On Saturday 20th, the fight for racial equality will take place on an Animal Crossing island called Isle of Buns, owned by Adelle Lin.
“I was inspired to “say their names” and wanted to create a memorial space with the time I was spending in Animal Crossing. Coupled with not being able to be out to protest because of Covid, it made sense to try to protest from home,” explained rally organizer Adelle Lin. “There are many others who feel the same and this is an avenue for us to connect with the movement.”
At Adelle’s rally, players can donate directly to organizations and show receipts for unique artwork. For those unable to donate money, her rally uses a unique donation matching system using in-game Bells currency. “Bells are the animal crossing in game currency that you earn by doing a variety of things – picking fruit, making items, planting money trees, popping balloons and most lucratively selling turnips on the “stalk” market,” Adelle explained. “Players spend loads of time gathering these bells and are valuable to building your island. I’d like to offer a way for friends with variable income like artists to also participate in donating, which is rewarding in itself. By donating in game currency, I’ll personally exchange that at a rate of 99,000 bells to $100 cash donations.”
Within the game, an area for donations is split between different charities. The player walks over to the donation area for the charity they want, drop bells, and tells Adelle which charity and how much, they want donated on their behalf.
Anyone can come visit via an Animal Crossing turnip code link or tune in via twitch. Visit the livestream Saturday at 6P EST.
Stranger Worlds 