Animal Crossing: New Horizons is providing a welcome distraction for millions of people stuck at home in these challenging times. Heck, even members of Congress are discovering its delights, with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) on Thursday tweeting about her new-found interest in the popular social simulation game for the Nintendo Switch.
The politician hit Twitter to broadcast her desire to visit random people’s islands “to leave a doodle or note” on their bulletin boards, even opening her DMs “for the first time since the Zuckerberg hearing” in October 2019 to receive some five-digit Dodo codes.
Hi there! Very new to this.
I would like to visit random people’s islands and leave a doodle or note on their bulletin board.
Can I do that? If so, how?
Should I open my DMs for the first time since the Zuckerberg hearing for the Dodo codes?? https://t.co/pQlm0ES1cM
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 7, 2020
With 6.8 million Twitter followers — most of whom are probably on Animal Crossing right this minute — this could have left AOC with a whole lot of codes to get through. So she left her DMs open for just four minutes.
Clearly having fun, the 30-year-old member of Congress soon posted an update about her first-ever island visit …
Update 2: first ever House call (get it?) in the books!
It was so sweet. Island belonged to a family of three. We exchanged fruit, took pictures, and I signed a bulletin note using my touch screen.
I was floored by how fast they typed and they taught me about the app. pic.twitter.com/KJsI6Gjh9p
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 7, 2020
Indeed, it was going so well that she opened up her DMs again, for another four minutes. “Drop me your Dodo code and a note and I may stop by!” the politician-turned-Animal-Crossing aficionado tweeted.
UPDATE 3: Okay! After a few visits earlier I am reopening for a few more #AOCHouseCalls.
DMs are opening again for 4 minutes, drop me your Dodo code and a note and I may stop by!
(Yes that is a hand drawn campaign shirt & no I haven’t sorted out exporting screenshots yet ) pic.twitter.com/K7Idxnj09W
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 8, 2020
Animal Crossing: New Horizons launched in March 2020 and sold an impressive 11 million copies in its first 11 days, giving it the best start of any Nintendo Switch game.