Lisa Nandy reveals she has ‘put a lot of hours’ into video game Animal Crossing

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Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has revealed she is a fan of video games, and has “put in a lot of hours” playing Nintendo’s Animal Crossing.

The cosy social simulation is one of the most popular games on Nintendo’s Switch console.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons sees the player take the role of a resident living on an island, where they can build a home, catch fish and insects, and make friends with a host of anthropomorphic animal characters.

Ms Nandy’s admission came as she appeared on the morning media round speaking about a gathering of creative industry businesses she is hosting in the North East on Friday.

The Culture Secretary was asked if she plays video games when she listed the sector as among those attending the gathering.

“I do actually,” she told Sky News, adding: “I’ve got a nine-year-old who is Switch obsessed.

“I’ve put in a lot of hours on Animal Crossing, I can tell you that much.”

Ms Nandy’s revelation comes a day after Sir Keir Starmer said his favourite book is football-based comic strip Roy Of The Rovers.

Elsewhere on Thursday, Japanese gaming giant Nintendo announced it would be releasing the successor to the Switch console – the Switch 2 – some time in 2025.

More than 146 million Nintendo Switch consoles have been sold worldwide as of September 2024, making it the second most popular games console of all time behind Sony’s Playstation 2, which has sold upwards of 160 million since it launched in 2000.