"Animal Crossing" and Plato's "Republic": Building Platopolis

Let’s pretend, for a moment, that we live in a quirky sitcom, and through some wacky hijinks and machinations, our project for the science fair winds up activating a time portal, summoning the ancient Greek philosopher Plato into modern times. After a few minutes of Plato hilariously misinterpreting cars as horseless chariots and being despondent that internet forums aren’t real forums, he eventually makes his way over to the TV and turns on the Nintendo Gamecube. After fiddling around with the controls for a bit, Plato gets the hang of things (he’s a surprisingly quick learner) and starts playing. After approving of the work ethic and bravery of the Pikmin, he stumbles across “Animal Crossing.” Plato starts a new file, and is perhaps a little terrified as the giant talking cat confronts him on the train and asks him what his name is. After naming his character “Socrates” and the town he is heading to “Platopolis,” Plato immerses himself into the world of “Animal Crossing” and finds, perhaps to his surprise, that he quite likes it. Even if interior design and fishing aren’t necessarily his cup of tea, the social structure presented within the town is surely to his liking.

In Plato’s “The Republic,” the character of Socrates enters a discussion with local youths regarding the topic of justice. After refuting claims that justice is just a matter of what you can get away with, or that it is just imposed to benefit the ruling classes, Socrates tries to show the origins of justice in the community by constructing a fictional town and developing what he feels are the ideal conditions for a nation state, and how his construction would give way to true justice. Although the more extreme elements of eugenics and ultra-censorship are noticeably absent in “Animal Crossing” (it is rated E, after all), there is a great deal of similarity to what Plato is looking for in the ideal city. Whether or not Plato planned on having his “Republic” populated by talking animals, it is within this game that his definition of true justice can be found.

The first thing that Socrates does in his quest for justice in the community and the individual is to look at how a town is founded in the first place. It’s decided that people come together in order to minimalize the hardships they can’t overcome by being alone. This means that the classes of merchants, farmers, and other classes start converging into one mass, and with it diverse levels of skill sets, wealth, and duties within the greater social construct. One of the primary themes discussed in “The Republic” is the specialization of social tasks and duties. Plato believes that it will be more beneficial for an individual to work on a single occupation and thereby mastering it fully, rather than trying to wear many proverbial hats and only gaining some skills in each subject. In other words, a fisherman should focus on fishing, a carpenter should focus on carpentry, and rulers should focus on ruling. It is for this reason that the ideal city put forward by Socrates is certainly not a democratic one: Merchants, farmers, and all the rest have neither the time nor skill necessary enough to partake in politics in a knowledgeable fashion, and thus the power to rule should be placed in the hands of a select few who have specifically trained to rule. This ensures that the nation works in an almost machinelike matter, ensuring that the management of the city goes smoothly and without disruption due to social climbing or political ambition. Plato was concerned with too many cooks in the kitchen, as it were, and thought that having the uneducated layman partake in the politics of an entire country was a bad idea, preferring to leave such matters to those who had dedicated their professional lives to such matters and thus could make more educated decisions. Odd though this might seem to a modern day society which triumphs democracy, this form of social structure is exactly what we find in “Animal Crossing.” The people of the town all seem to specialize in one job, rather than try and multitask: Tom Nook runs the local store, and nothing else; Pelly handles the mail, and nothing else. Indeed, all of the local mainstays have found a niche within the society that they have mastered fully, and prefer to focus on those topics 24/7, 358 days a year. This holds true for the ruling class as well: no matter how long you play the game, and how many years pass, there’s yet to be a single election run in town. Mayor Tortimer and the police force of Officer Copper and Booker consist of the sole authority and power figures present. No one seems to question this, as everyone is too busy with their own tasks, and thus the government of the state is permitted to operate in its specialized rule, without having to watch its back for political machinations.

