disease that makes you play animal crossing

something about winter and isolation makes me want to play animal crossing. last time i truly played, i was in a hospital, in a middle of covid outbreak, gaming with my darling through local play on switch, on either side of a closed door. and although my enviornment changed, this isolated, lonely feeling came back. so, i booted up my old island. it almost feels like i am escaping from my own escapism... escapism squared?

it's hard for me to feel nostalgic about animal crossing, as i have not grew up with it. nintendo games and consoles do not have polish translations, and i didn't know english as a kid. my first nintendo game was animal crossing: new leaf that i played on a second hand old 3ds. i honestly started playing it only because i wanted to connect more with a girl i had a crush on, she really loved that game.

still, playing animal crossing: new horizons now, even after all the hype died down, makes me feel some sort of longing. it's such a weird feeling. is the Animal Crossing Disease a symptom of wanting to connect, or to run away?