That's the question explored in this week's PBS Idea Channel video.

Now, I've been writing on the internet long enough to know that otaku is Internet Dynamite. Like "dubstep" and "roguelike," it's a word that you can't even say without making hundreds of people break their keyboards typing apoplectic comments.

That said, I thought this video was pretty interesting. I don't think it gets into the nitty-gritty of why this game is great nearly as directly as, say, Christian Nutt's great recent essay at Gamasutra, but it's food for thought.

What do you guys think? Does Animal Crossing promote otaku citizenship?