Nintendo’s Animal Crossing has been an escape for many during the Covid-19 lockdown, and now it’s become a place for Hong Kong protesters to congregate without flouting social distancing rules.

Animal Crossing is a simulation game where players live on an idyllic tropical island and befriend anthropomorphic animals. Players can customise their islands with in-game illustrating tools and visit each other’s islands online. Pro-democracy content created for the game has gone viral on social media, including Twitter.

In a tweet last week, one of Hong Kong’s most well-known democracy campaigners, Joshua Wong, said he was playing the game and that the movement had shifted online.

In one video posted to Twitter, a group of players use bug-catching nets to hit pictures of the city’s leader Carrie Lam on a beach in the game. A nearby poster states "Free Hong Kong. Revolution Now”.

Animal Crossing’s latest title, New Horizons has helped Nintendo with a 27% gain in share price as copies sold surpassed 2.6 million as of March 29, according to Japan game-market researcher Famitsu.

 - Bloomberg