A heart-wrenching tale about Animal Crossing

by Ross Miller { Nov 19th 2007 at 7:57PM }

We're not going to lie, this story moved us - not only for its content, but also because someone managed to use the YTMND format in a way that actually enhanced the storytelling process. This touching tale tells of the impact that Animal Crossing had on an ill family member. We don't want to spoil it, so check it out for yourself.

The story is from "a member in IGN" and illustrated by ONESOUND from This Is Game. If YTMND isn't your thing, you can also view a full-sized copy of the comic here and save it for later, or print it out and show your loved ones.

Update: As reader RySenkari has warned, the YTMND link had been "altered" to shy people away from the link, and the subsequent imagery was NSFW (try going to the site via Digg and you'll get an idea of what we're talking about). If you're sending this to family members or just don't want to risk seeing such things, we recommend either typing the URL in a separate window or just taking a look at the full-sized comic that we're hosting at the moment.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Tags: animal-crossing, animalcrossing, ms, multiple-sclerosis, nintendo, polio, ytmnd

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Rob @ Nov 19th 2007 8:05PM

Jesus...it's like I just got punched in the gut.

CanadianZero @ Nov 19th 2007 8:59PM

same

:*(

Ethan @ Nov 19th 2007 9:10PM

In a good way. That was good.

Grey Acumen @ Nov 19th 2007 9:33PM

Definitely watch it in YTMND. The timing was done just right, and the music really does compliment it. I've long since dismissed YTMND as just being trivial pieces of silliness, but this one brings real class to the whole thing.

Yeah... I definitely teared up a little.

Obie @ Nov 19th 2007 11:10PM

Now I'd like to see anyone call gamers jerks...I dare them. Truly heartfelt, great stuff.

jwm @ Nov 19th 2007 8:06PM

Honestly, that made me cry a little, less for the fact that it involved video games, but that despite the fact she was having fun doing something she always wanted to do, she still thought of her kids...

NoHitHair @ Nov 20th 2007 12:58PM

This is definitely the first time anything on Joystiq actually made me cry. That was very unexpected.

I lost it as soon as I read the letter the mom sent to her kids.

rsfire @ Nov 19th 2007 8:09PM

Wow.

gonk @ Nov 19th 2007 8:09PM

Brello @ Nov 19th 2007 8:25PM

" :( " is about all I can comment as well.

Evan W @ Nov 19th 2007 8:10PM

wow, that affected me far more than I thought it would have. Excuse me while I call up my dad.

Luka M. @ Nov 19th 2007 8:10PM

O_O

Adam Sutherland @ Nov 19th 2007 8:11PM

I saw this earlier and definitely cried.

Slappy @ Nov 19th 2007 8:16PM

Jesus. This really hits hard for me. My mom was also diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis several years ago and has been getting worse ever since. She stopped taking her vaccines because they made her too tired in the morning and she needed to go to work. Now she has trouble walking and will probably need a cane or walker soon at the age of 46. And since my parents recently divorced, she spends a lot of time alone.

It just reminds me of how one day she saw me playing Zelda on Wii and began to ask me about it. She always liked epic stories like Lord of the Rings or Narnia or whatever, and I guess Zelda caught her attention. She also asked a lot about Guitar Hero when she heard me playing a Rolling Stones song, her favorite band. She never really took any passing interest in games before, so I just kind of blew her off. She hasn't asked about it since but I know she's been playing the Wii by looking at the play log.

This comic really did something to me. I think I'll actually try talking to her and maybe even connect with her over the games, as nerdy as it sounds. My family's always been kind of emotionally detached and I guess I should try to fix that any way I can.

Alexisonfire @ Nov 19th 2007 8:16PM

And the story was so sad, so touching that Albi began to cry... dragon tears.

Which as we all know turn into jelly beans!

Deputy Laser Action @ Nov 20th 2007 6:44AM

And suddenly Albi wasn't racist anymore.

By the way, do you happen to post on BHZ?

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Nov 19th 2007 10:27PM

sigh, I guess this story is too sad for a Flight of the Conchords joke.

Zeus the God @ Nov 19th 2007 11:42PM

That was sad and all, but I can't lie- that was pretty damn funny.

Bobby @ Nov 19th 2007 11:43PM

I'm not crying. It's just been raining on my face. =(

Superstar90 @ Nov 20th 2007 9:24AM

This is too sad for Flight of the Conchords :(

Alexisonfire @ Nov 20th 2007 5:19PM

Was just trying to lighten up the situation, turn the frown upside down. Seems as if people wanted to stay sad and depressed...

Joe @ Nov 20th 2007 2:51PM

Omigosh, that is the saddest thing I have ever seen

Thierry @ Nov 19th 2007 8:22PM

That was one sad story, I almost cried.

343 Guilty Fart @ Nov 19th 2007 8:23PM

Add me to the list of criers.

Saria the Cat @ Nov 19th 2007 8:26PM

Wow. :(

frozengod @ Nov 19th 2007 8:29PM

Damn you Joystiq! I don't read this site to cry.
Damn you elders, stop dying!

