The first part that she shows me regarding customization this game has is the island itself. Every player is free to change how their island looks whether it be by adding terrain, rivers, or objects/building placements. Her island is best described as a fantasy city. She has paved roads and fences around each home that has its own garden of flowers in various colors. She also has stuffed animals spread all throughout the island. She tells me that her island is an animal city where they can all live together. This is evident by the park she constructed that has stuffed animals and villagers living in it playing on the playground. Already these details showcase how the island itself is a blank canvas that gives the tools for children to make whatever image they have in their mind. There are no prompts or directions that led Maria to make what she did, rather she was able to let her creativity drive her leading to making a town of stuffed animals that in her mind are living and exploring the city. 

Another creative aspect Maria shows me is her own house which is like a wooden cottage. Her home has some resemblance to her bedroom with it having a desk of a similar color as well as a TV and a fan to the side, but it also has a lot of stuffed rabbits and a giant aquarium in the middle with a green fish in it. Her room also has a pink carpet on the ground and a dining table, with a Nintendo Switch next to it. The first thing she does is open her wardrobe and put on as she describes her “mayor outfit” which is what her character wears when she is making changes to the town or visiting villagers. The outfit comprises a white top hat that has a blue ribbon and a blue princess costume. After putting it on she then shows me the town hall where she says she can change things about her town such as the times that the shop opens (earlier or later in the day) and also the town tune (a song that plays at the start of every hour) which she changes by arranging music notes. After that, she goes back to her front yard which has a doghouse and a big dinosaur next to it which she tells me is the town mascot (His name is Rex).

Seeing her home and her playing the role of mayor introduces a great strength of this game which is to allow children to take on roles that they see in real life and apply them in an approachable environment. For Maria, she may not fully understand what the job of a mayor is but in her mind, she sees it as someone who takes care of the town and is able to practice playing a potential career option. In addition, being able to have fun interactions like making a town tune and picking a mascot adds a form of interaction that helps to keep her engaged in wanting to express her interest in being a town mayor.

Overall, there is a lot of openness this game offers for a child’s creativity. Many of the items that she showed me were either crafted by the materials she collects in this game or by purchasing them at the store with in-game currency. Additionally, many of the clothes and items have color options allowing her to further suit the game to her preferences and explore new options that she may not be able to in real life. This form of interaction helps to bridge the gap too between gender norms as it offers the ability for girls to construct buildings and take on leadership positions and allows boys to decorate and be designers. Roles such as these ones mentioned, unfortunately, have been forced into being exclusively for males or females. Luckily this game combats such restrictive stereotypes by allowing kids to play any role they wish regardless of gender, this can help to give them new experiences that they have been lacking and break hurtful stereotypes about gender and race. 

Starting with the NPCs, Maria showed me her favorite villager Daisy. This character is a pastel yellow colored dog who has a cheerful expression. When Maria interacts with Daisy she is found sitting under a tree describing how she enjoys sunny days. After a few more dialogue options with her, she gives a gift to Maria which is a colorful t-shirt. It's from seeing these interactions that it helps to introduce to a child what it can be like to make bonds with others. Even though the conversations with the villagers do not have as much depth, what they discuss is realistic and comparable to talking with acquaintances or people you may interact with such as neighbors or other people within a community. After seeing Daisy, Maria then takes me to the town hall to introduce me to Isabelle. Unlike villagers on this island, Isabelle has the position of the town secretary responsible for helping to set up city ordinances and organizing events. Maria tells me that Isabelle is “very helpful and even though she can get worried it's because she cares a lot”. In addition to this Maria also points out that it's fun to see her enjoying New Year's and other holidays that take place on this island. This is important because it helps to show children too that people who they may see often performing a certain role such as a mailman or a teacher also have lives outside of their job. This can help to give exposure to such norms and allow Maria to better understand that people are not just defined by their jobs but also by what they do outside of them. 

Another aspect of the social interactions this game offers is with other players. Maria shows this as she goes to her cousin Kim’s island. She does this by going to an airport on the dock of her town where she can select it and visit. It is also at this part that it reveals that each town has its own name that can be picked out by others. For Maria, her island’s name is Heartwood, while her cousin Kim’s island is called Horizon. At her town, it has some similarities to Maria’s with it also having a park and stuffed animals scattered throughout though it also has a lot of beach stuff such as BBQs, Beachballs, Umbrellas, and Ice coolers. It very much has a more relaxed beach aesthetic. This reveals further the value this game offers as it allows users to be able to take inspiration from other islands while also allowing them an outlet to share their own interests and preferences with one another in a mutual activity. By visiting an island, it's a way of allowing children such as Maria to explore what Kim has created, interact with it, and by extension get to know Kim better. 

Maria also told me that she went to her town on Halloween and it was there that she exchanged gifts with her which were fruit from each other's islands (apples and cherries). One thing about this game is that there are holidays that happen that correspond to real life such as Halloween and New Year's. It is during these times that the town has certain events happening or gives out items that match the occasion. There were no holidays happening during my observation but she told me that Bunny Day was recently (A holiday in game that is like Easter where a rabbit goes around hiding eggs and you can get items that match the aesthetic of the occasion). Exchanging gifts though as she did with Kim on Halloween is something they made up together since they were unable to go trick-or-treating together last year. This feature of the game showcases a strength of it that sets it apart from other games. It's a lifestyle game that changes in real-time and, while has many fantastical elements, carries realism such as seasons changing and holidays that are similar to real life. It's from this that it can allow kids to create their own traditions and be exposed to holidays that they may not get the chance to experience in real life. By understanding these social customs it can open children to new cultures. In the case of Maria, her being able to exchange gifts with Kim on Halloween is a special tradition made between them and allows them to deepen a social connection with one another.

Overall, the social interactions within Animal Crossing New Horizons are plentiful. Whether it's interacting with villagers and other users to practice and improve at communication, or being exposed to cultures, this game accomplishes that while retaining the same freedom it gives children such as Maria to express themselves.