Player Screenshots from qualitative interviews for the thesis project Playing through the Pandemic: A Psychocultural Analysis of Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Player screenshots were collected from participants who had engaged with Animal Crossing: New Horizons during periods of COVID-19 social restrictions. These artefacts consisted primarily of screenshots taken within the game, which participants selected as representations of meaningful moments, spaces, or activities from their gameplay. This approach allowed participants to highlight aspects of their in-game environments that they felt were significant, while also providing visual material that complemented the interview discussions. The artefacts focused on elements such as island design, interactions with other players, and spaces created for social or personal expression. These visual materials were analysed alongside the interview data using a psychocultural framework, drawing on psychoanalytic concepts to explore how players used the game environment to construct meaningful spaces, express identity, and manage emotional experience during a period characterised by uncertainty and social isolation.