that relies heavily on the player as far as making content goes which is why I think some people struggle with streaming it for long periods of time or as their main game." "The game has really been a support mechanism for a lot of us, with and without mental health needs, and was absolutely a game that kept on giving over the last 20 months with their seasonal updates that allowed us to enjoy the change of seasons with events and more." "Now, with the update, which falls around the time when a lot of people experience SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), I've personally found it as respite and it actually supports me through low moments. She also highlights Nintendo's timing and the game's mental health benefits. "It's a forever game isn't it? You can play for hours and get lost in it," says Ebonix.
And that's certainly added to the game's long term appeal. In particular, the DLC allows players to be creative, beyond the usual daily activities. And then with the excitement of the update, as well as the DLC, it truly felt like a new game." I was able to relive the experience of it being a new game again, which brought really nostalgic feelings that I had last year. "I actually started afresh again with a brand new island. "The update definitely did breathe life back into the game as after many hours of binging it, it became quite hollow and pointless at times," she says. Streamer Ebonix, meanwhile, returned to the game after a hiatus. Especially now with Happy Home Paradise." "We had to wait a bit, yes, but the amount of content and freedom we have in the game is incredible. "I personally think Nintendo has done a lot with New Horizons," he says. Toph is satisfied with the amount of content that's been added. My favourite thing about the DLC is that all players get the same design prompts but the way we all approach them is so different. "I'm so happy a lot of new players can now experience Happy Home Paradise because it presents so many opportunities to grow creatively. "The new update is incredible! As a huge Happy Home Designer (3DS) fan, I had only dreamed that we'd get a sequel one day," says Toph, a regular Animal Crossing streamer. Reaction to the new content has been positive from both long-time and lapsed players. And both the introduction of the tag and the popularity of these games have led to a 10 percent increase in hours spent watching cozy game streams from September 2020 to September 2021. Games like The Sims, Stardew Valley and Pokémon proliferate Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a key title. These streams tend to focus on low action, slow-paced games and attract communities seeking relaxed, cosy vibes. This increase in popularity runs in parallel with the new "cozy" tag introduced by Twitch on 29th July this year, alongside other 'mood' tags like "chilled", "hyped" and "chatty". Friday 5th November, the release date of the DLC, saw a peak number of viewers of 70,860 - that's the highest number of viewers since the game launched (which peaked at 244,171 viewers on 20th March 2020). November saw a 198 percent increase in both the number of hours watched and average number of viewers. And that's coming from both the number of channels streaming content and viewers watching. Looking at Twitch stats over the past year, the game has seen a huge spike in interest throughout November. That renaissance is most obvious on Twitch.