But are Mayor Tortimer and the police force suitable for the task of ruling the nation? As he lays out how his ideal city will natural develop, Socrates sees that as more people move to the city, it will naturally expand, thus conflicting with neighboring cities, and therefore instigating conflict. To this end, he develops a class called the Guardians, who are tasked with protecting the city in times of need, as well as policing it during times of peace. Plato spends a good portion of “The Republic” explaining exactly what it takes to be a Guardian, how they are to be educated and developed and the qualities they must display. Physical training is an obvious necessity, but in order to prevent the local police from just being a bunch of meatheads, Socrates insists that they be educated, especially in the topics of mathematics and philosophy; that way, they can see greater truths in the universe, and know when and how to use their powers for good. They must not have any sort of personal property, lest they be inclined to use their powers for corrupt purposes: that means they have no wealth of their own, and share their housing with other Guardians. In tune with the specialization of tasks, their primary concern must be with the upkeep of the town, and they must dedicate themselves to it fully; personal happiness is of no consequence. Socrates also explains that the Guardians would be bred with a specific education permitting very little freedom of thought so that there would be no deviation from their duties, but as we don’t really know how Tortimer was raised and educated, that doesn’t seem to apply here.

With these Guardian guidelines presented, we can see that Mayor Tortimer, Officer Copper, and Booker all hold up very well in Plato’s ideals. Again, we don’t know that status of education of our would-be Guardians, but every summer, Copper holds morning exercises, and Tortimer can be seen participating, ensuring that they will physically fit and ready should the next town over decide to raid the local Nookingtons and steal all the Blue Couches. They are at least in a constant state of readiness, and not inclined to grow idle in times of peace. Next, they clearly have no personal property or wealth that we can see. Officer Copper and Booker seem to make due with camping out in the Police Station, which is presumably owned by the public, and spend most of their time giving possessions away via lost-and-found. As for Tortimer, it’s true that he owns a nifty top hat and looks to be reasonably well kept, but we only ever see him napping in Town Hall (and not even with the benefit of a bed: the guy sleeps at his desk) and every holiday he too dispenses gifts to the town, rather than hoarding them himself. They are living, if not exactly in a Spartan fashion, at least frugally enough to assume they’re not abusing their power for personal gain. As for the factor about dedication and the devout love of the community they are upholding, there is no question of that. Copper never even goes to sleep in the original version of “Animal Crossing,” preferring to stand his post day and night to make sure all is well. In later versions, he and Booker can be found guarding the gate to city at all times. As for Tortimer, there are no taxes in the game, so he presumably isn’t getting paid, and the rewards appear to be few, yet he’s dedicated his eternity (or at least until you erase the game file) to running the town, apparently for the sole purpose that he wants to do so.

It seems, then, that at least at a (admittedly very) basic level of interpretation, the ruling class of “Animal Crossing” meet a portion of the requirements laid out by Plato. Socrates explains that the most mentally gifted and able of the Guardians will be made the Rulers, and the rest shall assume the position of Auxiliaries who act as more of the foot soldiers (Tortimer is the former, Copper and Booker the latter). But what are to be the tasks of the Guardians? It is made very clear that justice has a place in both peace and war, and when times of peace occur, it is up to the Guardians to ensure that harmony is maintained. One of the main concerns of Socrates is negating any social element which might cause conflict between classes and individuals. One such issue involves the topic of wealth, and how the Guardians must manage it. While Plato certainly does not want to abolish class systems, he believes that if there’s too much difference in the distribution of wealth, it will inevitably cause conflict; the Guardians, then, must make sure that the harmony between the poor and wealthy must be kept up, and that it is distributed fairly. Next, the education of the city has to be micromanaged. One of the more questionable parts of Socrates’ city is how any myths, stories, or lessons highlighting less-than-desirable characteristics in human beings are to be censored with prejudice, and the people will only learn the lessons that will mold them into the pro-social characters that Socrates wants. Whether ethical by today’s standards or no, Socrates’ train of thought is that if people cannot learn any evil, they will commit no evil, and it is up to the Guardians to make sure that this is upheld in the education system. Most importantly, as part of the primary theme of the city, the Guardians must ensure that everyone does their job and sticks to it, thus making sure that the social machine runs smoothly as possible. This includes the day-to-day policing of the city, making sure that dissatisfaction with the social structure is quelled, and that everyone stays in line as per the decree of the Ruler. It should be noted that this is obviously something of a police state, Aristotle makes it very clear that the Guardians, especially the Ruler, have been trained and educated to be as wise as possible, whose goal is for the betterment of the society as a whole and are concerned with the people and their wellbeing, thus differentiating this city from the social structure of the Tyrant.

