Pokemon Pokopia channels the spirit of Animal Crossing with fruit trees, a tranquil atmosphere, and talking creatures. It scratches the familiar “cozy game” itch that Animal Crossing: New Horizons did with its homebuilding, crafting, and focus on giving players complete agency over a vast and vibrant land. From tree and river placement to what creatures are permitted to inhabit your own personal paradise, these games share quite a lot in common–even if Pokopia’s ability to “catch ‘em all,” albeit with habitats instead of Poke Balls, shakes the formula up a bit. But, despite how similar these series are, they diverge in one key category: capitalism. While the Animal Crossing series features a progression system fueled by money, Pokopia doesn’t.
By definition, capitalism is a survival-of-the-fittest system wherein private property owners are free to run their operations however they deem fit in effort to accrue personal wealth; to see this system in action, you need look no further than Animal Crossing. All Animal Crossing games start similarly: You move to a new home sold to you by sole property owner Tom Nook, who becomes your benevolent landlord and debt collector. He also usually owns the only store in town, which conveniently means he dictates the influx of supply and demand and the value of all things. Therefore, to pay off your housing loan to Tom Nook, you are forced to sell things to … Tom Nook. You can pay that debt on your home as slowly as you want, as you never need to upgrade your home unless you want to, but the debt still remains. Though, to Nook’s credit, he also doesn’t charge interest or increase the price of anything for the sake of it.
In that sense, Animal Crossing is capitalism without the negative consequences. Still, you can’t play without thinking about money. You can play for the sake of collecting and decorating, but that customization also has a cost. Want to buy furniture? That costs money. So does upgrading your home or building a bridge.
