COVID-19 pandemic, as attributing to its success. An NBC News op-ed declared, "[New Horizons] is the coronavirus distraction we needed" at a time of widespread social distancing and stay-at-home orders. Imad Khan of The New York Times called the game a "phenomenon", and stated that "with the world in the grip of a pandemic, the wildly popular game is a conveniently timed piece of whimsy, particularly for millennials." Many people have utilized the game in different ways for business and/or socialization. Funerals, weddings, and graduations were held in the game, with even a talk show spawning, titled Animal Talking. The Monterey Bay Aquarium, California, during the COVID-19 pandemic, has regularly held live streams of animal feedings. Twitter revealed, in early January 2021, that Animal Crossing: New Horizons was the most tweeted-about game in 2020. The Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign released official digital yard signs for use in the game that players could use to decorate their islands. The game was also used by democracy activists in Hong Kong, including Joshua Wong, as a platform to protest virtually. In reaction, the game was removed from online stores in China such as Taobao where it had been available on the grey market. Nintendo announced on November 19, 2020, a new set of guidelines for using the game, including the ban on using it for political activities. In March 2021, the National Videogame Museum kept a record of the game and its impact during the COVID-19 pandemic, titled the "Animal Crossing Diaries". The records contain visuals, audio, interviews from players throughout 2020, who kept track of their progress and reflected on their experience and how it affected them. According to Lex Roberts, the curator, the goal was to encapture what made the game so popular, alongside its cultural impact, to players who enjoyed the game after COVID-19 restrictions settled. They were requested by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation to "collect the history as it's happening", and they were funded by the charity to do so. The website containing the records opened in September 2021, and covered the 18 months after the game's release. Related media A tie-in manga series, , began serialization in the manga magazine Ciao on December 28, 2019. The series is written and illustrated by Minori Katō, and follows a villager named Hana who moves to an unpopulated island. Another manga series, Atsumare Dōbutsu no Mori: Nonbiri Shima Diary, launched