6 Video Game Characters Who Mirror Real World Issues

This may not be as much of a reach as one may initially think. From constantly putting the player into more monetary debt, to indirectly persuading you to using real-world currency for in-game items, the seemingly harmless raccoon dog can be regarded as an embodiment of capitalism through and through.

Nook, in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, has completely shifted away from his original shop owner-based roots. He is now portrayed as a landlord, requesting that the player pay off the house he first provides by doing various tasks. The financial servitude engaged in is done in an effort to maintain and grow Nook's overall wealth and resources. The accelerated hoarding of bells in-game furthers his capital and power, while undermining the player's ability to effectively pay off their debt. This is not unlike many exploitative landlords in our society today, who require large sums of rent to be paid for, sometimes, modest or inadequate housing.

This is only accelerated by the time Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is released. Leaf Tickets, in-game currency that can be bought with real world currency, can be used to purchase Tom Nook's chair as an item. Video game companies that seek to increase profits through the use of microtransactions, are another function of overarching capitalism, which further aims to make the player spend money on more than just the base price of the respective game.

Is it a coincidence that Nook runs the microtransaction shop in Pocket Camp as well? The nerve.