06/06/2026
𝒞𝑜𝓃𝑔𝓇𝒶𝓉𝓊𝓁𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈!
Warmest congratulations to 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘆𝗲𝗹 𝗛𝗶𝘆𝗮𝘀 𝗖. 𝗟𝗶𝘄𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴, 𝗣𝗵𝗗, for the successful presentation of the research paper titled 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙤𝙨’ 𝙋𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙘 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙀𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙇𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝘼𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡 𝘾𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜: 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙃𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙯𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮 at 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗩𝗜: 𝗩𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗿, held at the University of Bucharest, Romania, on 19–21 March 2026.
Mabuhay ka, Ma’am Ayel! 🥳
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𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗼𝘀’ 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆
Mariyel Hiyas C. Liwanag, PhD
ABSTRACT
The popularity of cozy games has risen during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly through gaming and social media platforms. However, examining these games from a consumer country perspective, such as the Philippines, has not been evident. This was despite the report by Statista in 2024 that the country has been and remains the top revenue source in Southeast Asia for the video game industry since 2018. This paper attempts to discuss how the cozy game Animal Crossing: New Horizons became a success in the Philippines during the national pandemic lockdowns despite its being an outlier to the usual successful free-to-play games that often hook Filipino players by arguing that the emotional labor in the context of a series of lockdowns in the country played a huge factor in the success of extending the reality to this console-specific game. Using the concepts of emotional constitutions by Aki Järvinen as a framework, this paper discusses four themes.
First, the sense of control through designing and organizing mechanics is discussed while the country was facing erratic safety and health policies. This discussion also involves how certain companies utilized the same mechanics to remain relevant. Second, the paper also describes the concept of pakikisama (getting along with others) in the game through villagers and the game’s friendship system amid isolation. Third, the paper also explains how the Filipino concepts of home and community are extended in the game. In this section, the local concept of community care that was observed in Filipino practices during the pandemic is also explained as a factor in why the game became relevant to the Filipinos. Lastly, the paper elucidates how Filipino players create a sense of safety in a virtual space amid the perils of the world during the pandemic. These four themes are discussed vis-a-vis the game mechanics and the Filipino play experience. Furthermore, the paper discussed how Nintendo’s timely release of the game in the Philippines during the time and context of ill pandemic protocols, may it be a sheer coincidence or an intentional strategy, became part of the game's worldwide success.
