Competitive Musical Chairs Brings Out the Beast in Animal Crossing: New Horizons Players

In these troubled times of quarantine and social distancing, playing an old-fashioned game of Musical Chairs is a big no-no. And while some social activities can be easily transitioned to the digital realm, Musical Chairs isn't one. Right?

That's something a quitter would say. With the magic of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you can host your very own Musical Chairs contest. Better still, as a Redditor named "Tetratara" demonstrates, you can go far beyond the traditional boring circle of chairs in a classroom. With a little hard work, imagination, and your very own private island, you can set up arenas made of stone stools, lawn chairs, tree stumps, and even toilets. (Hey, all that running around is good for the bowels.)

Tetratara hosted a party of eight on their island, which was strewn with fenced-off gardens for participants to run around in. They stood in the middle and played the ocarina or tambourine while everyone ran around in a circle. When the music stopped, everyone scrambled for a chair—and this sequence is made a little more exciting by the fact sitting down in Animal Crossing isn't done by a button prompt, but rather by pushing up against the object you want to plant yourself on. That means the silent, smiling struggles that ensue when the music stops are probably powered by actual people yelling and cussing at one another from miles away.

This session of Musical Animal Chairs required an entry fee, which accumulated into a pot of about 105,000 bells for the winner. Tetratara is hosting more tournaments, which you can learn about by visiting the Animal Crossing subreddit. May the music pipe ever in your favor.

Are you building your own village? We have Animal Crossing: New Horizons guides for miles. Dig in and learn about everything this lovely little game has to offer.