The COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing periods of social distancing saw the widespread use of digital games as a ‘crisis hobby,’ providing distraction and comfort during this time of confinement to the home space. Surpassing the notion of the game as an escapist outlet, this article explores how tend-and-befriend games like Nintendo’s Animal Crossing foster well-being and (self-)care among its players, particularly under pandemic conditions. We propose the term Digital Biedermeier to theorize the forms of self-care found in and around the interior spaces of these games through the lens of the historic Biedermeier period, a time likewise
marked by a new-found focus on domestic spaces and the adherent practices of home-making and decorating. Departing from this notion of a digital retreat, we shed light upon the unique care structure of Animal Crossing by mapping the practices carried out within the game to the wider philosophical discourse around care, particularly Arendt’s basic human activities of labor, work, and action. In doing so, the article interweaves elements of game analysis with a situated and praxeological approach that takes into account experiences and observations in online player communities.
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