While the laid-back attitude of “Animal Crossing” does not appear to strictly adhere to this construct laid out in Socrates’ imaginary city, there are indeed some similarities to be found. Consider the aspect of wealth: Within “Animal Crossing,” Plato’s concern of wealth polarization leading to class conflict is avoided by the relative de-valuing of money and personal possession. In Platopolis, the character of Socrates might have paid off his debt to Tom Nook quicker than Thrasymacus, and might enjoy the advantages of a basement and second floor as opposed to the regular animal population, but this is never built up as a matter to be jealous of. Money is readily available (you can beat it out of rocks, for Heaven’s sake), thus making it less a thing to hoard and more a thing to spread through the community. Furniture and nick nacks can be found in large enough numbers that the more wealthier members might be inclined to give away the things they don’t need. With this more open form of wealth distribution, citizens are not as inclined to commit injustices for personal gain, thus negating Plato’s fears on that level. The level of micromanagement of education and speech might provide Plato some cause for concern, though: there never appears to be any censorship of the mail, and citizens are free to write whatever they want on the billboard. However, in spite of the lack of mind and media control present in “Animal Crossing,” the law and mutual respect of the citizens does not seem to be lessened as a result. Indeed, whether it is actively enforced by the Auxiliaries or not (though it should be noted Copper never sleeps…)the citizens never seem inclined to deviate from the social plan laid out by Tortimer. Crime never seems to be an issue, and when you consider that every door is unlocked, that is no small feat. There is no sign of social climbing or conflict: no matter how many floors you add to your house, no one really seems to hold it against you, and the status you hold in the town stays the same. Not to mention that no one attempts to overthrow the established job system: no one can own a store but Tom Nook. This complete lack of apparent will to upset the status quo indicates that even if the education system lacks the apparent censorship Socrates advocates, there is still no signs of evil or ill will present in the citizens. It can be assumed, then, that the Guardians are doing their task very well: the social structure is being kept in harmony, with no one trying to throw it out of balance or even thinking about altering the layout the Ruler has provided.

The primary point of Socrates’ musings is how to find the origins of justice within society, and then display how this also applies on a micro level to individual people. According to Plato, this ideal city should have four characteristics: wisdom, courage, self-discipline, and justice. Wisdom is found in the Ruler, who after all has been chosen for the position based on his superior intellect, and from whom can govern the city and all its parts to their preferable outcome; Courage is found in the Auxileries, who have been raised to know no fear and always face a foe; Self-Discipline is found in the citizens, who are to focus on one thing and one thing alone, never deviating from the path set out for them by the ruler and accepting their lot in life. Justice, according to Plato, can be found in the harmony of the other three elements working together: if wisdom can decide how best to use courage and self-discipline without either gaining the upper hand, then there is no desire to commit an injustice by allowing base instincts to take over: you won’t steal if the self-discipline is managed, nor will you commit malicious violence if the courage is not allowed to run amok. And as we’ve seen, this form of justice exists in “Animal Crossing.” The Wisdom of Tortimer is allowed to rule, whether we see it or not, and observes that the town is run to its full efficiency. The Courage of Officer Copper and Booker act as the sole figures of potential aggression and policing, but they only use their powers to uphold the law, rather than abuse their powers. The citizens of every town focus on their own lives and act with great Self-Discipline, never upsetting the status quo. And with everyone acting in complete harmony, knowing their role and minding their own business, true justice can be found in Platopolis.

Let it never be said that an E rated game does not contain substance. Next time someone triumphs how super-special-awesome “Call of Duty” or any other M rated titles are, feel free to shout out “Yeah, well, Plato prefers ‘Animal Crossing!’” They might look at you funny (believe me, it happens more often than you’d think), but at least you know that the ideals laid out in Plato’s “The Republic” can be found in the quirky but fun “Animal Crossing.” Batman might be taking out criminals over in Gotham, but true justice in the community is present in Platopolis.

Even if Crazy Redd still totally over charges for everything.