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For me as a 13 year old playing the original Animal Crossing on a gamecube, it was a harmless escape from life. At the time I was dealing with the loss of my older brother and was very depressed.

Animal Crossing is a simulation game sort of like the Sims (not the city building sims) or Harvest Moon. The difference is the time in Animal Crossing is the same as in real life. On Christmas if you turn on Animal Crossing, the town in the game is celebrating Christmas (well actually "Toy Day" to be politically correct). The game followed real life seasons as well. This makes playing the game for a little each day rewarding as there is something new every day for at least a year. My favorite aspect of Animal Crossing is how there is no absolute goal or achievement you strive for. The game is about doing what you feel like at your own pace. The soundtrack is one of the most relaxing soundtracks of any game I have ever played and the tunes change by the hour. For example, you can get lost in the game for hours fishing trying to catch the rarest fish in the game. This game was therapeutic for me as I was young and dealing with some rough stuff in real life.

Heres an example of some of the music you'd hear in the game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryyPW754sJQ&frags=pl%2Cwn