Jason @ Nov 19th 2007 8:35PM

I don't want to ruin it here or anything as it is indeed a sad and moving story, but the "mother" in Animal Crossing is the fictional Nintendo "mother". I played AC a ton and I got all those things from "Mom" and my mom never picked up a game controller in her life. Those gifts and letters he says he got in AC are sent to all players.

Aero @ Nov 19th 2007 8:39PM

Yeah, the presents were probably from the in-game character, not the kids actual mum.

Mike @ Nov 19th 2007 8:39PM

don't ruin it for us!

Bobby Blackwolf @ Nov 19th 2007 8:49PM

I actually think that the presents from the in-game character "Mom" only come when you're playing - you won't get multiple ones if you don't log in for a long time.

angie @ Nov 19th 2007 8:53PM

not necessarily...
in alot of the generic "mom" letters she tells a silly story about "home" which i don't think he would confuse with his real mom... especially since it says most of them said the same thing.

p.s.
:*(

Rawnblade @ Nov 19th 2007 9:06PM

I find it amazing how quickly this devolved into discussion of the video game itself. Know your audience, eh?

Gonna go hug my mom now :(

Blast Processing Megadrive @ Nov 19th 2007 9:15PM

I'm pretty sure the writer of the original story meant it was his real mother, not the character's mother.

Ian Murray @ Nov 19th 2007 8:38PM

Oh Lord.

She...she still sent him presents. I was half-expecting some letter like "When you read this, I'll be gone..." but what really happened was just as - if not more - saddening.

I need to go lie down.

jimy @ Nov 19th 2007 8:41PM

Good looking out, saw this on digg this morning and didnt know if it was real. thanks for clearing it up. makes it that much more sad.

beans @ Nov 19th 2007 8:45PM

That's exactly what I was thinking Jason but the more I think about it, the more I don't think a gamer would go to all this trouble to convey this message if it wasn't really the mom. I think he'd be able to tell the difference but hey, maybe not.

Nevertheless, a nice tale with a genuinely 'real' message, at the very least : ].

Richmond Jim @ Nov 19th 2007 8:42PM

What were you thinking when you posted this? Nobody wants to be made sad when they read a video game site.

Please exercise some editorial sensibility and keep this sort of article off your site in the future. Thanks.

Neebs @ Nov 19th 2007 9:07PM

Nobody wants to read sad things ever. But what do to we see in 90% of news?

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Nov 19th 2007 10:42PM

What were you thinking when you posted this?
No one wants to be angered by a dumb prick when they read a video game site.

Please exercise some sensibility and keep this sort of crap off this site in the future. Thanks.

Brian @ Nov 19th 2007 11:09PM

Go away.

Richmond Jim @ Nov 20th 2007 3:28AM

Comparing a video game news site to a world news report is silly. Video game news is expected to be a lighthearted diversion, given the source material.

A better analogy would be a "homemaker's report" on the local news deciding to cover the grisly deaths of several local homemakers rather than reporting on knitting activities.

Keep this stuff off the blog, or I will scold you all very fiercely in the future. Also, please refrain from disagreeing, especially if you are named after a DBZ character. That's silly, too.

Thank you all for reading, and please follow my advice.

Neebs @ Nov 20th 2007 6:20AM

"Also, please refrain from disagreeing, especially if you are named after a DBZ character. That's silly, too."

When all else fails, attack the person.

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Nov 20th 2007 8:20AM

Okay what? Why is it that my intelligence is constantly being questioned simply because I like DBZ? Sure it's mainly about two guys powering up for half-and hour but it's damn entertaining (at least to me). I mean what do you think you're smarter than me cause you like teh evangelion?

Mr Khan @ Nov 25th 2007 12:54PM

@ Neebs

I'm desensitized to that 90% of news

But THIS, this just tears at the heartstrings

Didn't cry, but i came close...

Poisoned Al @ Nov 19th 2007 8:42PM

What got me is that the NPCs noticed she went missing. I know its just a simple bit of coding, but it would still rip my heart out if it were me playing.

Joshua @ Nov 19th 2007 8:47PM

My friend showed me this earlier, but now I know it's real. All I could say then was :'-( and that hasn't changed now.

I'm wondering if this was originally in Korean, though...

c-lee @ Nov 19th 2007 8:57PM

Dunno whether the story comes from a Korean family but seems like a Korean site illustrated it, which explains the Korean text.

Orion @ Nov 19th 2007 8:55PM

Thank you very much for posting this joystiq.. dont listen to the idiots who dont have a heart and dont want to see something like this. it's related to video games, thast all you need to post.

this really touched me and i cried a bit. i showed it to my mom who has been wanting to play wii , but i dont have time to play with her.. and she had very teary eyes and had to wipe them. we didnt even have the sound on, just the story did that. im not ashamed to say i gave her a big hug and told her i loved her. sometimes you dont know what you have before it's gone. thank you.