In extraordinary times, Ramadan finds a place in Animal Crossing

But while a number of Muslims were reaching for recognizable technology like Zoom to help make the formerly community-driven Ramadan experience feel ordinary in an extraordinary world, Ismail — ever the ambassador — decided to look at other virtual avenues.With coronavirus closing schools, here’s how video games are helping teachersOn his popular Twitter account, Ismail posted a picture of his “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” character sitting peacefully at an outside table with multiple place mats. “I made myself a little Suhoor/Iftar spot in Animal Crossing for Ramadan this year,” he tweeted, referring to the time before sunrise when Muslims eat a meal before beginning their daily fast, and the time after sunset when they break their fast with a meal. All the while, his guests poked around the house, admiring the knickknacks and multiple sinks per room.“I think the main thing about Animal Crossing is that it’s a place,” Ismail told me. He doesn’t have a Switch, he doesn’t play Animal Crossing, but I send him screenshots of every Suhoor and Iftar I did, and of another person doing prayers in Animal Crossing, and he just seems to think it’s a good thing.“Maybe this time circumstances are just better for something like this right now.