A criatividade da comunidade de fãs de Animal Crossing

: estudo de caso : o jogo Animal Crossing : new horizons

Abstract

The main objective of this investigation is to demonstrate how digital games are used, in addition to being a form of entertainment, which can contribute to the development of creativity and expression in gaming communities. The case study for this investigation is the popular game Animal Crossing: New Horizons, since it was a game released in March 2020, at the beginning of the first quarantine resulting from the virus Covid-19.The digital gaming world has been growing exponentially in recent years. And, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many games have come to play an important role in players' daily lives. Whether as a form of Escapism or artistic development, there are even some players who have seen the possibility of starting a career as game content creators.For that reason, the research question is: How does Animal Crossing: New Horizons contribute to the development of creativity and expression of its Fandom?To answer the research question, questionnaire surveys were carried out with 266 New Horizons’ players, 71 Portuguese and 195 foreigners, and structured interviews were carried out with 10 content creators of said game, 9 foreigners and 1 Portuguese. To understand how the game changed their lives and what opportunities it provided for both players and content creators.

Date of Award	16 Feb 2022
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Cátia Ferreira (Supervisor)